EA to showcase new Hasbro-themed video games at Toy Fair

Electronic Arts today announced that it will unveil six new Hasbro-inspired video games that are in development for spring and summer ’09 releases, at the International Toy Fair in New York City. EA’s casual gaming lineup will be on display in Hasbro’s Showroom on February 15-17, 2009.

Following are brief descriptions of some of the EA-Hasbro games that will be spotlighted at Toy Fair:

G.I. JOE for all major video game consoles will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 12 G.I. JOE characters, each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil to defeat the powers of COBRA. G.I JOE is set to launch on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS and mobile devices this summer.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT for all major video game consoles will allow players to customize the gameplay experience by choosing from three different modes of play including: Classic TRIVIAL PURSUIT, which is played like the traditional board game; Clear the Board where players sharpen their skills on their own; and the all-new quick-playing Facts and Friends mode which adds a fresh social dynamic to the game that keeps everyone involved by encouraging players to guess whether the opposing team will answer questions correctly. TRIVIAL PURSUIT will launch in March 2009.

SCRABBLE on the Nintendo DS and PSP will offer three modes of play – 1) Classic, which is traditional game play; 2) Speed, where players race against the clock; and 3) SCRABBLE SLAM, inspired by the new Hasbro card game which is a fast-paced version where players try to get rid of their SLAM cards by making four letter words. The game includes three modes of training exercises designed to make you a better SCRABBLE player. Adding to the word fun are six difficulty levels and a SCRABBLE word-finder, the Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary, and Wi-Fi multiplayer capability for both single and multi-cart play.

HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT will serve up some of the most popular family favorite board games – SCRABBLE, CONNECT FOUR, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, SORRY!, and SORRY! SLIDERS – on Xbox LIVE Arcade. The Hasbro Family Game Night destination on Xbox LIVE will allow fans to enjoy classic versions as well as brand new ways to play including Party Mode, which offers mini-game versions of each game. Key features include online play, achievements, avatar support, sharing customized space with friends, and the ability to launch new games without leaving the current game environment. The games will be available starting in Spring 2009.

PICTUREKA! MUSEUM MAYHEM puts PC game players in the shoes of a museum curator to re-establish order as quickly as possible after discovering that an unknown culprit got into the museum and jumbled all of the exhibits. Players must search for and find hidden objects that are listed on clue cards. Each card helps rebuild and re-organize the museum, re-opening another exhibit. It is a race against time to restore the museum before its reputation is ruined. PICTUREKA! MUSEUM MAYHEM is currently available online for download at Pogo.com.

For more information about the EA Hasbro lineup, please visit hasbro.ea.com.