Electronic Arts Inc. will celebrate UEFA EURO 2008 -- one of the world’s largest sporting events that crowns the UEFA European Soccer Champion every four years -- with the launch of UEFA EURO 2008, the only officially licensed videogame of the real-world championship. The videogame will ship to stores across Europe on April 11 and will be available in North America on May 20 in anticipation of the real-world tournament which begins in June in Austria and Switzerland.

UEFA EURO 2008 will feature stunning visual representations of the world’s most famous soccer players, playing in a more accessible, faster paced and responsive version of the market-leading EA SPORTS soccer engine, and all of the teams and official stadiums that will be part of UEFA EURO 2008. The videogame will enable gamers to play as their favorite country from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the championship tournament.

Take on the challenge of leading one of over 50 European national teams to glory as UEFA EURO 2008 recreates all the drama and excitement of the official tournament. A new game mode called Captain Your Country will enable gamers to put themselves on the pitch, earn the captaincy of their team and truly inspire their country to glory. Gamers will also be able to celebrate their success on-field through interactive celebrations that will add to the pageantry and atmosphere of the event. In addition, an online mode called Battle of the Nations will enable gamers around the world to lead their country to global supremacy.

"Our game, UEFA EURO 2008, celebrates the passion fans have for their national teams by capturing all of the national rivalries in-game, and enabling you to captain your country or play as your heroes and inspire them to glory," said lead producer Simon Humber. "We have taken our soccer engine to another level and added innovative new features to create a videogame that captures and simulates the real-world soccer experience and all the emotion of this global event."

UEFA EURO 2008 is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. It is scheduled for worldwide release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems, and the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. It will also be available for PC and mobile in Europe. UEFA EURO 2008 is rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI.