Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that UEFA EURO 2008, the only officially licensed videogame of the real-world championship, is available in stores now throughout North America.

UEFA EURO 2008 is a more accessible, faster paced, and more responsive version of the market-leading EA SPORTS soccer engine – with all of the teams and official stadiums that will be part of UEFA EURO 2008. Take one of 52 European national teams to glory from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the championship 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 be able to celebrate their success on-field through user-controlled celebrations that will add to the pageantry and atmosphere of the event.

With UEFA EURO 2008 now available in stores throughout North America, gamers can log on at www.easportsfootball.com to track their results against rivals from around the world in the Battle of the Nations online game mode featured in UEFA EURO 2008. Battle of the Nations is a daily competition where users represent their country online against rival nations in a quest for continental supremacy. A groundbreaking points system means that, while linked to the EA servers, every performance in UEFA EURO 2008 is rated, recorded and uploaded and ratings all count towards player and nation Leaderboards. Gamers can play as any team against any opposition and still gain points for their selected country with bigger upsets netting increased status points.

The new EA SPORTS soccer website www.easportsfootball.com is set to become the premier global destination for EA SPORTS soccer fans on the web where they can interact with and be a part of the world’s leading soccer gaming community. Users will be able to track statistics, get insight into features on all EA SPORTS soccer games, upload videos, join groups, and participate in tournaments and online leagues with soccer fans from all over the world for all EA SPORTS soccer games. Developed in five different languages the soccer gaming destination will be updated with new content, videos and features regularly so fans are encouraged to visit often to keep up-to-date on their favorite EA SPORTS soccer videogames.

UEFA EURO 2008 is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. It is in stores now throughout North America on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the Playstation 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems, and the PSP system. UEFA EURO 2008 is rated “E” for everyone by the ESRB.