The Great One Wayne Gretzky named cover athlete of all-new EA SPORTS NHL Slapshot

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Electronic Arts Inc. revealed today that EA SPORTS™ is developing their first ever NHL® hockey title for the Wii™ Console, NHL®SLAPSHOT, and that NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky will grace the cover. NHL®SLAPSHOT introduces a revolutionary hockey stick controller that allows players to shoot, pass and body check just like the pros. In addition to having his likeness on the front of all packaging, Gretzky will be available as a playable character in the game when NHL® SLAPSHOT is available in retail stores this September. 

"EA SPORTS™ has been making great hockey games in Canada for 20 years now, and the team behind the game is really passionate about the sport," said Gretzky. "Being on the cover of the new Wii version of the game is exciting and is probably going to make me a bit cooler in the eyes of my kids."

Gretzky is an NHL legend who accumulated a long list of accomplishments and awards during his 21 year career as a player in the NHL. He currently holds 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, six All-Star records, and is the only NHL player to have ever recorded 200 points in a season. Since retiring as a player from the NHL, Gretzky has been very active in the hockey world, serving as Executive Director of the gold medal winning 2002 Canadian men's national ice hockey team, and acting as a special advisor to the gold medal winning 2010 Canadian men's national ice hockey team.

"Making our games as close to the real thing has always been our focus," says EA SPORTS Creative Director, David Littman. "Now we are giving players an actual plastic hockey stick that the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers plug into. Players can then use the new NHL® SLAPSHOT Hockey Stick to do all the moves in the game." 

NHL® SLAPSHOT is currently in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, BC and will be available for the Wii system in September, 2010. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences.  EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active™.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.