Electronic Arts lays out Q1 release schedule
Following an incredibly successful Christmas period, leading publisher Electronic Arts has updated its release schedule for the first quarter of the year, giving firm dates for the first time to titles including Final Fantasy X-2 and The Sims 2.
Following an incredibly successful Christmas period, leading publisher Electronic Arts has updated its release schedule for the first quarter of the year, giving firm dates for the first time to titles including Final Fantasy X-2 and The Sims 2.
The company kicks off the New Year on January 30th with film tie-in Looney Tunes: Back In Action (PS2, Cube, GBA), NFL Street (PS2, Cube, Xbox) and SimCity 4 Deluxe (PC), while February 13th sees the launch of Square Enix' eagerly awaited RPG sequel, Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2) alongside EA Sports' Cricket 2004 (PC, PS2).
The next game in the James Bond series, Everything or Nothing, appears a week later on February 20th on PS2, Cube and XBox, while March 19th is a pretty big date for the publisher, with The Sims 2 (PC) hitting retail alongside Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault (PC). The quarter wraps up on March 26th with the launch of Battlefield Vietnam, the hotly anticipated sequel to the popular PC title Battlefield 1942.
Titles which will show up in Q1 but are so fare unscheduled include Namco's R: Racing (PS2, Cube, Xbox, but suffering from extremely poor word of mouth in Japan and the USA), Spawn: Armageddon (PS2, Cube, Xbox) and Ultima X: Odyssey (PC).
The second quarter brings with it two of EA's biggest franchises, with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PS2, Xbox, Cube, PC, GBA, etc, etc) appearing alongside the launch of the third Potter movie in late Q2, while strategy title Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth is out on the PC.