Electronic Arts 2004 Annual Report Download - page 24

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EA.com Web Site
Free Content. We oÅer free games on our website under the following four brands: Pogo, EA GAMES,
EA SPORTS and EA SPORTS BIG. The majority of these free games are original games designed solely for
play on the web while some of the product oÅerings capitalize on our existing franchises adapted for online
play. As of March 31, 2004, our online product oÅerings within each brand included the following:
䡵Pogo. We oÅered approximately 43 free online games under the Pogo brand. Pogo provides players
a variety of free online games geared towards family entertainment. The oÅerings include card
games, board games, casino games, word games, trivia games and puzzles. This category leverages
prizes, tournaments, community and Pogo's strength and popularity in free, familiar games to
signiÑcantly increase the appeal of our online games service to the broad consumer market.
䡵EA GAMES. We included online gameplay capability for Ñve PC and Ñve PlayStation 2 titles. In
addition, we provided 12 free online games on our Pogo website under the EA GAMES brand. The
EA GAMES oÅering consists of original arcade-style games and other original games designed
solely for online play, such as Highstakes Pool, Command & Conquer
TM
: Attack Copter, Tank
Hunter and Need for Speed.
䡵EA SPORTS and EA SPORTS BIG. We included online gameplay capability for six PC and
12 PlayStation 2 titles. In addition, we provide 17 free online games on our Pogo web site under the
EA SPORTS and EA SPORTS BIG brands. In the EA SPORTS BIG category, SSX Snowdreams
leverages the EA SPORTS BIG franchise to form a community of sports gamers. The
EA SPORTS category consists of original games designed solely for online play such as Pebble
Beach Golf, Top Down Baseball, All-Star Football, 3-Point Showdown and It's Outta Here 2!.
Paid Content. In addition to our free suite of games, we also oÅer two premium pay-to-play services under
the Pogo Brand:
䡵Club Pogo Ì our online game subscription service. To join Club Pogo, players must register and
subscribe online. Players have the option of selecting a monthly or annual subscription fee plan.
When a player joins Club Pogo, they have access to all of the games and content they had on the free
service, plus premium features and beneÑts, such as additional member-exclusive games, ad-free
gameplay, an enhanced prize system and more. Club Pogo also provides a deeper community
experience through upgraded player proÑles, weekly game challenges and member badges.
䡵Pogo-To-Go Ì our downloadable games oÅering. A one-time fee allows users to download and own
a version of their favorite Pogo game to play oÉine. The Pogo-To-Go games include extra features
like exclusive game modes, bonus levels, high scores and enhanced graphics and sounds. We
currently oÅer 25 downloadable games under the Pogo-To-Go service including, several original
games, versions of popular free Pogo games and several licensed titles. In addition, we oÅer these
downloadable game oÅerings at retail.
Relationship with AOL
Our agreement with AOL establishes the basis for our creation and distribution of game sites on the world
wide web that are available to AOL subscribers via the Games Channel on AOL's Öagship ISP service and to
other consumers who use other AOL portals (e.g. CompuServe and Netscape).
Persistent State World Games
We also oÅer premium pay-to-play persistent state world games. In order to access these premium games, the
player must purchase a CD through retail stores or through our online store. After an initial free-trial period,
the player must pay a subscription fee in order to continue playing. These persistent state world games are
designed to appeal to avid gamers: teens and adults looking to participate in multi-player online games made
up of fantastic worlds, characters, adventures or activities Ì big or small, real or imagined Ì as well as new
forms of cutting-edge online entertainment targeted to mass market gamers. Our persistent state world game
oÅerings include Ultima Online, The Sims Online and Earth & Beyond.
We launched both Earth & Beyond and The Sims Online in Ñscal 2003. The Sims Online was expected to be
our Öagship online subscription oÅering. Through March 31, 2004, however, the number of units sold and
9