EA Sends Football Fans to Hell With ‘Dante’s Inferno’ in Company First Super Bowl Commercial

30-Second Spot Introduces 100M Viewers to Hell in Fourth Quarter of Super Bowl XLIV

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the New Orleans Saints make their Super Bowl debut, so too does Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS). On Sunday February 7th, EA will air its first-ever Super Bowl commercial as part of the massive marketing program for the company’s newest videogame franchise, Dante’s Inferno. On Super Bowl Sunday, EA will invite 100 million football fans to join Dante on an adventure that spans all nine punishing circles of Hell; limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. The hell-raising 30-second spot entitled “Hell Awaits…” premieres during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV broadcast on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. Dante’s Inferno from EA will be in stores on February 9, 2010.

“Even within the spectrum of live sports events, the Super Bowl stands apart, almost as a national holiday”

EA – a leading interactive entertainment software company – will use the Super Bowl as a platform to expose nearly 100 million viewers to Dante’s Inferno within the coveted 18-34 year old male demographic. EA joins perennial advertisers Anheuser-Busch and Mazda as well as newcomers to the Super Bowl advertising scene such as Time Warner cable channel TruTV, Sprint Nextel's Boost Mobile and Kia Motors.

“Even within the spectrum of live sports events, the Super Bowl stands apart, almost as a national holiday,” said Frank Gibeau, president at EA. “The Super Bowl is a bull’s-eye in terms of cross-over to our core demographic and the reach is outstanding. Not only does it draw 100M viewers, but most people watch the Super Bowl live, a rarity in the world of DVRs. While digital outreach to Facebook, Twitter, and online bloggers is a core part of our marketing strategy, we felt that advertising during the Super Bowl is an excellent way to introduce this new game to a massive cross-section of people who are likely already familiar with the “Divine Comedy. Inspired by a classic, but perfect for today’s action gamer.   This is entertainment at its best.”

EA’s Super Bowl ad caps off a breakthrough marketing campaign crafted to cut through the noise and attract core action/adventure fans to this all-new videogame property. With a focus on engaging players, EA used digital media, bloggers and social networking to build the Dante’s Inferno marketing campaign. The company brought the tagline

“Go to Hell” to life using several innovative programs:

‘Go to Hell’ Facebook App – This free app takes the poem’s nine circles of hell, and brings them into everyday life. With the click of a button, anyone can send a friend, foe, place, product or brand to one of the nine circles of hell. Angry at your mom for grounding you? Send her to ‘Treachery’. Mad at your ex- for cheating? Send them to ‘Lust’.

Special Edition Book – EA is releasing a special edition of “The Divine Comedy” in partnership with Random House and Del Rey Books. The book features an introduction written by the EA executive producer Jonathan Knight, and a 16-page, full-color art insert showcasing the evolution of characters and environments from the classic poem to the video game.

Animated DVD Feature – EA is releasing a full-length animated feature developed in partnership with Starz Media, Film Roman, and Anchor Bay Entertainment. The movie features six unique art styles created by six of the best animation studios in the business (DVD/Blu-Ray).

Comic Book – An exclusive six-issue comic miniseries created by DC Comics/WildStorm Productions featuring the highly stylized artwork of Diego Latorre and written by esteemed comic book writer Christo Gage.

Collectible Action Figure – A collectible figurine of the hero Dante created by NECA, available as a pre-order bonus at select retailers and for sale beginning 2/9/10.

Dante’s Nine Circles Hit the Blogosphere – Beginning in June 2009 at E3, EA brought the game’s nine circles of hell to bloggers, one month at a time. “Limbo” was illustrated with a mock protest. “Greed” was illustrated by bloggers being asked to cash a check for $200. “Heresy” was demonstrated through a fictitious game called “Mass We Pray”. Each stunt set fans buzzing about the core themes of ‘The Divine Comedy’ and Dante’s Inferno, the game.

Hidden Messages – Dante’s Inferno online advertising will contain hidden source code and ASCII art, further bringing to life the world of Dante’s Inferno and the hell that lies beneath.

Inspired by the first part of ‘The Divine Comedy’ written by 13th Century Italian poet Dante Alighieri, EA’s Dante’s Inferno, delivers a unique visual representation of the nine circles of Hell, once only experienced in the pages of the timeless classic. Dante’s Inferno offers a fully animated experience in which players assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered, with Lucifer seducing her soul into the underworld. As in the poem, players will descend through Dante’s unique nine circles of Hell: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Each circle will showcase distinct environments, enemies and story elements befitting of the sins committed by their inhabitants.

Developed by Visceral Games™, Dante’s Inferno delivers fast, fluid and responsive combat at 60 frames per second -- a must-have for the action adventure genre.

Dante’s Inferno is available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system beginning February 4th in Europe and on February 9th in North America. Dante’s Inferno is rated M for mature and has an MSRP of $59.95. For more information on Dante’s Inferno, please follow Dante’s Inferno on Twitter at www.twitter.com/danteteam, and visit the game’s official web site at www.dantesinferno.com.