A new joint project between EA and Bigpoint opened to players today with the arrival of Lord of Ultima, a new browser-based strategy game based in the world of Caledonia. The game was developed by EA's German studio, Phenomic, and allows players to choose their path and evolve from a simple settler to the Lord of Ultima.

Lord of Ultima is free-to-play and can be played right from your browser. Check out the official press release after the break for more.

EA Phenomic title “Lord of Ultima” now online at Bigpoint

·         First joint project between Bigpoint and EA added to Bigpoint portal

·         Free-to-play browser game with strategy and RPG elements in the world of Ultima

Hamburg, April 5, 2011 – Over 180-million registered users can now explore the epic realms of “Lord of Ultima” (http://bigpoint.com/games/lordofultima/) in the free-to-play browser game and first cooperative endeavor between Bigpoint and EA on the Bigpoint.com portal (http://www.bigpoint.com).

The strategy game produced by the German game development studio EA Phenomic whisks players away to the world of Caledonia – a kingdom dispersed across many islands where players have to embark on a long and arduous journey to evolve from simple settler to the Lord of Ultima. The path to success lies in their ability to master the arts of diplomacy and trade as well as their ability to gain military dominance quickly and conquer foreign lands. Each player is the master of their own fate: They can travel down the path to power and glory as a kind and benevolent ruler or obtain wealth and power as a feared and cruel conqueror. In addition to classic strategic game elements, players can also look forward fighting for valuable treasure in various quests and dungeons.

In the browser game Lord of Ultima, which can be played for free anywhere and anytime, players can look forward to discovering a new world with every login – their empires never stop growing even when they’re not online. In addition to stunning graphics which make the game world come alive and sophisticate game mechanics, Lord of Ultima boasts a wide array of possibilities to interact with other players such as an intelligent trading system, player alliances, an online chat and forums.

EA’s free-to-play browser game “Lord of Ultima” is available to play at Bigpoint.com (http://bigpoint.com/games/lordofultima/) in not only German but also English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Polish.

Further online links:

- http://www.bigpoint.net/

- http://www.bigpoint.com/

About Bigpoint

Bigpoint (http://www.bigpoint.com) is an online-game developer, publisher and content provider for large media concerns. Bigpoint-developed games are played by over 180 million people in more than 25 languages, are free-to-play anytime, anywhere, and require no download or installation. The company’s portfolio includes games in a quality which until now was associated exclusively with CD or console games. Over 700 employees from some 35 countries work at the world’s largest supplier of browser-based games; at the company headquarters in Hamburg, Germany or at one of the other locations in Berlin, San Francisco and Malta. Bigpoint’s many distinctions in the industry include the Media Momentum Award’s “Fastest Growing Larger Company” and “Uniqueness of Offering” 2010, as well as the MTV Skyscraper Award for extraordinary achievement in game development. For more information or press material, please visit the press are at the www.bigpoint.net.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.