EA RELEASES PATCH FOR COMMAND & CONQUER GENERALS

MULTIPLAY TEST Community feedback prompts balancing, bug fixes

IRVINE, CA (Dec. 12, 2002)  - More than 3,000 people around the world have been playing in the Command & Conquer Generals(tm) multiplay test for the past month, and their feedback is improving the game.  Electronic Arts announced today that it has released a patch for the multiplay test that addresses several gameplay and balance issues.

Command & Conquer Generals will be published by Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) under the EA GAMES(tm) brand Feb. 11, 2003.

Developers have been collecting data and feedback from the testers for the past month and have implemented dozens of improvements, including:

• Alterations to the build times of many structures and units.

• Changes to the cost to produce many structures and units.

• Adjustments to the rate that many of the units' health decline.

• Changes to the build rate, cost, and armor of many under-used units to make them more useful on the battlefield, including the GLA Hijacker, the USA Chinook, and the Chinese MiG.

• Adjustments to the GLA base defenses.

• Making it more difficult for players to use rush tactics.

• Changes to the way players can capture buildings.

• Elimination of several bugs and exploits.

Testers will be automatically updated with the new patch the next time they log on to the game.

The development team will continue to solicit feedback from the multiplay testers through the life of the test, and plans to release further updates in the coming weeks. 

Command & Conquer Generals puts players' trigger fingers on the pulse of modern warfare as they become powerful generals and control massive armies of bleeding-edge military weaponry across a globe teetering on the brink of Armageddon.  Three unique sides will be available, each with customizable high-tech arsenals ready to deliver unprecedented firepower on land or in the skies.  Players can annihilate the opposition in the 23-mission single-player campaign or dish out the damage in global multiplayer mayhem.

For more information on the game and a full list of patch changes, visit the official Command & Conquer Generals website at http://generals.ea.com

ABOUT ELECTRONIC ARTS

Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.7 billion for fiscal 2002. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA GAMES^TM, EA SPORTS BIG(tm) and EA.COM^SM. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.

Command & Conquer Generals, Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and EA GAMES are trademarks or  registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the US and/or other countries.  EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.