EA Announces New Tennis Franchise

For the first time in over a decade Electronic Arts is to release a new multiformat tennis game, according to announcements made in advance of the Games Convention expo in Leipzig, Germany. The game has been given no name as yet but will be the first for the company since IMG International Tour Tennis on the Genesis/Mega Drive in 1994. Although multiplatform, the Wii version will lead, with other specific versions not yet being detailed. Developed by EA Canada, which has worked on EA Sports franchises including FIFA, NBALive and NHL, the game will be released on Wii in 2009. It will be the first game from EA to use the new Wii MotionPlus attachment, set to launch with Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort next spring. EA says it will also be the only game to feature the All England Lawn Tennis Club – home of the Wimbledon championships - suggesting the game will make extensive use of licenses, in the usual EA Sports manner. A number of past and present tennis stars will also feature, but none has yet been named. "As we look to expand the EA Sports brand and captivate sports fans from around the world with rich new interactive experiences, it was obvious that the renaissance we’re seeing in the sport of tennis provides us with a big opportunity," says Peter Moore, president of EA Sports.