EA Sports Unveils 'Active' Fitness Line

EA Sports is taking on Wii Fit with a new fitness franchise exclusive to Nintendo's console, EA Sports Active, launching worldwide next spring. The company says that Active will be the first title in a new line of EA Sports fitness and sports performance products currently in the works. While EA Sports Active can be used by a variety of people, the company says the game was designed specifically for "women seeking a simple, fun and cost-effective way to achieve a healthy lifestyle." Developed by EA Canada in Vancouver, EA Sports Active will sell against Nintendo's own exercise software Wii Fit, which released in Japan last December and in other territories last spring, selling some 8.76 million copies worldwide as of September 30th despite overwhelming consumer demand constraining the game's supply. EA Sports Active will retail for $59.99, significantly cheaper than Wii Fit's $89.99, as it will not include or require Nintendo's Balance Board -- though there are some exercises with which players can use the peripheral for additional functionality. Instead, each copy will include a resistance band for upper body strength training exercises, as well as two specially-designed leg straps that hold the Wii's Nunchuk controller to track lower body movements. Developed with fitness experts and exercise physiologist Bob Greene (Oprah's personal trainer), the game features a circuit that targets both the upper and lower body as well as cardio. EA Sports Active will support two players, an advantage over Wii Fit's single-player offerings. It also includes a "30 Day Challenge" fitness road map for players to reach their fitness goals with the guidance of a virtual trainer. The 30 Day Challenge will provide 20-minute workouts, but users can also create their own custom regiments. "EA Sports Active and our entrance into the fitness space is an exciting and groundbreaking milestone for EA SPORTS," says EA Sports president Peter Moore. "As we continue to expand our brand, we have a real opportunity to redefine the home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach and exercises that will appeal to a diverse audience, getting people off the couch and into shape while interacting with our products in a way never before possible." Adds Moore, "EA Sports Active costs less than a gym membership, it provides a variety of exercises unlike a one dimensional in-home fitness contraption, and it delivers an interactive experience that you don’t get from a DVD – this is a true fitness revolution and a space in which we intend to be leaders."