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EA TO RETURN FANS TO MIDDLE-EARTH IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE THIRD AGE ROLE-PLAYING GAME

Epic Adventure Lets Players Choose Their Own Path Through the Events of New Line Cinema's Acclaimed Trilogy

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 27, 2004 - Return to Middle-earthTM to forge a new adventure... Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that The Lord of the RingsTM, The Third AgeTM role-playing game is under development for release in late 2004. The epic quest, in which players will take on the roles of new characters choosing their own path through Middle-earth while interacting with the heroes and villains of the trilogy, will be available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCubeTM, and Game Boy® Advance under the EA GAMESTM brand.

Based on New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson's acclaimed film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age videogame allows players to adventure through Middle-earth, building a party of heroes as they journey. Players battle on the side of the Fellowship, but can unlock additional encounters where they fight on the side of Sauron as they progress. In the game, players will interact with the characters of the Fellowship in a unique structure, taking on individual quests while intersecting the major events of the film trilogy that drive the story forward. Parties will traverse through both familiar and seldom-glimpsed locations, using an innovative turn-based battle system as they fight, encountering the demonic Balrog in the Mines of Moria, defending the fallen city of Osgiliath, or trying to destroy Helm's Deep.

The Lord the Rings, The Third Age, is being developed by EA's Redwood Shores studio, the same studio that developed the hit The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the KingTM game. The Game Boy Advance version is being developed by Amaze Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a Griptonite. For more information on EA's The Lord of the Rings games, visit the official franchise website at http://lordoftherings.eagames.com.

Under an exclusive licensing agreement with New Line Cinema, EA has the rights to create and publish interactive entertainment games based on the movie trilogy. A real-time strategy game for the PC, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earthTM, is under development for release in late 2004.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $2.5 billion for fiscal 2003. The company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EA GAMESTM, and EA SPORTS BIGTM. EA's homepage and online game site is www.uk.ea.com.

About New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is the oldest and most successful fully integrated independent film company in the world. In addition to the production, marketing, and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, it has divisions devoted to home entertainment, television, music, theater, licensing, merchandising and international marketing and distribution. New Line has been a pioneer in franchise filmmaking and its Oscar winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the most successful film franchise in history. Together with its subsidiary, Fine Line Features, New Line is a unit of Time Warner. For further press information about New Line Cinema's merchandising program, contact Stephanie Baumoel or Sheila Feren at FerenComm, 212.983.9898. For more information about The Lord of the Rings trilogy, visit www.lordoftherings.net.