You're Hired! EA Announces The Sims 2 Open for Business; From
Boutiques to Salons, Department Stores and Beyond, Your Sims Are
Taking Over the Workplace One Business at a Time

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2006--Electronic Arts
(NASDAQ:ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment software
company, today announced that its Maxis studio is developing The Sims
2 Open for Business, the third expansion pack to the fastest-selling
PC game, The Sims(TM) 2. With The Sims 2 Open for Business, commercial
creativity is in your hands -- create any kind of business, from
trendy clothing boutique to blooming floral shop, a bustling
restaurant perhaps, or become a mogul with an original business of
your own design -- the Sims' world is open for business!


Make Your Dream Store a Virtual Reality

Ever had a great idea for a business? Build it and see how it works!
The world is your entrepreneurial oyster in this all-new The Sims 2
expansion pack, allowing you to experience the victories and
challenges associated with creating, owning and running your own
business. From the layout and merchandise, to the employees and
materials, you choose what your Sims needs to create a profitable and
fun business.

Who's the Boss? Your Sims Are!

In The Sims 2 Open for Business, your Sims will learn what it takes to
build a clientele and keep loyal customers happy while improving
employee morale and managing a lucrative business. Players can even
help their Sims to create and craft new items to sell and meet
customer demands. As each customer is different, you'll be able to
apply sales techniques to woo even the most discriminating shopper.
Dress your employees in wacky outfits to entertain cranky customers or
drop the price for an unsure browser. From training, promoting, hiring
and firing, you're ultimately the boss who calls all the shots!

Learn the Tricks of the Trade

Do the things your Sims love to do while getting virtually paid for
it! Keep your employees knowledgeable and the workplace happy, because
before you know it you'll have the most entertaining, booming business
in the neighborhood! Flaunt your team's assets while vying for the
"Best of the Best" award, an honor guaranteed to improve their
business reputation -- and yours!

"The Sims 2 Open for Business is truly an innovative and fresh
addition to the franchise. It allows players to build their own
business from the ground up, exploring a whole new economic landscape
while pursuing their dreams of commercial success," said senior
producer, Tim LeTourneau. "For years players have been asking for the
ability to play with their Sims in a work environment. Now they will
be able to do just that, unlocking not only their Sims business
potential but their own as well. It's really a whole new way to play
the game. Whether you're a clever tinkerer or a master craftsman, your
dream store can become a virtual reality as your Sims world becomes
open for business!"

The Sims 2 Open for Business is the third expansion pack of the
critically acclaimed PC game, The Sims 2. With streamlined gameplay,
stunning graphics, and a lifetime of replayability, The Sims 2 Open
for Business maintains the core components of creativity and
customization that are integral to The Sims experience while allowing
gamers to practice their skills at the trade of their choice. With
more than 58 million units sold to date, The Sims franchise maintains
a unique appeal that allows gamers to create and control the lives of
their Sims thus leaving the creative power of their Sims world in
their own hands!

Rated "T" for teen by the ESRB, The Sims 2 Open for Business was
developed under the EA(TM) brand by EA's award winning Maxis studio.

For more information, or to find out how the game will play on your
favorite platform, please visit www.thesims2.com

For assets that correspond with this announcement, please go to info.ea.com.

About The Sims(TM)

The Sims franchise celebrated its fifth anniversary in February 2005.
The game skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping
to stores in February 2000 and quickly become a pop culture
phenomenon. Released exclusively for PC, The Sims(TM) original product
and subsequent expansion packs were the best selling PC games of 2000,
2001, 2002, and 2003. Translated into 17 different languages, The Sims
has inspired seven top selling expansion packs including: The Sims(TM)
Livin' Large, The Sims(TM) House Party, The Sims(TM) Hot Date, The
Sims(TM) Vacation, The Sims(TM) Unleashed, The Sims(TM) Superstar and
The Sims(TM) Makin' Magic. In 2003, the series broke away from being a
PC-only franchise and debuted for the first time on videogame consoles
and handheld platforms. The franchise issued The Sims and The Sims
Bustin' Out -- each of which were met with great success. Combined,
these two products have sold more than 8M units worldwide. The Sims 2
for PC shipped in September 2004 and brought fans worldwide a brand
new experience with a richer depth of play, deeper emotional
complexity and a laugh-out-loud sense of humor. Sales topped 4.5M
units worldwide within its first year, making it the best selling PC
game of 2004. The first expansion packs for the sequel, The Sims(TM) 2
University and The Sims(TM) 2 Nightlife shipped in March 2005 and
September 2005 respectively. In Fall 2005, The Sims 2 was released for
the videogame consoles. Today, the combined sales for the franchise
have topped a staggering 58M units life-to-date. For more information
on The Sims 2, visit http://www.thesims2.com and for more information
on The Sims franchise titles, visit http://www.thesims.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
the world's leading interactive entertainment software company.
Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes
interactive software worldwide for videogame systems, personal
computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and
POGO(TM). In fiscal 2005, EA posted revenues of $3.1 billion and had
31 titles that sold more than one million copies. 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.

Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO and The Sims are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the
U.S. and/or other countries. PlayStation is a registered trademark and
PSP is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. EyeToy is a
trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Microsoft and Xbox
are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Nintendo GameCube,
Nintendo DS and Game Boy are trademarks of Nintendo. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.