XBOX-HQ.COM - NCAA Football 2005 Sets Franchise Sales Record

For the first two weeks of sales, NCAA(R) Football 2005 from Electronic Arts is the number one selling football videogame in America. First week sales for the game were more than 50 percent above the same period last year. Last year, NCAA Football 2004 sold more than one million copies and was the second best-selling football game in North America behind Madden NFL 2004.

"This is always a huge launch for us because NCAA Football 2005 not only kicks off the football season but the official sports videogame season as well," said Frank Gibeau, senior vice president of marketing, North America, for Electronic Arts. "We're excited about the strong start of NCAA Football 2005 and the momentum that is building for Madden NFL 2005, with pre-sell up 100% over last year. This will be the biggest year ever for all of our football franchises."

"The game is so much better this year," said Steve Chiang, vice president and general manager of EA-Tiburon. "Fans are really enjoying new features like the home field advantage and the addition of Xbox Live online capability."

For the first time in a football videogame, the game day atmosphere around the field and in the stadium will affect the players on the field in NCAA Football 2005. Visiting teams will have to fight crowd noise when calling plays while home teams can play off of the thunderous support from their fans. Featuring the Top 25 Toughest Places to Play, players can compete in the most elite stadiums across the country. NCAA Football 2005 also features the deepest Dynasty Mode(TM) to date where players can build up their schools, transform young players into rising stars and monitor program integrity. Source: XboxUsersGroup