Quote:Today the top two game publishers in the world announced their plans to work together to provide exclusive features for connected play between EA's GameCube and Game Boy Advance games. The games will be designed by EA, but Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto will provide a lot of creative input. Madden NFL 2004 will be the first game created under this partnership, and will be released this August. FIFA 2004 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 will also take advantage of this agreement, both of which are expected to be released this Fall. Over the next year EA plans to introduce 20 new GameCube titles, many of which are expected to include a connection to Game Boy Advance. "This is the year when the full potential of our exclusive ability to connect console and handheld gaming becomes clear with the delivery of unique game entertainment," said Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Nintendo of America George Harrison, "This bold alliance to build connectivity into some of the world's most popular entertainment franchises will underscore that in unique and powerful ways."

EA's Executive Vice President of North American Publishing, Nancy Smith, had this to say about the deal, "This agreement means that three of the world's most popular sports games -- Madden NFL football, FIFA soccer and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR golf -- are going to include a new way to play, and new way to compete on Nintendo systems."