ROCK BAND™ Coming to Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE Mobile Broadband Network

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Friends coast to coast, across state lines or in the next room will soon jam together playing ROCK BAND™ over a cellular network for the first time.  When playing ROCK BAND on select Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphones, consumers will be able to rock out with their friends like never before – wherever they are hanging out.

Debuted today during the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), ROCK BAND will be coming to select 4G smartphones from Verizon Wireless later this year.  Verizon Wireless; EA Mobile™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS); Harmonix Music Systems Inc., the world's premier music video game developer; and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) announced the new ROCK BAND game today.

Packed with favorite hits, ROCK BAND will be ideal for music lovers looking to rock out on guitar, bass, drums and vocals.  A Quick Play mode will provide casual jam sessions, and players can hit the road to rock sold-out stadiums in Tour Mode.  Buddy Lists, a feature exclusive to ROCK BAND on select Verizon Wireless 4G LTE devices, will allow players to join games, locate others they have recently played with and search for friends.  EA Mobile worked directly with Verizon Wireless to optimize ROCK BAND for Verizon Wireless' fast 4G LTE network.  

"By bringing ROCK BAND to Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, EA continues to innovate and change the way mobile gamers experience the popular music franchise," said Travis Boatman, vice president of worldwide studios for EA Mobile.  "ROCK BAND is all about great music and having fun with your friends.  With the integration of multiplayer over Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE mobile network, you will be able to play your friends anywhere they are, anytime you want, from your favorite Verizon Wireless 4G LTE device."

"We've worked with EA for years to bring exciting games to our customers, and ROCK BAND on the 4G LTE network takes it up a level and will deliver even more fun and entertainment on mobile phones," said Marni Walden, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless.  "Our 4G LTE network gives leading game developer and publisher EA the freedom to flex its creative muscles to give consumers new and innovative ways to play."

ROCK BAND for select Verizon Wireless 4G LTE devices will feature 20 popular songs, including:

• "Attack," 30 Seconds to Mars
• "Girls Not Grey," AFI
• "Sabotage," Beastie Boys
• "All the Small Things," blink-182
• "Hanging on the Telephone," Blondie
• "Learn To Fly," Foo Fighters
• "Everlong," Foo Fighters
• "Bad to the Bone," George Thorogood and the Destroyers
• "Hymn #A43," Jethro Tull
• "Bad Reputation," Joan Jett
• "Simple Man," Lynyrd Skynyrd
• "Ace of Spades," Motorhead
• "Give It All," Rise Against
• "Lazy Eye," Silversun Pickups
• "Cherub Rock," Smashing Pumpkins
• "Take the Money and Run," Steve Miller Band
• "Debaser," The Pixies
• "Move Along," The All American Rejects
• "We Got The Beat," The Go Go's
• "Ladybug," The Presidents of the United States of America

The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network, launched in December 2010, is the fastest, most advanced 4G network in the United States, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless' 3G network.  Consumer devices with a wide range of applications, including ROCK BAND, are expected to be available later this year.  Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network currently reaches one-third of all Americans, with plans to expand the network to the company's entire 3G coverage area over the next three years.

More details about the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network are available during CES in Verizon Wireless' booth (#35216 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center).  For additional information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte.  For more information about Verizon Wireless at CES, visit www.verizonwireless.com/ces or follow the company on Twitter at http://twitter.com/verizonwireless.

EA Mobile has a solid reputation for its pioneering and market leadership in mobile gaming.  For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.EAMobile.com, join the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EAMobile or follow the company on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EAMobile.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About EA Mobile

EA Mobile™ is the world's leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning games such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, The Sims™, and Need For Speed™. The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company's alliance with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS™ brand, including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer and NASCAR®. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone®, iPad™ and iPod® touch. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. 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.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.

About MTV Games

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of groundbreaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit www.harmonixmusic.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, Pogo, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Tetris is a registered trademark of Tetris Holding.  Bejeweled is a registered trademark of PopCap Games, Inc.  BATTLESHIP, MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) are trademarks of Hasbro.  John Madden, NFL, FIFA and NASCAR are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.  iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. and iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.  Harmonix, Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Rock Band 3, Rock Band Network and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., a MTV Networks company.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless