"EA Tiburon shares our enthusiasm for sports and our passion for making great games. By joining EA, we are becoming part of a world-class studio organization, home to some of the industry's top designers, best artists and most sophisticated technologists. We couldn't be more excited," said Mike Taramykin, President of Hypnotix.

"Arena Football will be a completely new football experience. Hypnotix' proven ability to deliver creative gameplay and unforgettable sports experiences makes them perfectly suited to create this new franchise and develop new action-oriented games in the future," said Steven Chiang, VP and General Manager of EA Tiburon. "They are a great addition to our studio."

The first Arena Football game will ship at the beginning of the 2006 AFL season. Over the next four years, EA SPORTS will partner with the AFL on both media and retail marketing.