Ronaldinho fronts FIFA 08

Stephen Withers
Friday, 25 May 2007 02:42

Your IT - Entertainment

FC Barcelona star Ronaldinho will feature on the packaging of EA Sports' FIFA 08 when it ships for the new season.

He will be the centrepiece of the game's box and marketing campaigns around the world, and will be accompanied by other players to suit specific national markets.

The roster announced so far is Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen, Germany), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain), Andreas Ivanschitz (Panathinaikos FC, Austria), Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen, Switzerland), Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyonnais, France) and Frank Ribery (Olympique Marseille, France).

The faces of FIFA 08 in North America and the United Kingdom will be revealed sometime in June.

Many of the players featuring in the box art have being motion-captured to provide lifelike movement and realistic individuality for their virtual counterparts.

"We are proud to call some of the world’s best football athletes our partners. The access, guidance and insight they give us means that FIFA 08 will create a next gen experience that not only looks authentic, but that captures the emotion, finesse and beauty of the game," said Joe Booth, senior producer for FIFA 08. "[O]ur world-class development team [based in Vancouver, Canada] continues to revolutionise the authentic gameplay experience."

"Ronaldinho and all the FIFA 08 cover stars bring a passion for the sport that is raw and true. They enjoy helping us bring that real-world experience into the game," said Matt Bilbey, International Director, EA Sports. "Their expert skills, commitment to success and passion for football inspire our development team and help us make FIFA 08 the most natural-feeling football videogame in the world."

FIFA 08 will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC and mobile phones.