REDWOOD CITY, Calif. July 9, 2003. Electronic Arts will release Need for Speed Underground, the next chapter in its landmark Need for Speed franchise, this fall under the EA GAMES brand. Originally slated for release in early 2004, Need for Speed Underground thrusts gamers into the adrenaline-filled world of urban street racing, challenging gamers to win cash, cars and respect as they put their driving skills to the test in their own fully-customizable urban exotic supercar.

Featuring a thrilling sense of speed created by a team led by an OSCAR-nominated special effects expert, Need for Speed Underground delivers an authentic look at the gritty world of underground street racing. The game offers 20 of the most sought-after tuner cars from manufacturers including Mitsubishi Motors, Subaru, and Toyota. Gamers will be able to upgrade nearly every aspect of their car's appearance and performance with hundreds of after-market parts from more than 50 real-world manufacturers, including HKS, Sparco, NOS, and more.

Need for Speed Underground is slated to ship for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Xbox videogame console from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and PC CD-ROM. The game is being developed by EA Black Box.

Need for Speed Underground will also feature online play on the PlayStation 2 console and PC CD-ROM.