EA Sports announces NBA Live 08 is tipping off today in North America for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, and PSP, and that the latest installment in the long-running hoops series will be released in Europe on Friday:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – October 2nd, 2007 – When the game is on the line and the ball is in your hands, what will you do? Will you penetrate, drive the lane and rise above the rim for a monster dunk, or find an opening on the perimeter and sink a game-winning three? Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced that NBA LIVE 08 hits stores across North America today and will be available in Europe on October 5. NBA LIVE 08 features Washington Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas on the cover, and is available on the Xbox 360™ video game system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), the Wii™, and PC.

Providing an unrivaled level of authenticity to the sport, NBA LIVE 08 introduces Hot Spots, where real NBA shot data is used to illuminate the locations on the floor where your players are most effective. Couple this with an intuitive gameplay mechanic called Quickstrike Ballhandling that gives you the direct responsiveness you need to perform a full repertoire of ballhandling moves, and the new shot-countershot control called Own the Paint. On the perimeter, in the paint, and with complete authenticity to the sport of basketball, dominate with your Go-To Move in NBA LIVE 08.

For the first time ever, NBA LIVE 08 will feature eight international teams as part of a multi-year licensing agreement with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball. The game features a number of the NBA’s biggest international stars on packaging across Europe, including Tony Parker and Boris Diaw (France), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Pau Gasol (Spain) and Andrea Bargnani (Italy).

EA SPORTS™ also continues its partnership with the NBA for the second year of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS, which begins on October 1. This year’s tour features the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves in a series of training camps and exhibition games in six cities across Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK. The inaugural NBA Europe Live drew more than 36 million viewers and 115,000 spectators in October 2006.