World Faire Website: http://www.uo.com/faire 

ORIGIN Systems Announces First Ever Ultima Online Fan Convention World Faire 2000 to Feature Panel Discussions, Renaissance Village, Exclusive Product Demos and More

AUSTIN, Texas, August 4, 2000-ORIGIN Systems(tm), the creators of software and Internet worlds, will be rolling out the red carpet this fall to the legions of people who live and play in its virtual fantasy world, Ultima(tm) Online (UO). On November 10-11, ORIGIN Systems will host the first ever UO player convention, World Faire 2000, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. The event will be held in conjunction with the Port Austin: Plug in to the Future of Broadband event, taking place at the same time in the Convention Center.

The UO fan event will feature more than 50 panels, workshops and roundtable discussions on all things UO including an array of topics ranging from player towns and political systems to fishing and treasure hunting, game balance, weapons, guilds, blacksmithing and dungeons. Members of the Ultima Online development team will lead many of the discussions. Players themselves will host other panels.

Another highlight will be the main exhibit hall featuring a renaissance village of vendors where attendees can purchase exclusive UO merchandise from licensed UO vendors and participate in game tournaments and demos. UO players will also be involved in peddling their own UO merchandise. Strolling through the hall, fans will also find live medieval weaponry exhibitions, a fantasy art show and a charity auction. UO players who participate in their own musical bands will be invited to perform. "This is really a celebration of Ultima Online players," says Gordon Walton, ORIGIN Systems vice president of online services. "In nearly three years, the world of UO has grown to more than 200,000 active subscribers from all around the globe. Now many of them will get a chance to interact directly with the people who developed the virtual world they live in. Even better, they'll now be able to meet face to face with friends they've made in UO." Attendees will be treated to special happy hour event parties each night of the convention, one of which will be a special unveiling of the exciting new plans for Ultima Online.

Players can register for World Faire 2000 online at http://www.uo.com/faire . There is limited registration. Discounts are available for those who register early.

About Ultima(tm) Online

Ultima Online is a thriving, persistent, virtual world where more than 200,000 people live and play on the Internet. Players can enjoy true social interaction with other participants in real-time, form adventure parties, engage in battles, take on perilous quests or chat in a tavern over a goblet of virtual ale.

About ORIGIN Systems(tm)

ORIGIN(tm) Systems develops and publishes state-of-the-art entertainment software. To date, the company has released more than 60 titles, including the award winning Ultima, Wing Commander(tm), Privateer(tm) and Crusader series of games. ORIGIN is based in Austin, Texas and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS). More information on ORIGIN products can be found on the Internet at http://www.origin.ea.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts (EA) posted revenues of more than $1.4 billion for fiscal 2000. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTS(tm), EA GAMES(tm) and EA.COM(sm). More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com.

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ORIGIN, Origin Systems, Ultima, Wing Commander, Privateer, Electronic Arts, EA SPORT and EA GAMES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.