Looks like EA is trying to re-invent their sports arcade franchises and dropping their previous brand of EA BIG and making EA SPORTS Freestyle instead. NBA Street, SSX Tricky and NFL Street were staples in the EA BIG stables, but it looks as though EA wants to change up their image and go with a different name. Three titles are scheduled to launch under the new umbrella of Freestyle with Facebreaker being the first of the three, pretty interesting how that is the very first new console IP since 2002! Time to freshen things up I guess and might as well start with the brand name, not sure I like Freestyle as much as BIG though.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – May 6, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) today launched EA SPORTS Freestyle™, a new sub-brand aimed at a growing, more casual sports gaming audience. EA SPORTS Freestyle games, while based in sports, will be playful, inclusive, casual, and easy to pick up and play for kids and parents, women and men, and casual and hardcore sports fans of all ages.

“The launch of EA SPORTS Freestyle is an exciting milestone in the evolution of the EA SPORTS brand,” said Peter Moore, president, EA SPORTS. “EA SPORTS Freestyle will be a perfect complement to our core portfolio of games that our loyal fans are deeply passionate about, and will provide compelling opportunities for new audiences looking for a lighter gaming experience and an easier entry point into EA SPORTS.”

EA SPORTS Freestyle will be the home for innovative new intellectual properties from the EA SPORTS label, including three new games in development and slated for release in the next 12 months. The first title to launch under the new sub-brand will be FaceBreaker™, an arcade-style boxing title set for release in September 2008 and the first new console IP from EA SPORTS since 2002.