Electronic Arts' online strategy has taken a significant step forward with the launch of EA.com, a games portal developed in partnership with AOL. EA.com provides over 30 games for different audiences, including new web-based sports, trivia, and card games; classic EA video games; and online games currently in retail.

　　EA.com is divided into four themed areas: the sports arena, the game show lounge, the clubroom, and the EA Worlds area, which features RPGs and various arcade games. There are a few original web games in each area, including a three-point shooting contest, a home-run contest, and card games. EA.com also includes a number of previously released retail video games - such as the motorcycle racer Road Rash II and the sports titles NFL 97, FIFA 97 Gold, and Triple Play 96 - that can be downloaded for free to your computer and emulated in a browser window. Many of the games require a standard sign-up, a process that even allows users to reserve their AOL Instant Messenger user names.

　　EA.com also groups together the online services for EA's flagship retail games such as Ultima Online Renaissance and Madden NFL 2001. Sometime early next year, EA plans to launch a new style of online game that features a suspenseful mystery plot. The game, developed by the Oregon-based developer Anim-X, is designed to reach out and contact offline players via e-mail, telephone, fax machines, and AOL Instant Messenger with new clues about the mystery unfolding online.

　　The new portal does, however, make it a bit harder to find resources on EA's retail games. All information on current games has been moved to these sites: EA Games and EA Sports.