Hello- this is Brian Ullrich, producer for NBA LIVE 09, here to tell you about some of the things we've been working on for LIVE 09. The team has been busy this year improving the game, building new features, addressing issues and suggestions from the community, and generally putting together what I think is going to be a fantastic game.

I've been answering some of your questions in the weekly Q&A that Marcus has been running, but now we are ready to start telling you about everything we are doing for NBA LIVE 09. The Q&A has been good, but I know there have been lots of times where I wanted to tell you about something cool in LIVE 09 and just haven't been able to. Now we are ready to talk almost everything. I say "almost" because there is one really big thing we aren't quite ready to talk about yet- we will be making a big announcement about NBA LIVE at E3 this year, so be sure to look for that in July.

Over the next few months the producers on the team will be coming on to tell you about their features and parts of the game, so I would like to introduce them here:

• MATT LAFFRENIERE is the lead producer on game play and focuses on animations and player movement. Matt is a former AAU and HS basketball coach, and several of his former players are playing major college basketball at schools like Utah and Gonzaga.
• JEFF ANTWI is the producer for AI and several of the new gameplay features, as well as working on the new NBA LIVE Academy feature. Jeff played basketball at Sheridan College and Simon Fraser University, and has a serious man-crush on Kobe Bryant J
• MIKE WANG joined us this year from 2K and has been working on gameplay and AI. Mike has contributed to several new features this year, focusing on shooting, dunks, and shot blocks for LIVE 09. He's also been working on some top secret features for NBA LIVE 10 that you will learn about next year.
• JULIEN CARRON is the producer for both Online and Visuals, and also produced the FIBA World Championship feature this year. Julien is a Spurs fan, but we don't hold that against him J
• NATE MCDONALD is the veteran, having been at EA for 12 years and worked on franchises like NBA LIVE, NBA STREET, and MVP BASEBALL. Nate is overseeing several areas of the game this year, including the front end and presentation, and is a huge Lakers fan.
• GARRETH REEDER is new to the NBA LIVE production team this year, and is responsible for several features in game areas like presentation, online, but mostly audio, which means he spends most of his time in the studio with guys like Marv Albert and Steve Kerr.
• JEREMY TINER is handling Dynasty as well as working on the NBA LIVE Academy and Be A Pro features. He's another guy that joined us from 2K, and aside from being a big admirer of Isiah Thomas, he roots for his beloved Golden State Warriors.

As I mentioned, LIVE 09 is really coming together right now. We are again focusing on fundamentals and gameplay, and know that having a great core game is absolutely necessary and central to everything we do. Matt, Jeff, and Mike will be telling you all about the new gameplay features like QuickStrike Ankle-breakers, Pick and Roll Control, and Signature Play Calling as well as about how we've made the core elements like rebounding, dunking, steals, and defense better.

The NBA Academy is something else Jeremy and Jeff will be telling you about. It's a huge new practice facility where you can shoot around with your teammates, work on your game, and play skill-based games to get better and learn how to use all the new gameplay features.

Online is another place where we have lots of new things to talk about, so Julien and Garreth will be taking you through the improvements to Online Team Play and Online Leagues, as well as new features like the new highlight reel and how you can get your custom edited highlights up on EA SPORTS World.

It's also a big year for Dynasty, and Jeremy will be giving you the rundown on all of the new features in Dynasty Mode, as well as taking a look at a new single player mode called Be A Pro. And of course there is a lot to talk about and see around presentation, cameras, and visuals.

One thing I wanted to bring up here is the new cloth simulation we are running in LIVE 09. The players and jerseys are going to look way better with this new technology, but until we get it 100% tuned you may see a few issues with some of our screen shots like player's skin penetrating through the cloth in some cases. I know some of you have already spotted this in some of the early screens, so please be patient while we fix these problems- it's going to be really nice when we get it finished.

I hope you can tell that I'm really looking forward to the release of NBA LIVE 09 as I think we have something really special this year, and I can't wait to get it in your hands and hear what you guys think. As I mentioned above, don't forget that there is a big announcement about NBA LIVE coming at E3, so be sure and stay tuned for that as we will have lots more to tell you about later in July.