Codemasters had said earlier that Ashes Cricket 2009 would be coming this summer. Now the publisher has officially announced that it has signed England batsman, Kevin Pietersen, to be the cover athlete for the game.
Kevin Pietersen, batsman for England, enthused, “I am delighted to be involved with the official game of the Ashes. The game looks fantastic and I’m sure both England and Australia fans are going to relish the opportunity to take part in a virtual Ashes series. Representing your country in the Ashes is a huge honour and I can’t wait for it to start.”
Ricky Ponting, who graces the Australian game’s pack art, comments, “I think it’s going to be massive. There are guys all over the world playing against each other trying to recreate us playing against England at grounds like Lords. We have some bad memories from our last trip to England to play in the Ashes so we are desperate to put it right.”
Commentary in the game will be given by Shane Warne and Sir Ian Botham, lovingly known as “Beefy”. The two will take up commentating positions and will also host the ‘Legends Mode’ in the game.
Speaking on his role in the game, Shane Warne says, “Recording commentary for the game was a lot of fun and I am really pleased with the result. It’s always good to have some banter with Beefy. I played in eight Ashes Series and it’s an amazing feeling to represent your country on the biggest stage. Hopefully Ashes Cricket 2009 will allow cricket fans a taste of what that feels like.”
“I’m sure cricket fans in England, Australia and all around the world will have a lot of fun playing against each other on Ashes Cricket 2009,” said Sir Ian Botham. “I’m very pleased to be involved in the game and hope that the people who play it enjoy the Legends Mode. In 2005 we all saw what kind of positive effect a successful Ashes series can have on the country and hopefully the boys can emulate that this year.”
Ashes Cricket 2009 is to feature kits, equipment, stadia and players that have all been fully licensed, adding to the authenticity of the game.
Ashes Cricket 2009 is being developed by Transmission Games and will be published by Codemasters for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360. A Wii version of the game is currently in development with Gusto Games and will be released in August.