Play Hard Sports, Inc., the first studio in North America to exclusively develop, publish, and distribute sports games and content over the Internet, today announced the company's official launch as well as a Series A round of funding from New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Jeffrey Anderson, the former President and CEO of Turbine, Inc., announced the formation of his new online gaming company after months of industry speculation.

"Play Hard is an exciting opportunity for sports fans of every age who are looking for something new to play," said Jeffrey Anderson, the founder and CEO of Play Hard Sports, Inc. "Online games continue to change the way that people interact, and Play Hard is the newest evolution in sports. Our online games will free players from the couch, allowing them play nearly whenever and wherever they want."

Play Hard's formation comes at a critical time for football fans across North America. On April 1, 2008, Electronic Arts announced its decision to forego development of its Madden franchise for the PC, leaving an enormous hole in the marketplace – one that Play Hard is ready to fill with its Internet PC sports titles.

In addition to the company's launch, Play Hard announced today that it has secured $5 million in a Series A equity financing from NEA. In conjunction with the financing, Harry Weller, a partner at NEA, will join the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Weller's current board memberships include Availink, Echo Global, Informance, Leadtone, LianLian, Realtime Worlds and Suniva. His prior board seats include SourceFire and Vonage.

"NEA is one of the few venture capital firms that really understand online gaming, and Harry Weller is an incredibly talented partner," said Anderson. "We are very fortunate to have their support in this exciting opportunity."

"Jeff and his team have a very successful track record in building great online games." said Weller, "Play Hard Sports has the vision and experience to become a major contender in the sports media world."