EverQuest®: The Shadows of Luclin™ Sells More Than 120,000 Units In the First Day

Sony Online Entertainment Inc., today announced that EverQuest®: The Shadows of Luclin™ sold more than 120,000 units in the first day at retail, making this one of the largest PC game debuts in history. Luclin, the newest expansion pack to EverQuest, the world's most successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game, was made available nationwide on December 4, 2001. Set against a sweeping moonscape, The Shadows of Luclin provides players with more than 27 new adventure zones, all-new items, over 400 new quests, creatures, spells, a new playable character race and rideable horses. Currently, EverQuest boasts more than 400,000 active subscribers and has as many as 98,000 online adventurers exploring the fantasy world of Norrath simultaneously.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20011203/LAM002 )

"EverQuest content has always been top notch," said Don Vercelli, vice president of sales and marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "With the significant gameplay enhancements we've added to Luclin, we're confident that EverQuest will continue to raise the bar in online gaming technology."

"With the holidays just around the corner, Luclin couldn't have come at a better time," said Bob McKenzie, director of merchandising, GameStop Inc. "With so many current EverQuest subscribers, Luclin is on the must-have list for a lot of gamers this year and first day sales were proof of that."

EverQuest: The Shadows of Luclin comes with an additional CD-ROM featuring a complete upgrade to all textures throughout the original world of Norrath and all previous expansions. This texture upgrade will allow EverQuest players to view Norrath with unparalleled clarity and beauty, enriching the overall gameplay experience.

"As soon as the store opened, Luclin began flying off the shelves," said Jerry Madaio, vice president merchandising, PC Division of Electronics Boutique. "With great graphics and a loyal following, we expect to see Luclin's initial success repeated over the coming months."

The Station® ( http://www.station.com/ ) is the official provider of EverQuest, with software updates and news about the game, message boards and other community features, as well as an easy-to-use billing system for EverQuest's monthly subscription fee. With more than 11 million registered users, The Station hosts a variety of entertaining games and player communities spanning all genres.

Headquartered in Grapevine, TX, GameStop, Inc. is the world's largest video game and entertainment software specialty retailer. The company currently operates over 1,000 retail stores in the United States, Puerto Rico & Guam under the names GameStop, FuncoLand, Babbages & Software, Etc. The company operates an e-commerce website at http://www.gamestop.com/ . GameStop, Inc. is a Barnes & Noble company.

Electronics Boutique is among the world's largest specialty retailers dedicated exclusively to video game hardware, software and PC entertainment software and accessories. The company currently operates 905 stores in 46 states and Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Italy and South Korea -- primarily under the names Electronics Boutique and EB GameWorld. The company operates an e-commerce website at http://www.ebgames.com/ . Additional company information is available at http://www.ebholdings.com/ .

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), the online gaming division of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, is a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming. Headquartered in San Diego, California, SOE develops, publishes and distributes entertainment for the PC and online markets. With more than 11 million registered users, SOE's award-winning website, The Station® ( http://www.station.com/ ) hosts a variety of entertaining games and player communities spanning all genres. In addition to blockbuster hits EverQuest® and Jeopardy! Online, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in development such as PlanetSide™, Star Wars® Galaxies™ and Sovereign™.

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SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment Inc.

Contact: Christy Fritts of Sony Online Entertainment, +1-858-577-3295, cfritts@soe.sony.com; Brandon McCormick of Access Communications, +1-415-844-6218, bmccormick@accesspr.com, for Sony Online Entertainment

Web site: http://www.station.com/