Free Realms™ Surpasses Two Million Player Mark

Tween and Teen Market Logs On: Seventy-five Percent of Users Are Under 17 Years of Age; One-Third Are Female

PRNewswire
SAN DIEGO
05/27/2009

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that more than two million unique users have registered for Free Realms™ (www.FreeRealms.com), the free-to-play, family-friendly online video game that launched on April 28, 2009. With 75% of its registrants under age 17 and 46% under 13, Free Realms has managed to hit home with young players. In honor of this milestone, all current players will receive a "party pack" bundle of in-game items to help celebrate!

"In less than a month, Free Realms has captivated a core player base of tween and teen gamers, while also strongly resonating with MMO gamers," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "We wanted to create a game to play with our families and are excited to have hit the mark with our intended audience."

Notably one of the fastest-growing online worlds, Free Realms has established a favorable position with the female demographic as well; nearly a third of the players are female.

In Free Realms, players are free to do or be anything: Fight like a ninja, cook a tasty meal, raise a pet, battle goblins, set out on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social networking site. Also available is the Free Realms Trading Card Game: a full-featured trading card game, playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and offline via physical card decks sold wherever you buy trading cards. In the virtual marketplace, the Trading Card Game (TCG) packs are a sales leader, as are pets, weapons, health potions and crazy clothes like a funky Hawaiian shirt!

To support the initial release and launch of Free Realms, nearly one million Station Cash™ game cards were made available across five major retail chains. Free Realms players can pop into their local Best Buy, Blockbuster, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven or Target to purchase Station Cash™ cards, which are used to redeem Station Cash and buy virtual goodies or upgrade to a Membership status in the game.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms, visit: http://www.freerealms.com/.

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  About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

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SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE)

CONTACT: Taina Rodriguez, Sony Online Entertainment, +1-858-577-3033,
trodriguez@soe.sony.com

Web Site: http://www.freerealms.com/