Sony Online Entertainment Brings Best-Selling EverQuest® Brand Exclusively To PlayStation®2 Computer Entertainment System
PRNewswire
04/09/2002
- EverQuest® Online Adventures™, the World's Premier Online Only Console
Game, Delivers a Whole New Genre to Console Gaming - - Sony Online Entertainment Becomes an Official PlayStation 2 Developer -
SAN DIEGO, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) Inc., a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, announced today that it will develop and publish EverQuest® Online Adventures™ for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. In addition, SOE is now an official PlayStation 2 developer, specializing in massively multiplayer online games, an entirely new genre for the console player. EverQuest Online Adventures will be the world's premier online only console game, bringing the player interaction and community that made the original EverQuest so popular to a whole new audience of console gamers. The game is scheduled to launch in the spring of 2003.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20011203/LAM002 )
"We have seen phenomenal success with the original EverQuest. The look, feel and functionality of the game provided the foundation on which we built a truly unique console-focused game," said John Smedley, chief operating officer, Sony Online Entertainment. "Relying on the many insights we have gained from EverQuest over the past three years, we strongly believe that EverQuest Online Adventures has what it takes to be a major success on the PlayStation 2."
EverQuest Online Adventures is a completely new game, designed to take full advantage of the PlayStation 2 system's capabilities. But like the original EverQuest, it will feature intricate character development, continuous player interaction and a strong sense of community, which is sure to create a phenomenon that PlayStation 2 gamers have never experienced before. With an installed base of more than 8.8 million units in the U.S., the PlayStation 2 represents an opportunity to expand the massively multiplayer online role-playing game onto new platforms, delivering a whole new genre to the console gamer.
"Quite simply, there is no other console game like this," said Don Vercelli, vice president of sales and marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "The dedicated team at SOE has put in countless hours making sure that no other game would rival the level of character customization and atmospheric detail in EverQuest Online Adventures. This is truly a new experience for the console gamer."
Using the PlayStation 2 system's network adaptor, available in stores this August, EverQuest Online Adventures will connect seamlessly to the Internet, directing players to dedicated EverQuest Online Adventures servers. By connecting directly to dedicated servers, SOE can help to ensure low latency gameplay and fast connection times. Gamers simply insert the disc and the world of Norrath is just a few button pushes away. By 2005, Gartner Group estimates that 18 percent of American households will own an online enabled game console.
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 12 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™.
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20011203/LAM002AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
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SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment Inc.
Contact: Christy Fritts of Sony Online Entertainment, +1-858-577-3295,
cfritts@soe.sony.com; or Brandon McCormick of Access Communications,
+1-415- 844-6218, bmccormick@accesspr.com, for Sony Online Entertainment Inc.
Website: http://www.station.com/