The Battle for Total Domination Begins May 20, When Sony Online Entertainment Unleashes PlanetSide

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, announced that its highly-anticipated massively multiplayer online first-person action game, PlanetSide™ will make history when it launches on May 20. The groundbreaking game will allow thousands of players to fight online in an all-hours-of-day global war that has never been seen before in the first-person action genre. The company also announced that it will add squad-based voice chat functionality to PlanetSide, further enhancing the experience of fighting together with a squad and working as a team. PlanetSide will be available on May 20, 2003 in North American retail stores.

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

"There has never been an online action game as ambitious as PlanetSide. We are combining a game world that can support the fast action of a first person shooter with the character growth, development and scale of an MMORPG," said Michael Lustenberger, director of product marketing at Sony Online Entertainment. "The result is a truly new and unique experience as players are immersed in battle with thousands of other people from across the country, while they hone their skills and become elite combat units."

PlanetSide has a suggested retail price of $49.99, which includes a 30-day free trial subscription to the game's online world. Additionally, the game will carry a monthly subscription fee that will be announced at a later date for continuing access to the game world. Players can subscribe for additional months using a credit card, or purchase PlanetSide 90-day Game Cards, which open the PlanetSide universe to those who choose not to use a credit card.

About PlanetSide

PlanetSide is the world's first massively multiplayer online first-person action game. Featuring a vast game world where thousands of players can battle 24 hours a day, PlanetSide takes squad-based combat to the next level. Players choose their allegiance and enlist with one of three unique empires in the fight for total domination on a global scale. Characters gain experience with every conflict, and can become one of the best in more than 30 combat specialties, including infantry, sniper, stealth commando, engineer, hacker, medic, pilot, driver and more. PlanetSide also features:

   * Hundreds of different armor and weapons configurations to truly
     customize play style

   * More than a dozen different land and air vehicles to master

   * Dozens of combat skills and specialties

   * Ten continents of unprecedented scale, filled with turmoil and conflict

   * Massive battlefields with thousands of unique tactical situations

  About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Digital Inc., is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchise, EverQuest®, 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 and St. Louis, MO, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in development such as PlanetSide™, Star Wars Galaxies™ and the highly anticipated EverQuest® II.

EverQuest is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. SOE and the SOE logo are registered trademarks and PlanetSide is a trademark of Sony Online Entertainment Inc.

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SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment Inc.

CONTACT: Sean Kauppinen, +1-858-577-3387, skauppinen@soe.sony.com, or
Chris Kramer, +1-858-577-3481, ckramer@soe.sony.com, both of Sony Online
Entertainment Inc.

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