Sony Online Entertainment Announces New $21.99 Monthly SOE All Access™ Subscription Service

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, introduced plans for SOE All Access™, an all-in-one subscription service that will allow gamers access to all of SOE's premium entertainment content -- from EverQuest® to PlanetSide™ to EverQuest® II -- for one low price of $21.99 a month. The SOE All Access subscription offer will begin on May 19, 2003, just in time for the launch of PlanetSide, SOE's latest premium online game.

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"We have grown our business to the point where our fans have several different types of gaming options available to them and we want players to be able to experience everything we have to offer," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "The SOE All Access subscription provides an easy, cost-effective way for an SOE fan to play all of our games. Once again, Sony Online is setting a precedent that will affect the online gaming entertainment industry on a global scale."

The SOE All Access subscription will give players access to all current SOE content, including EverQuest, PlanetSide, EverQuest® Online Adventures™, the Station Pass™ and EverQuest II, which is scheduled to launch this Fall. Subscribing to SOE games will be streamlined through the SOE All Access subscription, giving players a single account to use across all titles.

Currently, SOE charges separate amounts for each of its titles. EverQuest carries a $12.95 monthly subscription cost, while the upcoming PlanetSide will cost $12.99 a month. EverQuest Online Adventures for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system runs $9.99 per month. The Station Pass, which allows access to casual online games Infantry, Cosmic Rift and Tanarus, is $6.95 a month. By activating the SOE All Access subscription, players now have access to all of these games for $21.99, a potential savings of more than $15 a month. When EverQuest II goes live, the SOE All Access subscription will grow in value even more. Players will still have to purchase each title individually, but the SOE All Access subscription will provide them with a single account to use across each of the SOE titles they own.

The SOE All Access subscription offer is only good for recurring SOE subscribers playing SOE published games. The SOE All Access offer will not be available for non-SOE published titles, such as LucasArt's Star Wars Galaxies™: An Empire Divided™ or versions of EverQuest or PlanetSide published by SOE partners outside of North America. In addition, the SOE All Access subscription cannot be used in connection with SOE's wireless and handheld games or Game Card subscriptions.

For more information about the SOE All Access subscription and SOE's current roster of premium titles, please visit http://www.station.sony.com/ .

About EverQuest

Developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), EverQuest launched in 1999 and has since become both a gaming and cultural phenomenon. The game has sold more than 2 million copies while continuing to grow with award-winning expansions The Ruins of Kunark®, The Scars of Velious®, The Shadows of Luclin™, The Planes of Power™, and The Legacy of Ykesha™, making it the largest online 3D fantasy world ever created. During peak periods, more than 118,000 simultaneous adventurers have explored the fully detailed world of Norrath, filled with monsters, magic, adventure and more. The active global EverQuest subscriber base of more than 430,000 players is comprised of people from 40 different countries including North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Sony Online is committed to bringing EverQuest to various entertainment platforms, releasing titles such as EverQuest Online Adventures for the PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system, EverQuest for the Pocket PC and EverQuest: Hero's Call for wireless phones. This Fall, SOE will launch the highly-anticipated sequel, EverQuest II, on PCs around the globe.

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: Chris Kramer, +1-858-577-3481, ckramer@soe.sony.com, or Christy
Fritts, +1-858-442-9570, cfritts@soe.sony.com, both of Sony Online
Entertainment

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