Satellite Feed - EverQuest II Online Game Hits the Stores

    San Diego-Based Sony Online Entertainment Braces for Record Sales

   COORDINATES
   Date:               Monday, November 8, 2004

   Times:              0730 -- 0745 EST
                       1330 -- 1345 EST re-feed

   Route:              Pac TV 1 > Steele Valley uplink > IA 5 (c-band)
                       transponder 20

   Downlink:           4100 Horizontal

   Title:              Sony Online Entertainment

   Feed issues, call:  Pacific Television
                       310-287-3800

   Media Contact:      Courtney Simmons
                       858-577-3335 office
                       760-505-7879 mobile

  ANCHOR COPY

The wait is over for the 3 million fans of EverQuest. Sony Online Entertainment announces that EverQuest II has shipped to stores and is available for purchase today. EverQuest II is the highly anticipated follow-up to the world's number one online game which has sold more than 3 million copies to date and has the attention of more than 400,000 current online gamers.

According to Sony Online in San Diego, EverQuest II, with its state-of-the-art movie quality 3D graphics, is more sophisticated and technically advanced than the first. Players create their own online fantasy persona -- such as a knight in shining armor, a mysterious wizard, or a dastardly rogue -- and can customize every detail, including their character's faces, hair and body types, as they try to conquer mythical monsters in a virtual world of castles, dragons and evil warlords. Another twist: EverQuest II players can align with other players to slay the game's creatures and capture elusive treasures.

The game's unique soundtrack required a cast of more than 100 actors, including well-known Hollywood favorites Christopher Lee and Heather Graham, to voice the 130-plus hours of dialogue. That's more than 65 feature films worth of spoken dialogue within the EverQuest 2 game.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, the electronic games industry is a $20-billion a year business and predictions are that 114-million people will be playing online games in the next four years.

EverQuest II is available now for $49.99 at leading retailers nationwide.

PRNewswire -- Nov. 5

SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment