Calling All Heroes and Villains - DC Universe™ Online Now Available Worldwide for the PC and PlayStation®3

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced the availability of its eagerly awaited online action game DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) at retailers worldwide for both the PC and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC Entertainment, DC Universe Online is the first massively multiplayer online (MMO) game on PlayStation 3 for North America and the first MMO game based in the DC Universe, allowing fans to create their own superhero or villain while joining forces with their favorite DC Comics characters such as Superman, Batman and The Joker to aid in saving - or destroying - the planet.

"We're redefining the genre and blazing a new trail in the gaming industry with the introduction of DC Universe Online," said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. "This is the first true action MMO utilizing twitch-based combat and physics to deliver a completely unique and immersive gameplay experience that is reflective of the creativity, action and strength of the DC Universe."

Smedley added: "We worked closely with the talented masterminds at DC Comics on the development of DC Universe Online to explore creative ways we could approach the action, and look and feel of the game to ensure that it extended the DC Universe experience in a way fans have come to know and would expect - from intense action combat that delivers the sensation of having superpowers, to regular interaction with DC superstars like Superman and Batman, and intimate looks at settings like Arkham Asylum and Metropolis."

To capture the true essence of the DC Universe and its iconic characters, Sony Online Entertainment tapped the top talent at DC Comics, including legendary artist and co-publisher of DC Comics, Jim Lee, who served as executive creative director for DC Universe Online and provided the art style for the game Famed DC comic book writers Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman were tasked with establishing the back-story of the Universe and creating thousands of compelling story arcs, epic quests and action-packed in-game events. For example, players might be tasked with rescuing Batwoman from the fear gas that Scarecrow has unleashed in Gotham City's sewers, or battle Power Girl as they work with Lex Luthor to create an army of mutants out of Metropolis citizens.

DCUO combines the immersive environments and fascinating story arcs of MMOs with fast-paced, physics-based combat to deliver more super-powered action than ever before. In the game, players can pick up buses, fly into the air and throw them at enemies, run up the sides of buildings to engage in melee brawls while shooting flames of fire from their hands, or cling to the side of buildings while using a grappling hook to pull flying opponents out of the sky - all while interacting with the iconic characters of DC Comics.

"DC Universe Online transforms more than 75 years of action and adventure into a fully realized immersive experience that brings players into the world of DC like never before," said Jim Lee, executive creative director for DC Universe Online. "It has been a fascinating experience for me and the team to come up with entertaining and engaging ways to blend the MMO and comic book worlds."

Rated T for Teen by the ESRB with the content descriptors Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence, DC Universe Online is available for PC and PlayStation 3 for the suggested retail prices of US$49.99 and US$59.99, respectively. One 30-day game subscription is included with purchase of the game for new subscribers, with monthly subscriptions available thereafter starting at US$14.99, with discounts for longer durations. For players of the PC version of the game, DCUO will be included in SOE's all-in-one Station Access subscription (game software is sold separately). DCUO will be available in North America on January 11, 2011 at Best Buy, Gamestop, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us and at other participating video game retailers.

For more information about DC Universe Online, visit www.DCUniverseOnline.com.

For press assets, including box art, trailers and screenshots, visit: http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/product_page.asp?i=903.

About DC Universe Online

Lex Luthor has traveled back through time with news of a dire future: While the heroes and villains spent years battling amongst themselves, Brainiac has been feeding on their powers, building strength to return to Earth and destroy humanity. To change the future, Lex has come back to set off a device that bestows super powers to thousands of every-day citizens and give humanity a fighting chance. Can Brainiac be stopped, or is this another nefarious Lex Luthor plot?

For the first time, players and fans will be able to enter the DC Universe as an active force for good or evil. A massively multiplayer experience, DC Universe Online delivers unparalleled high-energy, physics-powered combat that brings the player's extraordinary powers to life.

DC Universe Online was created in the artistic vision of legendary comic book artist Jim Lee, and set within a world created by famous DC writers including Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman.

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™, PlanetSide®, and Star Wars Galaxies, as well as the recent kids' phenomenon Free Realms™, 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, and Tucson, AZ, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development across various platforms and genres for audiences of all ages.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest, Champions of Norrath and PlanetSide are registered trademarks and Untold Legends, Legends of Norrath, and Free Realms are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About DC Entertainment

DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

SOURCE Sony Online Entertainment LLC

SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment LLC

CONTACT: Ryan Peters of Sony Online Entertainment LLC, +1-858-577-3263, rpeters@soe.sony.com; or Stacy Miles of Bender/Helper Impact, +1-415-847-4400, stacy_miles@bhimpact.com, for Sony Online Entertainment LLC

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