Sony Online Entertainment Reveals AAA-Quality Free-to-Play Line-Up At E3 2012

SAN DIEGO, June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced its E3 product line-up, which will be revealed in Los Angeles June 5-7. Gamers in attendance will have the chance to be among the first to get hands-on with the highly-anticipated shooter PlanetSide® 2, while also being treated to the latest updates from some of SOE's most popular franchises, including: DC Universe™ Online, EverQuest® II, Free Realms®, Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™, and Vanguard® Saga of Heroes™.

SOE will also be unveiling two new games from its ever-expanding free-to-play portfolio, including the high-energy first-person shooter (FPS) Bullet Run™ and fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), Wizardry Online. In addition, the EverQuest II team will demonstrate its new, innovative facial recognition feature, SOEmote™, which gives players a never-before-seen highly immersive experience in game.

"This year's E3 line-up features an unparalleled variety of free-to-play titles spanning across multiple genres and platforms - from kids and adults, to casual and hardcore," said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. "With the largest and most diverse free-to-play line-up of any online publisher, SOE is delivering on all fronts with the massive show floor debut of PlanetSide 2, two entirely new titles and the latest hands-on game content from franchise favorites, plus never-before-seen MMO innovations that take immersive gameplay to an entirely new level."

SOE will be located at Booth #4800 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. For real-time SOE updates from E3, follow @SonyOnline and/or @PlanetSide2 on Twitter and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SOE. SOE's full E3 line-up of titles can be found below:

PlanetSide 2

First hands-on play with PlanetSide 2, the highly-anticipated MMOFPS. PlanetSide 2 takes all the groundbreaking features from the original game - massive multiplayer battles, distinct empires to rally around, and enormous continents where intense ground and air combat unfolds - and adds features that modern gamers have come to expect of the FPS and MMO genres. To dial up the E3 experience to epic levels, PlanetSide 2 has enlisted video game personality TotalBiscuit to live cast directly from the SOE booth at 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday, June 5, and Wednesday, June 6, as well as at 11 a.m. PT on Thursday, June 7. Featured live on Twitch TV - http://www.twitch.tv/totalbiscuit - TotalBiscuit will take PlanetSide 2's massive combat beyond the E3 show floor. To stay up to date with PlanetSide 2 news at E3 and for the chance to win SOE products, tune in to PlanetSide 2 news on Twitter at @PlanetSide2 and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PlanetSide2. Those attending can also drop by the booth to receive a special PlanetSide 2 item and beta key. To sign up for beta, players can visit http://bit.ly/L6RpWO.

DC Universe Online

Hands-on demo with The Last Laugh (DLC 4), featuring an all-new weapon, hours of multiplayer gameplay in the Safe Houses and Headquarters, and new Legends PvP characters. For real-time updates from E3, follow DCUO on Twitter at @DCUO and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DCUniverseOnline.

EverQuest II

Hands-on demo of the game and an introduction to SOEmote, a new innovative facial recognition and voice technology feature that allows players unprecedented ability for personal expression and role playing in EverQuest II. Featuring revolutionary facial recognition software created by Image Metrics, and integrating Vivox's voice font technology, SOEmote was designed to truly bring the roleplay back to roleplaying games. For real-time updates from E3, follow EverQuest II on Twitter at @EQII and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EverQuest2.

Bullet Run

Hands-on demo with the killer new free-to-play first-person-shooter (FPS). Developed by ACONY Games and available later this summer for the PC, Bullet Run is a team-based multiplayer game that puts players in the ultimate reality TV game show, where contestants showcase their deadly talents in the name of fame. For real-time updates from E3, follow Bullet Run on Twitter at @BulletRunGame and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BulletRunTheGame. To sign up for beta, players can visit http://bit.ly/L1auE9.

Free Realms

Gameplay demo of the all-new Sunstone Valley, the long awaited regional content expansion for Free Realms. Opening later this summer, players will have an entirely new desert landscape to explore, desert monsters to battle and a whole slew of exciting new quests and rewards. For real-time updates from E3, follow Free Realms on Twitter at @FreeRealms and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FreeRealms.

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures

Gameplay demo of the new Clone Wars Adventures Card Assault Trading Card Game. Clone Wars Adventures is a free-to-play, action-packed, direct to content online world where you can live out the thrills and excitement of the Star Wars®: The Clone Wars™ animated TV series. For real-time updates from E3, follow Clone Wars Adventures on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clonewarsadventures.

Vanguard Saga of Heroes

Hands-on demo with Vanguard Saga of Heroes, which is the final SOE title to transition to free-to-play. Vanguard is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in the vast world of Telon, an ancient world of magic, intrigue and adventure.

Wizardry Online

Hands-on demo with the new free-to-play MMO based on the classic Wizardry computer games. Produced by Gamepot, this latest game features countless traps and fiendish monsters that will hinder players' adventures as they cross the most difficult dungeons ever seen. Wizardry Online retains the characteristic elements of the original Wizardry and merges them with modern MMORPG functions.

About SOE

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games. Best known for its blockbuster hits and franchises, including EverQuest(®), EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, PlanetSide®, Free Realms®,Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™, Vanguard® Saga of Heroes™, and DC Universe™Online, SOE creates, develops and provides compelling online entertainment for a variety of platforms. SOE is building on its proven legacy and pioneering the future of online worlds through creative development and inspired gameplay design for audiences of all ages. To learn more, visit www.soe.com.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest, Champions of Norrath, Free Realms, Vanguard Saga of Heroes and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

About LucasArts

Founded in 1982 by filmmaker George Lucas, LucasArts is a leading publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. With development facilities in San Francisco and Singapore, LucasArts leverages the global skills, technology and resources of the Lucasfilm family of companies -- including visual effects leader Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation and Skywalker Sound -- in addition to strategic partnerships with best-in-class external partners, to further the boundaries of game development.

LucasArts, the LucasArts logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2012 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

About Vivox

Vivox's VoiceEverywhere™ enables social communications anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Vivox provides communication applications for social experiences where consumers interact on the Web, on their mobile devices or within gaming or social networking environments. More than 80 million users in 180+ countries exchange more than 3.5 billion voice minutes each month across the Vivox network. Vivox social communications applications are delivered directly to consumers and with partners such as T-Mobile, CCP Games, Linden Labs, Nexon, Sony Online Entertainment, Wargaming.net and others. For more information, visit www.vivox.com or check out Vivox on Twitter or Facebook.

About Image Metrics

Founded in 2000, Image Metrics is a pioneer in the field of computer vision with numerous patents held in facial recognition, analysis and animation technologies. The company's proprietary algorithms capture, recognize and analyze nuanced facial expressions and emotions in real-time using nothing more than a standard webcam, allowing companies to add compelling new consumer experiences to their products. Image Metrics also licenses powerful SDKs, including Live Driver, its real-time facial animation technology, and PortableYou, its avatar creation platform. The company's integrations include Sony Online Entertainment's MMORPG EverQuest II. Image Metrics is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., with a Research Lab in Manchester, U.K. For more information or to request a demo, please visit www.Image-Metrics.com.

About Gamepot Inc.

Founded in 2001, Gamepot Inc. is devoted to bringing exciting, innovative and fun games to its fans. With Pangya, an online golf game, Gamepot made its first step to success in 2004. Following the successful launches of CABAL ONLINE and La Tale in 2006, the very successful re-launch of Square Enix's massively multiplayer online action game Fantasy Earth Zero helped Gamepot secure its position as a leading online game publisher in Japan.

Gamepot joined one of the leading Japanese ISP's, So-net Entertainment Corporation, in 2008. As So-net's online gaming arm, Gamepot added game development capabilities with the acquisition of several online and mobile game studios. Self-developed flagship titles include Paperman, a first person shooter launched in Japan and other countries in Asia, and "Wizardry Online," the first online game version of the legendary "Wizardry" RPG series in 2011. Gamepot recently founded its own mobile gaming division in 2011, which currently boasts more than 10 mobile titles in service with plans to expand globally.

SOURCE Sony Online Entertainment LLC

SOURCE: Sony Online Entertainment LLC

CONTACT: Michele Sturdivant, Sony Online Entertainment, +1-858-577-3167, msturdivant@soe.sony.com, Stacy Miles, Bender/Helper Impact, +1-415-847-4400, stacy_miles@bhimpact.com

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