EVERQUEST® ONLINE ADVENTURES: FRONTIERS(TM) ENTERS OPEN BETA

 - Sony Online Entertainment Admits 20,000 More Beta Testers Into the Second Edition of the Online Revolution -

SAN DIEGO, CA - August 18, 2003 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, announced that it has reached Beta status for EverQuest® Online Adventures: Frontiers(TM), with more than 20,000 excited testers being allowed a sneak peak into the changes to the online world. Developed exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers is scheduled to ship to retail stores this November.

"Beta testing is key to ensuring that our customers have the top-notch, quality entertainment that they have come to expect from SOE," said Michael Lustenberger, director of product marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "With the help of our Beta testers, we will be able to tune EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers for maximum enjoyment, turning it into another exciting addition to the EverQuest universe."

The EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers Beta begins August 18 and will run through mid-September.  Beta testers will be the first players to explore the new land areas of Tunaria, and they are crucial in the development process of the game.   Sony Online Entertainment relies on Beta testers for feedback on gameplay mechanics and to ensure that the storyline is cohesive and engaging.  For more information on the EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers Beta test, please visit: http://eqoafrontiers.station.sony.com/index.jsp.

About EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers
With intricate character development, continuous player interaction and a strong sense of community, EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers brings PlayStation 2 gamers into a vast online world filled with thousands of other players. The second edition will add more than 162 square miles of uncharted territories to explore, from the beautiful red rock canyons of Odus to the treacherous lava streams in Lavastorm.  Frontiers also adds graphically enhanced player models and armor, allowing for greater character customization than ever before. EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers also features:

---Unlimited action - no boundaries to this huge living world
---10 races and 15 classes to choose from
---New class mastery system
---Redesigned and highly-detailed player character models, armor and pets
---New playable race, the Ogre. These massive beings can be both brutal warriors and can wield powerful magic
---A new cast of fierce non-playable characters to battle such as the Nagas, Faun and Couatl
---Thousands of new items to discover, create, trade and sell
---Challenging new quests to conquer
---Expanded content for high-level characters - up to level 60
---Special communications and travel features help people find each other in the game so they can spend more time having fun

---New character class, the Alchemist
---3 new cities, 24 gigantic dungeons and a new continent brings the size of the game world to a gigantic 500 virtual square miles

---Unparalleled character customization for players to create their own unique hero or villain
---Persistent online game world with new content added regularly
 

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(TM), The Planes of Power(TM), and The Legacy of Ykesha(TM), 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 Winter, 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, with a subscriber base of over 500,000 active players 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, EverQuest® and PlanetSide(TM), as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies(TM): An Empire Divided(TM), 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.

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.

del.icio.us | Digg This | Glink It

---