Online Titles to Host Variety of In-Game Halloween Events Including EverQuest II ’s Nights of the Dead and First-Ever Star Wars Galaxies Galactic Moon Festival

WHAT: Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) conjures ghosts, ghouls and goblins for the gamer community in a variety of in-game events themed around Halloween. This October, EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Star Wars Galaxies, Legends of Norrath™, Vanguard Saga of Heroes™, EverQuest® Online Adventures and The Matrix Online players can celebrate All Hallows Eve by participating in themed quests, donning avatar costumes and masks, and trick-or-treating for loot and candy!

see all the in-game events after the jump

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The First Release of the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, “Champions of the Force” Now Available

LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment announced today the launch of the Star Wars Galaxies™ Trading Card Game and its first release: Champions of the Force.

Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force marks the first ever Star Wars® trading card game offered exclusively online. Available to both current and former Star Wars Galaxies subscribers*, the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game provides players an entirely new gameplay experience by combining the challenge of a trading card game with the adventures and community of the massively multiplayer game. For the first time online, players can:

· Choose between the light and dark sides of the Force and build their own Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game decks to fight virtual matches for the Rebel, Imperial, Jedi or Sith;
· Enhance their digital card decks with 15-card Booster Packs;
· Find more than 20 “loot” cards in the first release, Champions of the Force, that can be redeemed for fantastic virtual items for use within the Star Wars Galaxies massively multiplayer game for players with a Star Wars Galaxies account*;
· Challenge their skills in story-based solo-play or against other Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game players in epic one-on-one matches, cooperative Heroic Encounters, and official tournaments. (more…)

EverQuest® II and Star Wars Galaxies™ Go Live With Free Voice Chat,
EverQuest® to Follow Suit Soon
 

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – July 31, 2008 – Station Voice™, a service powered by Vivox® that allows players to talk to each other in online games, is now available in the role-playing games EverQuest® II and Star Wars Galaxies™, Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), announced today. Station Voice, which is scheduled to be available next month in EverQuest, is available for players at no additional cost with their current subscription plan.

“In-game voice chat is an enhanced new feature gamers of all levels can enjoy. Now, SOE’s players can easily talk to one another and better enjoy the online gaming experience,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “The integration of Station Voice into these initial games was seamless, and we look forward to incorporating this added gaming experience into other SOE titles, as well as implementing the next phase of features to come soon.”

The initial launch of Station Voice will allow players to:
· Talk person-to-person in game with any microphone and headset combo
· Chat with their party, guild or any other group in game
· Play and communicate without worry of a significant increase in game lag
· Manage group/user participation with moderator controls
· Individually mute and set volume per user
· Set up easily without the need for separate software, accounts or registration

“SOE’s commitment to the player experience and their game communities is unrivalled and presents an incredible opportunity to demonstrate the power of voice,” said Rob Seaver, CEO of Vivox. “Through a magnificent implementation, SOE has delivered high quality voice chat, seamless access, instant groups, intuitive controls and a fantastic and immersive experience for their players.”

In addition to these current features, SOE is planning to implement other Vivox services into Station Voice later this year, such as voice fonts and the ability to connect to games from Station Launcher. SOE’s plan to integrate the service with Station Launcher should allow anyone who uses the Station Launcher, even if he or she doesn’t otherwise subscribe to an SOE game, to take advantage of these powerful voice chat capabilities. These features, which are intended to support hundreds of players in a channel, are also slated to be extended to other current and future SOE titles, such as The Agency™.

For specific details and tips on how to use Station Voice in each game, log onto www.station.sony.com/stationvoice/