All Aboard! Everquest: The Scars of Velious Ships to Stores.

Business Editors

SAN DIEGO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2000

-- Ancient Enemies, Frozen Wastes, and New Adventures

Await "EverQuest" Faithful in Expansion Pack

to Most Successful Online Role Playing Game --

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that EverQuest(R): The Scars of Velious(TM) will be available at retail stores tomorrow.

Velious provides the 300,000 plus current EverQuest gamers with an all-new frozen continent, 19 all-new adventure zones, numerous new creatures, additional spells and weapons and enhanced 3D game graphics engine.

EverQuest: The Scars of Velious takes players on a mystical quest to the ice continent of Velious. Once there, players will face all-new challenges and rewards in their quest for dominance and survival. The new frozen continent, Velious, is located south of Antonica, and its 19 new zones include ice caves, crystal caverns, crypts, dungeons and frozen towers. The expansion pack features visually stunning non-player characters including frost giants, ice dragons, snow orcs, cave bears, Snowfang gnolls, storm giants and vicious ottermen. The highly-detailed world features three times the amount of polygons and larger textures than the current EverQuest world.

"We are thrilled to announce that Velious is open and ready for exploration," said Scott McDaniel, executive director of marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "The EverQuest fans will embark on a series of new adventures and come face-to-face with new creatures and don new graphically enhanced player armor."

EverQuest: The Scars of Velious is the first expansion pack that requires a separate purchase of "EverQuest." Players will need to purchase a prior version of the game in order to experience Velious, and it is recommended that they have advanced characters in the level 35 or higher range to board ships to the new continent.

During peak periods, EverQuest adventurers and dragon slayers can form alliances with up to 70,000 other players simultaneously. The active global EverQuest subscriber base is comprised of players from various countries throughout the "real" world, including the U.S., England, Canada, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, France and New Zealand.

The Scars of Velious box cover features newly created art by famous fantasy artist Keith Parkinson and will have an SRP of $19.95.

The official provider of EverQuest is www.station.com, with software updates and news about the game, message boards and other community features, as well as an easy-to-use billing system for the EverQuest monthly subscription fee of $9.89. For more information about EverQuest: The Scars of Velious please visit www.station.com/everquest/.

Verant Interactive Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Online Entertainment Inc. Known for its best-selling massively multiplayer online role-playing game EverQuest(R), Verant is committed to developing cutting-edge online games and communities such as Tanarus(TM), Sovereign(TM), Infantry(TM) and Star Wars Galaxies(TM).

Continuing to deliver break-through interactive gaming, Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a subsidiary of Sony Corporation and Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, is a worldwide leader in providing online entertainment. With more than 8 million registered users SOE's website, www.station.com features EverQuest(R), the top-selling online PC game title, and such popular attractions for non-paying, casual users as JEOPARDY! Online(TM), Wheel of Fortune Online(TM) and Trivial Pursuit(R) Online(TM). SOE distributes online entertainment from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Verant Interactive and third-party developers. SOE is headquartered in San Diego, California, with additional development studios in St. Louis and Austin.