Curt Schilling Goes From Pitching Wizard to Virtual Wizard World Series Champion and MVP Pitcher Signs Endorsement Deal With Sony Online

Entertainment

    SAN DIEGO, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE),
 a global leader in the online video games industry, today announced an
 endorsement deal with Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.  The World Series
 MVP is an avid player of the online game EverQuest(R) II and is also a
 long-time fan of its precursor EverQuest(R), both SOE online games.  The
 sponsorship will include personal appearances, media tours and opportunities
 for fans of both games to meet Schilling.
     (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060316/LATH072)
     "I'm excited about this partnership with Sony Online," said Schilling.
 "I've been playing video games a long time.  I've been a fan of Sony Online
 since the first time I logged into the original EverQuest.  That passion has
 only increased since the launch of EverQuest II."
     Schilling may be one of today's top athletes in professional baseball, but
 off the field he plays a unique character in the award-winning Massively
 Multiplayer Online (MMO) video game EverQuest II, a fully realized 3D fantasy
 world of mythical creatures, magic spells, majestic landscapes, and fierce
 dragons.
     "EverQuest II provides me an opportunity to remain in touch with my family
 during the incredible travel schedule of a major league baseball season,"
 Schilling said.  "One of the greatest elements of EverQuest II is that I can
 play when I'm on the road.  My son Gehrig and I play together when I'm not
 working and he's not in school."
     EverQuest II offers players a huge online world where thousands of players
 come together for shared adventure and community.  This online game sets the
 standard for graphical realism, as players are immersed in the game's exciting
 locales and dangerous lands.  EverQuest II has a powerful epic storyline and
 gives players the potential to be hero or villain in a world that never ends.
     "I enjoy the anonymity and the ability to interact on a personal level
 with people I wouldn't normally meet or know," Schilling said.  "That, and the
 game is a riot.  There's no end to it, the world is enormous, the
 possibilities are endless, and above all else, it's a place to go and relax
 amongst friends.  What I can't get enough of is your ability to interact with
 real live people.  The game's about teamwork, and knowing the right way to
 pick and play your class properly in such a way that it complements a group.
 That's why EverQuest has stayed so popular."
     The 39-year-old baseball superstar has been a long time fan of SOE games,
 even contributing game reviews of expansion packs to gaming magazines, and is
 an avid web communicator, feeling this is the best way to connect with the
 video game fans.
     His next role as SOE spokesman and EverQuest II devotee is to immerse his
 characters in the new Kingdom of Sky expansion, leading his guild on quests,
 raids and exploration of the Overrealms.  Schilling is planning on attending
 the Sony Fan Faire Convention in Atlanta, April 6 - 8, 2006, where he will
 give media interviews and get a tour of the game's newest features.
 
     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 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(R), EverQuest(R) II,
 Champions of Norrath(R), Untold Legends(TM), and PlanetSide(R), 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, Seattle, WA, and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in
 development.
 
     EverQuest is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America
 Inc.  SOE, the SOE logo and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony
 Online Entertainment Inc.  Untold Legends is a trademark of Sony Online
 Entertainment Inc.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of
 their respective owners.
 
 

SOURCE  Sony Online Entertainment Inc.