Sony Online Entertainment Taps Legendary Comic Book Writer, Marv Wolfman to Create PlanetSide®2 Backstory

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that award-winning author Marv Wolfman has joined the SOE team to write the historic fiction for the upcoming massively multiplayer online first person shooter (MMOFPS), PlanetSide®2. This will be the first time the PlanetSide franchise narrative has been detailed.

"Marv is an extremely talented writer and was an instrumental partner in the creation of DC Universe™ Online; we are thrilled to team up with him again," said Russ Shanks, Chief Operating Officer of SOE. "Marv has the ability to create powerful storylines, compelling characters and rich, interlocking narratives that will provide an all-new depth and meaning to the PlanetSide experience for players to enjoy."

Using the enigmatic backdrop of planet Auraxis, Wolfman will write a series of episodic backstory fiction that will be released on PlanetSide2.com. Wolfman will re-image and bring to life the rich and storied history of the planet and its people, set up the inevitable conflict between the iconic factions, and create an exciting and compelling interwoven narrative that will expand each soldier's personal journey.

"I'm thrilled to be working with SOE again," said Marv Wolfman. "Not only do I get to take elements from the original PlanetSide and further develop an extensive backstory that can help players more fully understand this incredible new world, but even better, I get to create dozens of individual characters that I hope will help bring alive the story of PlanetSide 2 for the entire player community."

Wolfman has written comics for DC Comics, Marvel and many other publishers for the past 30 years. He is best known for his work on The New Teen Titans in the early 1980s, creating the vampire slayer Blade in Marvel's Tomb of Dracula, and scripting the comic book mini-series, Crisis on Infinite Earths. In addition to his comic book credits, Wolfman has written for novels, feature films, cartoons and video games, including DC Universe™ Online.

In PlanetSide 2, thousands of players will come together in enormous battles to win control of territory and resources for their empire. With an extensive skill tree and a free-form class-based system, players will be able to customize their soldier, weapons and vehicles to match their play-style, or the needs of their squad, outfit or empire. Battles can last for days or weeks, so players will need to build real alliances and combat outfits to take on long-term strategic and tactical initiatives. With air and ground combat, the battles are massive and more intense than ever in PlanetSide 2.  

Media assets are available here: http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/product_page.asp?i=1215.

PlanetSide 2 is currently in development and will be available on PC systems. PlanetSide 2 is not yet rated and may contain content inappropriate for children. Visit www.esrb.org for rating information.

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®, Clone Wars Adventures™, 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, PlanetSide, and Free Realms are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Marv Wolfman

Marv Wolfman has created more characters for television, animation, movies and toys than any other comics creator since Stan Lee. Wolfman is most noted for his work on such projects as the writer and creator of Blade, the Vampire Hunter that was turned into three hit movies starring Wesley Snipes, as well as a TV series.  Wolfman also created Bullseye, the prime villain in the 2003 movie Daredevil, and is also the writer and creator of the New Teen Titans, a hit show on Cartoon Network. Wolfman also created the DC Comics villain Cyborg, which was featured on an episode of WB's hit TV show Smallville.  He is also the creator of Cat Grant, a Superman creation, which was regularly featured on the Lois and Clark, The New Adventures of Superman TV series.

In addition to his comic book credits, Wolfman has written for novels, feature films, cartoons and video games, including DC Universe™ Online. For more information please visit www.marvwolfman.com.

SOURCE Sony Online Entertainment LLC