Sony Online Entertainment to distribute Asherons Call Throne of Destiny and AC2: Legions

Morrigan

Sony Online Entertainment Announces New Distribution Label, Releases New Asheron's Call Titles
- Station Publishing Brings Turbine's MMORPG Games Back to Retail Channel -

Distribution Source : PRNewswire

Date : Tuesday - January 18, 2005

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today announced the formation of Station Publishing, a new distribution label within the company. Station Publishing will focus on distributing interactive entertainment products licensed from external content providers for the PC and game console market. The first titles due from Station Publishing will be Turbine Entertainment Software's Asheron's Call: Throne of Destiny(TM) and Asheron's Call 2: Legions(TM).

"Station Publishing is dedicated to growing the overall Sony Online Entertainment product catalog with titles produced outside of our own studios," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "This new label gives Sony Online Entertainment the ability to work with talented developers and publishers and to give them access to the high caliber retail and marketing resources that we have developed over the past six years. Turbine's Asheron's Call games are the perfect titles to be the first on this new label. The AC franchise has attracted hundreds of thousands of players to the online medium over the years, and SOE is very happy to be distributing these high quality products."
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"Having Sony Online Entertainment distributing the titles produced and published by Turbine gives us direct access to the strongest retailers in North America," said Jason Bell, executive vice president, Turbine Entertainment Software. "We're excited to see our games get onto store shelves and into the hands of our passionate and loyal players."

Throne of Destiny is the third installment in the original 3D massively multiplayer online role playing game series Asheron's Call, first launched to critical acclaim in November 1999. In the new expansion pack, players will enjoy a graphics upgrade, a new playable race, the Viamontians, and a challenge to experienced gamers with a new high-level play system that rewards players with skill credits.

Legions is the first follow-up to the graphically ground-breaking MMORPG Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings. Legions will provide players with an ambitious new storyline complete with an extensive array of new content for hours and hours of additional online adventuring. The expansion provides players with a new playable race, the mystical Empyreans, a massive new continent shrouded in mystery and an innovative new hero system.

Asheron's Call: Throne of Destiny and Asheron's Call 2: Legions is scheduled to hit retail shelves in the first half of 2005.

For more information, visit http://www.stationplayers.com/.

About Turbine Entertainment Software

Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. (Turbine) is a premier provider of online subscription entertainment. With studios in Westwood, Mass. and Santa Monica, the company is the largest privately held online games studio in North America. Turbine's proprietary technology, the Turbine Engine(R), generates some of the most sophisticated 3D graphics in persistent world games, producing such memorable projects as Asheron's Call(R), Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty(R) and Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings(R). Turbine is currently producing The Lord of the Rings(TM): Middle-Earth(TM) Online, Dungeons & Dragons(R) Online, Asheron's Call: Throne of Destiny(TM) and Asheron's Call 2: Legions(TM). For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.turbinegames.com/.

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 800,000 active accounts 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(R), EverQuest(R) II 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 an additional development studio in Austin, TX, 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. TURBINE, Asheron's Call, Asheron's Call Dark Majesty, Fallen Kings, Turbine Engine, Throne of Destiny, and Legions are registered trademarks or trademarks of Turbine Entertainment Software Corporation in the United States or other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Sony Online Entertainment Inc.

CONTACT: Chris Kramer of Sony Online Entertainment/Station Publishing,
+1-858-577-3481, ckramer@spe.sony.com; or Jason Wonacott of Turbine
Entertainment Software, +1-781-407-4153, jwonacott@turbinegames.com

Web site: http://www.turbinegames.com/

Web site: http://www.stationplayers.com/

__________________________
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One player's great game is another players derisive snort!
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Morrigan

And it seems the expansion are on their way.

__________________________
Mourning, not for the feint of heart
http://www.realmsofkrel.com

One player's great game is another players derisive snort!
http://www.darthmyr.com for free guild forums

Scaris

ohhHhhH, hmmm. Pretty soon Turbine will be right where Verrant was about 4 years back and D&D online and MEO will be SOE Games.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

Morrigan

Fadeus, distribution is a far cry from developing the game

__________________________
Mourning, not for the feint of heart
http://www.realmsofkrel.com

One player's great game is another players derisive snort!
http://www.darthmyr.com for free guild forums

Scaris

Yes, and thats how Verrant started, they were the developer, Sony was the distributor.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

zensaber

YES with SOE many asherons call will revive!

get free computer, and other electronics not a scam! read ALL the site and you will see that its not a scam
http://www.power2source.com/index.php?ref_id=10871

cooldevo

One can only hope it will revive.  It is a game that shouldn't die out.

My only issue is with the 12.95 monthly fee now, which is quite high as it compares with new games like EQ2 which are 14.95 per month.  And soon to be released Guild Wars is no monthly fee.  I'm very torn.  I know the exp pack will be the determining factor for me.

I've never been a big fan of SOE.  I've seen some really good games go to garbage under their control.  Especially SWG.  That game had so much potential, and their initial reports before release made the game sound incredible.  But then release comes and I was severely disappointed.

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Scaris

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Originally posted by cooldevo
One can only hope it will revive.  It is a game that shouldn't die out.
My only issue is with the 12.95 monthly fee now, which is quite high as it compares with new games like EQ2 which are 14.95 per month.  And soon to be released Guild Wars is no monthly fee.  I'm very torn.  I know the exp pack will be the determining factor for me.
I've never been a big fan of SOE.  I've seen some really good games go to garbage under their control.  Especially SWG.  That game had so much potential, and their initial reports before release made the game sound incredible.  But then release comes and I was severely disappointed.Win XP Pro
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---

I think alot of that however was too many hands in the pot and not just Sony in error. During the development of SWG Lucas was in a dark period where they couldnt get out a good game to save there lives. I beleif they also had a mass firing in there as well. The game completely changed face of what it was supposed to be from the very early days of development. I kept up with it for quite awhile, up til about a year before release. I stopped keeping up with it when they were advertising the first expansion pack on the front page of the site and the game wasn't even launched yet. I beleive the expansion was jump to lightspeed and it was later held back due to all the launch issues. Anyways, my point is, I don't think you can solely point the finger at SOE in regards to SWG.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

cooldevo

You are correct, they aren't totally to blame...

But they do end up promoting a lot of the stuff that ends up being bad or poorly implemented.

As another example, SOE just announced the new "adventure packs" for EQ2.  To me it sounds a lot like they are going to be charging for the monthly updates.  Or getting rid of monthly updates in favor of the new packs.  Read more about it here.

Now if I had an EQ2 account, that is what I would be asking.... I had to buy the game, pay about 15 per month in fees, now have to buy 5 dollar each "adventure packs?"  that will be released in addition to full expansion packs?  Take into account they say that there will be regular "adventure packs" released.  I'd be very PO'd to say the least.

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*EDIT: fixed some words spelt correct but not right word (ie. "is" instead of "in")*

Scaris

I am on the Station Pass so I get all adventure packs free.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

cooldevo

Station Pass?  That is that 21.95 per month (I think) to play all SOE games or something like that, right?

Turbine is using SOE to publish the exp pack.  I wonder if they might end up using them to host the game on their servers as well?  Would be interesting to say the least.

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Scaris

Yes, thats correct, if you have a station all access pass it doesn't cost you for the adventure packs.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

cooldevo

That station pass is an interesting concept.  But I'm not currently subscribed to any SOE games.

The only SOE MMOG I most anticipated was SWG, and I didn't keep a subscription to that for long.  They did have some sort of game called something like "Soldier" or something.  I played it while it was free years ago, then stopped when they started charging for it.

There has to be a limit to SOE for what they will try to milk out of gamers.  It is nice they include the free packs with the Station Pass, but for those that don't have it, I'd be mad.

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Scaris

they have tanarus and infantry online. But they are alot different then what you would consider the typical MMO such as EQ, EQ II, SWG, and even planetside. All of which are included in the All Access Pass. Thates why i went for it. Its costing me less this way then to keep my EQ 1 account and start EQ II as well, and ontop of that I am getting 2 other games that I am going to start playing just because I can no at no additional cost.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

cooldevo

Yes... Infantry online.  That was it.  It was a good game, but I couldn't see myself paying for it.

I can only hope the exp pack is good enough to justify spending money on AC still.  It's a good game, but finances are getting pretty tight with some RL unforeseen situations.  One can only hope.

I could see how that would be a great benefit if you have several games with SOE.  Save a small bundle of cash.  Might as well get your money worth and try out all the games.  heh.

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Rammur

haha soe has a habit of gettin greedy and destrying games imo .Only people who stick with eq and soe game are people who are really addicted or people who farm and sell on ebay.

jsand199

Overall I think it may be good to get AC known by the masses.

Elapsed

SOE isn't all bad...

Wait yes they are. They basically killed Infantry Online by reducing the dev team to a man of one or two and making it $7.95 a month to play when it was free for many years and it was updated more often.

Though they are only distributing now. I agree it is likely that the relationship will grow to "more" over time.

__________________________

diegofrgc

Ok lets put things straight.........AC has 37-40k subscribers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D&D Online and MEO are coming..........i think AC nor AC2 will survive

Scaris

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Originally posted by Rammur
haha soe has a habit of gettin greedy and destrying games imo .Only people who stick with eq and soe game are people who are really addicted or people who farm and sell on ebay.

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I have no idea what that means and EQ 1's success speaks for itself.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

Falconoffury

EQ1s success just shows the average stupidity of the masses. AC deserved more subscriptions in the first year than EQ in its first year.

Scaris

Nope, Asheron's Call was almost unkown its first year, Microsoft did not market it at all. I didnt learn about it myself shortly after launch untilI started deeply looking for alternatives to Uo and I got both it and EQ and I enjoyed EQ more. Sorry but if your saying I am stupid becaue I played EQ and your smart because you played AC, well then I don't really think you have much validity to your statement, just shows how smart you actually are.

- Fadeus Hawkwood

cooldevo

I personally, didn't like EQ1 at all.  I don't really know what it was that got to me, as it was so long ago, but it just wasn't fun to me.  I found AC to be much better, in terms of everything I like in the game.

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Scing

Played EQ for about a month and a half, got to level 60 and thought lame, where's the content? Playing AC today still, and I'm STILL questing for stuff, as well as scrapping people on Darktide =P

mastaofmurda

this is great news.. we will actually get some advertising and marketing

mastaofmurda

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Originally posted by Fadeus
they have tanarus and infantry online. But they are alot different then what you would consider the typical MMO such as EQ, EQ II, SWG, and even planetside. All of which are included in the All Access Pass. Thates why i went for it. Its costing me less this way then to keep my EQ 1 account and start EQ II as well, and ontop of that I am getting 2 other games that I am going to start playing just because I can no at no additional cost.- Fadeus Hawkwood

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i used to play infantry online.. its a little game but very addicting... those games come if u just sign up for station

but i really hope asheron's call doesn't use SOE to host their games