Sony & Warner Bros. Announce MMO Collaboration
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SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT COLLABORATE FOR ONLINE PROJECTS
Companies Sign Exclusive Long-Term Agreements Covering DC Comics and The Matrix Online MMO Licensing
SAN DIEGO and BURBANK, CA - June 17, 2005 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc., and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced exclusive long-term licensing agreements allowing SOE to develop a DC Comics massively multiplayer online game for PC and next generation consoles, as well as the acquisition of The Matrix Online game by SOE.
"By working with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment we will fuse the knowledge SOE has in the online space with some of Warner Bros.' phenomenal properties," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "SOE will work closely with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics to maintain the authenticity consumers demand from the DC Comics franchises. We will also take steps to continue the same high level of service that subscribers have come to expect from The Matrix Online game."
"Our goal is to deliver quality content and consistently advance our key properties within the online games space," said Jason Hall, senior vice president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "We've done just that with The Matrix Online. Because of our compelling work in developing and launching that game we can now move it over to the leaders in the MMO space, SOE. We look forward to working with SOE to enhance our overall services to massively multiplayer online gamers for The Matrix Online and a new DC Comics game."
"Expanding our fans' ability to participate in the DC universe through a great online game is a terrific step forward for DC Comics," said Paul Levitz, President & Publisher of DC Comics. "We look forward to working with our colleagues at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the talented folks at SOE."
SOE, a worldwide leader in MMO gaming, will work with WBIE, a major creator, developer and licensor of key game properties, to create a next generation online game based on the vast universe of DC Comics. DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. SOE will be creating a DC Comics game for the PC and next generation gaming platforms, and is currently planning on a fourth quarter release in 2007.
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc., a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is a premier licensor and a developer of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including consoles, PC-based gaming and wireless applications.
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®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath(tm), Untold Legends(tm), and PlanetSide®, 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.
