Sony Online Entertainment Rolls Out New Programming for The Station@sony.com and Declares: "We've Got Your Game"

Business Wire, Sept 21, 1998

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 1998--

The Station Premieres Multi-Player Versions of JEOPARDY!

Online and Wheel of Fortune Online, Strategic Diplomacy Game

and Top Collectible Card Game

With an audience of millions, a network experiencing one million games played each week, and the opportunity to capture the multitude of new and experienced consumers turning to the Internet for entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment today debuted "We've Got Your Game" on The Station@sony.com with the Fall rollout of new games and gameshows (www.station.sony.com). Among the additions are the much-anticipated multi-player and updated single-player versions of the Internet's most popular games, JEOPARDY! Online and Wheel of Fortune Online, along with two new games that appeal to game enthusiasts, Fantasy War and ChronX.

"We've created a compelling entertainment destination with The Station, and Sony Online Entertainment is building a new integrated media model for online game entertainment," said Lisa Simpson, President of Sony Online Entertainment. "Its foundation is built on Sony's legacy of excellence in technology, entertainment and video games, together with the success of The Station. No other company offers this combination, pulls the collective strength of all its businesses, and attracts the mass of the mainstream online audience. The new `We've Got Your Game' tag line encapsulates our unique positioning and proposition - it's about The Station having the games you want to play, when you want to play them."

The Station has the fastest growing registered user base on the Internet with 1.5 million game players and a mainstream audience with a desire for diverse branded online entertainment.

"Our games and gameshows reach across many audiences and gamer segments. In fact, The Station is attracting a broad community who came to us for the brands they know and love," noted Richard Glosser, Executive Vice President of SOE. "Today's rollout reinforces our very own 'Seinfeld Strategy' where audiences flow from our hit programs to our newer offerings - whether you are a game enthusiast interested in ChronX or Fantasy War and want a quick diversion with a game of JEOPARDY! Online, or a Wheel of Fortune Online fan looking to try your hand at Out of Order."

The new programming line-up exclusive to The Station includes: -- Multi-player JEOPARDY! Online: Thousands can play simultaneously

as groups of three players compete in real-time in the first-ever

multi-player version of one of the world's most popular gameshows

both on TV and online. Players can choose an avatar, enjoy

game-play, chat and question answers. -- Multi-player Wheel of Fortune Online: As in the #1 gameshow on

television, three players face off in real-time, pick an avatar,

spin the wheel, solve the puzzles and buy vowels. The game will

support thousands of simultaneous players. -- Single-player JEOPARDY! Online/Single-player Wheel of Fortune

Online: Updated versions of these favorites offer enhanced game

play and performance. -- Fantasy War: Two to seven players attempt to conquer the world in

this turn-based strategy diplomacy game featuring heroes,

wizards, dwarves and elves in a titanic struggle of military

might and powerful magic where players scheme, ally and betray

each other. The game will be available on a pay-per-play basis.

(Beta version currently available.) -- ChronX: The No. 1 online-only collectible card game on the

Internet is now exclusively on The Station. Using a virtual deck

of cards, players race against time to find and destroy each

other's secret headquarters, and battle each other with an

arsenal of agents, weapons, programs and bases. Players can

collect and trade hundreds of different online cards created by

noted fantasy and science-fiction artists. Game play includes a

one-time only registration fee; booster packs of cards will be

offered online.

Also returning for its second season is College JEOPARDY! Online, a tournament version of the gameshow for college students which brings rivalries into the digital age. More than 100,000 college students are expected to compete for bragging rights and thousands of prizes this semester. The tournament, which began September 14, will feature an updated version of the gameshow with enhanced game play and performance.

"We're introducing an entirely new experience for multi-player games," said Robert Gehorsam, SOE's Vice President of Programming. "We have developed multi-player versions of Wheel of Fortune Online and JEOPARDY! Online to deliver compelling game play that brings all the fun of their TV cousins into a real-time interactive play experience for three players. And with the ability for players to choose an avatar and show emotion through 'avatudes,' we've added a new layer of personalization to these popular gameshows."

No matter what a player's level of gaming experience, The Station can bring people comfortably to the leading edge of online technology. With Java(TM) representing the technology behind many of the offerings, the multi-player games are easy-to-use and quick to download and set-up. (Some gameshows require browser versions 4.0 and above.)