Ma Bell, Meet Joe Gamer: Sony Online Entertainment Ushers in New Era of Voice Chat...

Ma Bell, Meet Joe Gamer: Sony Online Entertainment Ushers in New Era of Voice
Chat for Online Games With Powerful Suite of Communication Services
- SOE Gives In-Game Chat an Audio Overhaul in Agreement with Vivox(R) -

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC
(SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, is poised to
revolutionize the way gamers stay connected with sophisticated new voice
services where fellow gamers and guild mates are never more than a shout away.
Need standard chat for groups and raids? Check. Don't want to tie up
your own bandwidth? Roger that. Want your voice to sound completely
different? Done. Late for your raid but want to take part in the group setup
by cell phone? Can do. Dream of having in-game voicemail? There ya go.
Playing a non-SOE game but want to use this service, free of charge? Aye.
These powerful community building features and tools are coming to SOE
games at no additional cost to players and go far beyond basic real-time chat
with the usual headset and microphone setup that is commonly used today.
In an agreement announced Wednesday at the Game Developers Conference
between SOE and Vivox, Inc., an established provider of high quality voice
communications, players will be able to access a suite of voice communication
tools including voice mail, voice fonts to synthesize player voices into
in-game character voices, and the ability to receive external calls in SOE
games.
"We're proud to offer this level of communication power and flexibility to
gamers. These new voice services not only replace many of the voice chat
options currently available but add a broad range of capabilities that
streamline communication and empower gamers to maintain their online
relationships in both the real and virtual worlds," said John Smedley,
President of Sony Online Entertainment. "We are giving gamers the ultimate
one-stop shop to stay in touch at all times."
Beyond voice and guild chat channels, North American players will get a
special PIN number to dial in from either a land line or cell phone and
connect with fellow guild members. SOE anticipates adding additional features
including voicemail, broadcast messages, SMS text messaging and an initial
offering of six high-quality voice fonts that replace a player's actual voice
with something completely different.
With the 3D voice chat, players will be able to walk their avatars into
the taverns in EverQuest II, for example, and strike up a conversation with
players like they would walking into a tavern or restaurant in the real world.
Gamers can manage their conversations with buddy lists, volume controls and
commands to leave and join audio channels at will.
SOE's plan is to add these services to SOE's games, as well as integrate
it with SOE's Station Launcher, so anyone who uses the Station Launcher, even
if they don't otherwise subscribe to an SOE game, can take advantage of these
powerful voice chat capabilities. Furthermore, the voice features will be
hosted and professionally managed on the Vivox Network so users won't be
cutting into their valuable bandwidth.
"We are thrilled to team up with SOE to bring Vivox voice chat and related
services to their game community," said Rob Seaver, CEO of Vivox. "SOE is an
industry leader with a long history of offering exceptional games and
innovative services to players. Their plan to offer such a comprehensive voice
service to their gamers is just another reflection of their commitment to
delivering the best possible game experience and fostering community."
SOE's current catalog of massively multiplayer online games includes
EverQuest(R), EverQuest(R) II, Star Wars Galaxies, PlanetSide and Vanguard:
Saga of Heroes, as well as upcoming titles such as The Agency.
About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) 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), 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, Denver, CO and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games
in development. SOE is owned by Sony Pictures Digital and Sony Computer
Entertainment America.
About Vivox, Inc.
Vivox provides high quality, massively scalable voice chat for online
games and virtual worlds. Developers can enhance game play and foster
community with Vivox's advanced feature set and unparalleled service. Today,
the Vivox Network supports millions of users in more than 180 countries.
Customers include CCP Games, Icarus Studios, K2 Network, Linden Lab,
Metaversum, Pixel Mine Games, Simutronics, Sony Online Entertainment,
Stratics, Wizards of the Coast and others. For more information:
http://www.vivox.com.
SOURCE Sony Online Entertainment LLC

Courtney Simmons of Sony Online Entertainment LLC, +1-760-505-7879,
csimmons@soe.sony.com; or Jennifer Frkanec of Vivox, Inc., +1-978-808-5086,
jennifer.frkanec@vivox.com