EVERQUEST II SETS NEW STANDARD IN MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMING WITH VOICEOVER FOR NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

-More Than 130 hours of Dialog Help Make EverQuest II an Unparalleled
Interactive Entertainment Experience-

SAN DIEGO, CA - March 31, 2004 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today announced that EverQuest II will be the first MMO game to feature
voiceover for in-game Non-Player Characters (NPCs). The voiceover will
be comprised of more than 130 hours of dialog and approximately 1.5
million words (the equivalent of more than 65 feature films worth of
content). The addition of voiceover to the game adds a new dimension of
realism to the MMO genre that is unmatched by the current generation of
titles.

"Including voiceover for NPCs in EverQuest II is an incredibly ambitious
project," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment.
"Few publishers could even imagine undertaking such a huge project, but
we're committed to taking EverQuest II to the next level. By giving our
in-game characters voices for the first time in a massively multiplayer
online environment, we are raising the bar for the genre as a whole,
breaking down the boundaries between static, text-driven interface and
meaningful, cinematic interaction."

EverQuest II will deliver a unique online gaming experience to players
with a cast of more than 100 actors, including well-known Hollywood
talent. Featuring nearly 100,000 lines spoken by thousands of
characters, the voiceover project is a major undertaking that is sure to
mark the beginning of a new era for the MMO genre. After launch, SOE
will continue to add new voiceover content whenever new quests are added
to the game. Additionally, EverQuest II players will have the ability
to choose whether or not they wish to hear the voiceovers, giving them
maximum control over their individual level of immersion and system
performance.