SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT TO DEBUT NEW WAVE OF ONLINE STRATEGY GAMES AT NEW YORK COMIC CON

New Offerings Include Expansions for Pirates CSG Online and Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga

News by GamesIndustry.biz Contributor

Published on Feb. 23, 2007

SAN DIEGO, CA and DENVER, CO - February 23, 2006 - Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today revealed its newest lineup of online strategy games from its SOE-Denver studio. These titles are set to make their debut in The Gaming Zone at the upcoming New York Comic Convention, February 23-25 in the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

"The New York Comic Convention is a fantastic venue for showcasing our games to a passionate and enthusiastic base of fans," says Scott Martins, Director of Development for SOE-Denver. "We're very proud of our newest titles, and excited about the chance to meet and greet players and talk about SOE's expansion into the virtual trading card realm."

Star Chamber Maelstrom Expansion

Relaunched on SOE's Station.com website February 21, Maelstrom introduces the final chapter of the award-winning Star Chamber: The Harbinger Saga. Players assume the role of one of the races of the Republic and must combine the careful planning of a turn-based strategy game with the unexpected twists and turns of a dynamic trading card game in order to determine the future of the galaxy. Players can lead their homeworld to supremacy by a variety of methods - military conquest, cultural achievement or political domination. Maelstrom takes place against a backdrop of strife in the Republic; the Emperor has disappeared and tensions between his followers and rival separatists threaten to pull all of the galactic races into full-scale war. As fighting spreads across the galaxy and cagey diplomats and politicians bid for power in the neutral ground that is the Star Chamber, scholars unearth an ancient legacy, one that all races believe key to its destiny.

Star Chamber/Maelstrom Features

Free download access to tutorial single-player campaigns and multiplayer practice games

Innovative hybrid game play combines the best features of turn-based strategy and trading card games

Multiplayer support for up to four players

Ten races to choose from, each with a unique special ability

Over 20 single-player scenarios that tell the story of The Harbinger Saga

Single-player Skirmish Mode allows players to tune their decks against an AI opponent before facing opponents online

Various tournament formats are offered 24/7, including constructed, sealed deck, and booster draft play

More details are available at the newly-redesigned Star Chamber website, www.starchamber.net

Pirates of the Spanish Main

Scheduled for online release this February 27, Pirates of the Spanish Main is the set that started it all. Based on the very first release of WizKids' successful tabletop constructible strategy game, Spanish Main is the second expansion for the Pirates CSG Online, and will kick off an exciting schedule of releases and activities for 2007 with subsequent expansions launching every other month. Spanish Main introduces a fleet of 68 new virtual ships for players to collect, from corvettes to galleons to schooners, and a complete crew of Spanish, British and Pirate navies.

Pirates of the Spanish Main Features

Based on the WizKids tabletop strategy game

You'll find 68 new ships and 54 new treasures and crew

Complete crew rosters for Spanish, British and Pirate navies

High seas pirate combat in 3D, complete with cannon fire, the crash of waves and splintering timber

Casual and Tournament formats available to accommodate all player levels

More information for Pirates of the Spanish Main can be found at www.piratesgameonline.com

For information on other Sony Online Entertainment products, visit www.station.sony.com

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®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies, 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.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. Untold Legends is a trademark of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About WizKids

WizKids is a Seattle-based game developer and publisher dedicated to creating tabletop games driven by imagination. Its HeroClix® and Pirates brands are among the most successful games on the market today, with over one hundred million miniature game figures sold worldwide. For additional information, visit www.wizkidsgames.com.

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