DC Universe(TM) Online Unveiled by Sony Online Entertainment to the Masses at Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO (Map) - SAN DIEGO, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual super heroes and villains, it's time to unite online! Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) plans to reveal exciting new details of the online action game DC Universe(TM) Online (DCUO) at this year's Comic-Con International to be held in San Diego from July 24- 27. SOE's plans include a first-ever public demonstration showcasing how DCUO will redefine online action gaming on the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system and the PC.

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DCUO is being developed by the SOE Austin studio team in collaboration with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics' top talent led by Executive Creative Director Jim Lee, SOE's VP of Development John Blakely and SOE's Austin Studio Creative Director

Lee, a comic book legend who founded DC Comics' WildStorm Productions, is lending his skills as an artist, gamer and creative director -- he was the first player on his EverQuest(R) (EQ) server to get the Paladin epic sword -- to bring iconic DC Comics characters like Batman and Superman to life in a way that's never been seen before in a video game. For the first time, DCUO will let players create their own customized super hero or villain and wield amazing powers in the name of good or evil as they write their own chapter in the fabled DC Universe.

"The rich, storied world of DC Comics has never been available to players like this before," said John Smedley, president of SOE. "For the first time, gamers can actually open the door and step into the vast world of DC Comics and choose their own fate. Who wouldn't want to infiltrate Batman's cave or fly over Metropolis as you speed toward a mission to help Superman?"

Supporting the game's distinctive, dynamic look is a physics-based combat system that makes traditional role-based massively multiplayer online games a thing of the past. With DCUO, players will have virtual powers that feel truly epic in scope from the get-go. Fly around, grab a bus, and toss it at your foes. Shoot energy blasts from your power ring as you dash with incredible speed along the side of a skyscraper. Or turn rivals into ice cubes and then lob them from atop the Daily Planet building!

"This is a big step forward for DC Comics because it really expands how our fans can participate in the DC Universe," said Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics. "Working with our colleagues at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the talented folks at SOE, DC Universe Online is going to provide a dramatic new setting for the DC world to grow and unfold."

"This is a one-of-a kind type of game, and a lot of love has already gone into it," added Jim Lee. "DCUO will be able to tap into DC Comics, which goes back more than 70 years, and use it in ways that comic and gaming fans have never seen before. DCUO is in many ways a reinvention of the traditional MMO; it's a hybrid between the traditional MMO and a button-mashing, console-action game."

Key Features of DC Universe Online:

-- Based on the distinctive, acclaimed artwork and designs of comic book legend Jim Lee.

-- Iconic DC Comic settings and characters, from Gotham City to Arkham Asylum, Batman to Blue Beetle.

-- Players can enter a persistent DC Universe and fight alongside their favorite heroes and villains to play their own adventure in the mythology of these legendary characters and locales.

-- DCUO will be an online world that stays true to the DC Comics property and allows players to feel and act like super heroes or villains.

-- Physics-based fighting turns vehicles, streetlights and other players into weapons, resulting in dynamic combat scenarios that are different every time.

-- DCUO is being developed by Sony Online Entertainment in collaboration with top talent at DC Comics and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

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

About DC Comics

DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, 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. These DC super heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics' Web site is located at http://www.dccomics.com.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.