Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) launched its free-to-play, family-friendly virtual world, Free Realms, on the Playstation Network today. Free Realms is the second SOE MMOG to launch on the Playstation 3 next to the recently launched DC Universe Online. Players can download the game and play for free while opting to use the in-game store for microtransaction items and optional premium subscriptions for additional content. Check out the official press release after the break for more details.

FREE REALMS® NOW AVAILABLE ON PLAYSTATION®NETWORK

Sony Online Entertainment’s Family-Friendly Virtual World Becomes First Free-to-Play Massively Multiplayer Online Game on Any Console

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – Mar. 29, 2011 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that Free Realms® (www.FreeRealms.com), the popular free-to-play, family-friendly virtual world game, is now available as a free download on the PlayStation®Network. Free Realms, originally launched in 2009 for the PC and in 2010 for the MAC computer, has quickly grown into an online community of nearly 17 million registered players!

Free Realms comes as SOE’s second massively multiplayer online game on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, following DC Universe™ Online’s PC and PS3™ release this past January. At launch, Free Realms is also the first free-to-play MMO and the first family-friendly MMO to hit any console to date.

“SOE has set the standard for MMOs on the console with two incredibly successful, innovative and exciting new massive online game worlds for the PlayStation®3 system- first with DC Universe Online and now Free Realms,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “Our games extend the current lifecycle of the console with the added value offer of bringing tens of thousands of people together, in a game world, to socialize at community events, compete in combat activities and engage in a diversity of gameplay experiences, for years to come.”

Much like the PC and MAC versions, Free Realms on the PlayStation®3 system features the fun minigames, robust player housing system and adventure exploration that millions of gamers have come to love. From racing cars and building backyard mazes, to casting spells and mining for gold, in Free Realms players have endless opportunities to play and explore! New to the game, the PS3™ version adopts the console’s interactive capabilities and is easily accessible from the PlayStation®Store. Players are now able to use voice chat to communicate with their friends as they boogie down at parties, engage in battles against mystical characters, and more. Additionally, players can now earn, compare and share trophies.

FEATURES:
Attracted to adventure? Love to Explore? Players can take on endless amounts of roles including ninjas, warriors or wizards, while participating in a variety of activities such as adventuring for treasure, playing a soccer game, decorating their player house or even entering a demolition derby! If players are seeking a totally different challenge, they can participate in minigames and quests that include decorating their house, constructing a maze, or exploring the terrain on the back of their T-Rex Ride. Free Realms is a safe place for friends to imagine and have fun!

• Fun Now, No Waiting: Free Realms is easy to access! Get in the game quickly and easily from the PlayStation®Store, create a character, and adventure in a fully immersive social game world.  Click on the Game Guide to access the Activity Finder, Events Calendar, 3D and 2D minigames, quests, Match Making and more!
• Be Whoever You Want: With 15 jobs to get into and more than 30,000 wearable combinations, players can find the perfect profession, or try them all! Jobs include: wizard, blacksmith, medic, archer, warrior, ninja, brawler, chef, miner, demolition derby driver, kart driver, adventurer, postman, soccer star and fisherman.
• Fun for Everyone: With so much to do and see it’s easy for players to find something fun to do! Start by playing minigames like cooking, mining, soccer, Demolition Derby, or Pirate’s Plunder. Players can decorate their player house with a party dance floor, rocket ship or talking tiki head, or create a maze with any number of items and invite friends over to race through it. The action doesn’t stop there; players can participate with the entire community at live event Boss Battles or in holiday quests, attend in-game concerts and learn boom box dance moves.
• Vibrant, Deep Environment: There are eight distinct, unique and breathtaking environments for players to explore. Areas include the snowcapped mountain villages of Snowhill, the dark and mysterious swamps of Blackspore, and the sunny shores of Seaside.
• Connect with Friends: Whether one’s meeting up with old friends or finding new ones, Free Realms players can connect, play, quest and adventure together. For group quests and multiplayer battles, players just log in to see what their friends have been up to, select them from your friends list, and join them in game.
• Play Free or Upgrade: At its heart, Free Realms is free-to-play, with more than 800 quests and the ability to take each job through level four. Players who want to break through to the next level can become Members with access to an additional 400 quests and the ability to level all jobs up to 20. Memberships are offered in terms of one month, three months, six months and lifetime (valid for the life of the game). Members and free players can also purchase a variety of items and wearables through micro-transactions.
• Family-Friendly: Recently recognized by Creative Child Magazine with the 2010 Creative Toy Award Seal of Excellence, Free Realms is a fun online experience to share with the entire family. Parental controls on the PC and MAC allow for the customization of safety options, include pre-canned and white-list chat, reporting, and filter for younger players. For kids who enjoy playing on the console, robust parental controls are innate to the system PlayStation 3 system.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB. Free Realms is now available to download on the PlayStation Network for free; with options to purchase one month (US $4.99), three month (US $12.99), six month (US $ 24.50), one year (US $29.99), and  lifetime membership (US $34.99).

To play Free Realms on PC or MAC, visit: www.FreeRealms.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 devices. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, PlanetSide®, and the recently launched DC Universe Online™, as well as the recent kids’ phenomena Free Realms® and Clone Wars Adventures™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Tucson, AZ, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development across various platforms and genres for audiences of all ages.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest, Free Realms, and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. Legends of Norrath is a trademark of Sony Online Entertainment LLC.

All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

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