Sony launches Free Realms in 5 new languages

by: Jake - posted: 8/18/2009 1:18:00 PM

After Free Realms' original U.S. English release on April 28 of this year, Sony has finally released Free Realms in 5 new languages; English (U.K.), Spanish (Latin American), French, Spanish (Castillian), and German. For those of you who don't know, Free Realms is a unique browser-based MMO for the PC in which players can interact with each-other as in a social network, participate in combat, raise pets, explore, and even play mini-games. A release is also planned for the PlayStation 3, although the release date has yet to be announced. Check out the main site at www.freerealms.com

SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES FREE REALMS™
IN FIVE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES, INCLUDING
FRENCH, GERMAN, SPANISH

All Languages Played On All Servers Within the Online Video Game

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - August 18, 2009 - Sony Online Entertainment LLC
(SOE) today announced that gamers can play Free Realms™ in five new,
fully-localized and supported languages: French, German, Spanish
(Castilian), Spanish (Latin American) and English (UK). Originally
launched in English (US) on April 28, 2009, Free Realms is a
free-to-play, family-friendly online video game that has more than
four million registered players engaged in the whimsical virtual
world.

"With Free Realms, we constantly strive to lower the barrier to entry
for gamers, and localized language support is another example of
that," said Andy Sites, senior producer, Sony Online Entertainment.
"Now, gamers of all ages and regions can play together in any of the
supported languages and enjoy the fully-localized voice over audio,
in-game art, on-screen and web site content with ease."

A first for SOE games, all existing and new players can play in any of
the supported languages on any Free Realms server. Players can begin
playing Free Realms in their language of choice by visiting the
localized versions of www.FreeRealms.com where a server with the
highest population of players playing in their preferred language will
be recommended. Chat and profanity filters that support all languages
have also been implemented. All languages have full customer service
and community team support as well.

In Free Realms, players can customize their characters and play a wide
variety of minigames in a safe, online environment, packed with
stunning visuals, distinctive environments, and social networking
capabilities. Fun for the entire family, players are free to do or be
anything: Become a ninja, cook a yummy meal, battle goblins, set out
on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social
networking page. Free Realms also features a trading card game
playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and through
a physical game available in the US wherever trading cards are sold!

Free Realms offers a variety of features, including:

Free Gameplay: Free Realms is free to play; however, additional
content can be accessed through a Membership or micro-transactions.
Rich Character Creation: With thousands of customizations and
combinations, you can blend fantasy and reality to create your perfect
avatar.
Be Whoever You Want: Characters aren't locked into classes or jobs -
you can be a ninja one minute and a race kart driver the next.
Kid Safe: Free Realms is designed with kids' safety in mind and has
pre-canned chat, reporting, filters and Parental Controls that allow
for the customization of security options for younger players.
Something for Everyone: Players can take care of pets, sort mail,
destroy cars in demolition derbies, battle goblins or cook meals for
their friends.
Vibrant, Deep Environment: Adventurous gamers can spend hours
exploring towns, bustling cities, beaches, forests, snowy mountaintops
and more.
Connect with Friends: Whether you're meeting up with old friends or
finding new ones, Free Realms allows players to stay connected through
its social networking page. Just log in, see what your friends have
been up to, click their avatars and join them in Free Realms.
Everyone Can Access: Free Realms is designed to run on nearly all PCs.
The game will stream to your PC as you play, so Free Realms will not
take up a lot of memory and will download quickly.
Trading Card Game: The Free Realms Trading Card Game will let players
pit fun characters like dragons and goblins against one another in
fun, fast-paced combat. Half the game is collecting new cards so you
are armed with the best lineup of attacks and defenses to prove your
might in online tournaments.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content
descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms,
visit http://www.FreeRealms.com.

Press assets: http://www.soepress.com/product.asp?s=72

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; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge
games in development.