Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling has signed an endorsement deal with SOE. The following is a press release from Sony Online Entertainment: ====================================================== World Series Champion and MVP Pitcher Signs Endorsement Deal With Sony Online Entertainment CURT SCHILLING GOES FROM PITCHING WIZARD TO VIRTUAL WIZARD World Series Champion and MVP Pitcher Signs Endorsement Deal With Sony Online Entertainment SAN DIEGO, CA – March 16, 2006 – Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a global leader in the online video games industry, today announced an endorsement deal with Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. The World Series MVP is an avid player of the online game EverQuest® II and is also a long-time fan of its precursor EverQuest®, both SOE online games. The sponsorship will include personal appearances, media tours and opportunities for fans of both games to meet Schilling. "I'm excited about this partnership with Sony Online," said Schilling. "I've been playing video games a long time. I've been a fan of Sony Online since the first time I logged into the original EverQuest. That passion has only increased since the launch of EverQuest II." Schilling may be one of today's top athletes in professional baseball, but off the field he plays a unique character in the award-winning Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) video game EverQuest II, a fully realized 3D fantasy world of mythical creatures, magic spells, majestic landscapes, and fierce dragons. "EverQuest II provides me an opportunity to remain in touch with my family during the incredible travel schedule a major league baseball season," Schilling said. "One of the greatest elements of EverQuest II is that I can play when I'm on the road. My son Gehrig and I play together when I'm not working and he's not in school." EverQuest II offers players a huge online world where thousands of players come together for shared adventure and community. This online game sets the standard for graphical realism, as players are immersed in the game's exciting locales and dangerous lands. EverQuest II has a powerful epic storyline and gives players the potential to be hero or villain in a world that never ends. "I enjoy the anonymity and the ability to interact on a personal level with people I wouldn't normally meet or know," Schilling said. "That, and the game is a riot. There's no end to it, the world is enormous, the possibilities are endless, and above all else, it's a place to go and relax amongst friends. What I can't get enough of is your ability to interact with real live people. The game's about teamwork, and knowing the right way to pick and play your class properly in such a way that it complements a group. That's why EverQuest has stayed so popular." The 39-year-old baseball superstar has been a long time fan of SOE games, even contributing game reviews of expansion packs to gaming magazines, and is an avid web communicator, feeling this is the best way to connect with the video game fans. His next role as SOE spokesman and EverQuest II devotee is to immerse his characters in the new Kingdom of Sky expansion, leading his guild on quests, raids and exploration of the Overrealms. Schilling is planning on attending the Sony Fan Faire Convention in Atlanta, April 6 – 8, 2006, where he will give media interviews and get a tour of the game's newest features.