If anyone’s spending any amount of time with this MMO you could do a whole lot worse than dropping a one-time fee to get access to all of the VIP content.

Seen on Shacknews.

Free Realms Offers Lifetime Memberships For Cheap | Aeropause Games

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Clone Wars Adventures begins open beta

Lots of developers (both official game studio developers and homebrew devs alike) consider the PSP as a handheld device capable of adopting the MMO genre. To a degree, games like Monster Hunter Portable and Valhalla Knights already somewhat overlap into the circle of MMO games.

John Smedley of Sony Online Entertainment is optimistic – he foresees a future in MMO games for the PSP.

I think PSP is something that weÂ’re definitely looking at; 34 million [sold] worldwide really opens your eyes, and theyÂ’re all connected. [...] weÂ’re really starting to see a big push for PSP. We think itÂ’s a world-class deviceÂ… In the future, we see full MMOs that are designed for the PSP.

Maybe one way to do it: In Free Realms, you could have a pet-training system that literally connects to our online gaming where you can mess around with your pet. Another way to do it might be to give them mini-games that they can do [on the PSP] when sitting at a bus stop. YouÂ’re sitting there leveling up your character, you log in at home when youÂ’re on wi-fi, and all of sudden your character has leveled up. We think those kinds of experiences are very possible.

Indeed, the concepts he presented sound highly plausible. What with Wi-Fi, Remote Play, and other functions forinterconnectivity, seeing the PSP (whether via the PS3 or not) as atool for grinding your characters on-the-go isn’t all that hard toimagine. He already mentioned Free Realms, SOE’s upcoming MMO for the PS3 and PC – could that be the start?
Related articles:

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• NCSoft on PS3 plans, PSP MMO, and Tabula Rasa
• D&D Tactics producer thinks PSP suitable for MMOs
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• The Elusive PSP MMO

Sony Online looking into MMO for PSP

by Jef Reahard Aug 6th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Events, real-world, News items

The EverQuest franchise looks to be the big winner at this year’s Fan Faire event, as several large announcements regarding the games in the long-running series were featured in SOE president John Smedley’s community address. EQ2Wire’s Feldon has the details on the short presentation.

In addition to restating the features coming your way when EQII Extended hits in mid-August, Smedley discussed the next EverQuest expansion, House of Thule, which adds several new dungeons as well as player housing and launches on October 14th. EverQuest II players will have a to wait a bit longer for their expansion, Destiny of Velious, which debuts on February 8th. The wait will likely be well worth it, however, as flying mounts will be introduced in many of the game’s zones.

Finally, Smedley revealed a presentation slide labeled “The Future of EverQuest” and preceded to show off the first concept art in-game art from the cryptically titled EverQuest Next, which you can view in our gallery below. He also hinted that more information would be forthcoming as Fan Faire wraps up this weekend.

[Update: We received a note from SOE clarifying that the screenshot here is not mere concept art -- it's actual in-game art. Only makes you more curious, doesn't it!]

Tags: concept-art, destiny-of-velious, eq, EQ2, EQII, eqnext, everquest, EverQuest-2, everquest-ii, everquest-next, fan-faire, fan-faire-2010, flying-mounts, house-of-thule, john-smedley, new-dungeons, player-housing

Fan Faire 2010: EQII flying mounts, EQNext art revealed [updated …

Press Release

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP: Play Free RealmsTM for the life of the game and never worry about a lapse in membership again! For a limited time only, the family-friendly virtual world is offering lifetime memberships. From Friday, July 16 at 12p.m. PDT through Monday, August 2, 12 p.m. PDT, players can purchase a lifetime membership for only $29.99. For current monthly subscribers who wish to take advantage of this promotion, the lifetime membership would activate once their current membership term is complete. Play a wide variety of completely integrated minigames, pick up a quest, decorate your house or explore the terrain on the back of your T-Rex Ride, without ever worrying about membership dues again!

DAILY ACTIVITIES: To ensure there is always something new and exciting for players to do, Free Realms is implementing daily activities. Available to all players, these daily activities always yield a reward. In “Rob Robbie,” the first of the daily activities, players who login and complete the quest for six days in a row will earn a more valuable prize on their seventh login. More daily activities will be added soon!

WHEN: Lifetime memberships will only be available Friday, July 16 at 12p.m. PDT through Monday, August 2, 12 p.m. PDT. Accounts must be maintained in good standing and SOE does not ensure continuous or error-free access, use or availability of any game content, feature, gameplay or server and may change, modify, disable, suspend, or remove any such content, feature, gameplay or server at its sole discretion. Daily activities are now live.

For more information, 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 markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold LegendsTM, PlanetSide®, and Star Wars Galaxies, as well as the recent kids’ phenomenon Free RealmsTM, 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 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, PlanetSide, and Legends of Norrath are registered trademarks and Untold Legends are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Sony Online Entertainment Announce They Are Offering Free Realms …

Sony’s family-friendly virtual world called “Free Realms” reached 12 million registered users, Sony announced this week. The online multi-player environment was launched in April ‘09 by Sony Online Entertainment, taking just over two weeks to reach 1 million registered users.

The 12 million-user milestone occurred just after the Massively Multiplayer Online game kicked off its virtual Summer Camp on June 7. In camp, users can acquire summer related items from the Marketplace, explore the Snowhill Playground, and discover treasure among other “virtual” summer activities.

Moving platforms (housing blocks that move in different directions), Tiger Rides and surfboards will be available soon in Free Realms according to Sony.

About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) creates and delivers entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. SOE is known for its blockbuster franchise EverQuest, its online trading card game Legends of Norrath, and the family-friendly “Free Realms” virtual world.

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Sony's 'Free Realms' hits 12 million users

Here is the original post:
Free Realms updates with monkeys, sabertooth tigers, and more

Read more:
Free Realms adds new pets, mounts, and windsocks

Sony’s family-friendly virtual world called “Free Realms” reached 12 million registered users, Sony announced this week. The online multi-player environment was launched in April ‘09 by Sony Online Entertainment, taking just over two weeks to reach 1 million registered users.

The 12 million-user milestone occurred just after the Massively Multiplayer Online game kicked off its virtual Summer Camp on June 7. In camp, users can acquire summer related items from the Marketplace, explore the Snowhill Playground, and discover treasure among other “virtual” summer activities.

Moving platforms (housing blocks that move in different directions), Tiger Rides and surfboards will be available soon in Free Realms according to Sony.

About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) creates and delivers entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. SOE is known for its blockbuster franchise EverQuest, its online trading card game Legends of Norrath, and the family-friendly “Free Realms” virtual world.

Related Stories:

1. ‘Madden NFL 10′ hits the shelves today
2. Steam For Mac Brings A Gaming Treasure Trove To Apple Users
3. Rumor: PSN+ To Bring Paid Subscription Model To PSN

Sony's 'Free Realms' hits 12 million users