Next Expansion to Feature Asian-Themed Ships, New Faction and Exclusive 10-Masted Chinese Pirate Junk

SAN DIEGO, CA and DENVER, CO – May 25, 2007 – Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today announced that Pirates of the South China Seas, the fourth expansion for the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game™ (CSG) Online, is currently in development at the company’s Denver studio. Scheduled for a mid-June release, South China Seas brings an Asian flair to this online 3D world of pirates, high seas combat and the search for treasure.

Western fleets are sailing the treasure-rich waters of the South China Seas and a new faction, the Jade Rebellion, has arisen to thwart the advances of imperialist navies. The Jade Rebellion employs two new types of ships – massive six-masted junks and the sturdy and resilient Korean “Turtle” ship. This new faction also introduces some new characters into player fleets; the inscrutable Ms. Cheng, the head of the pirate confederation and widow of the famous pirate warlord Cheng Yi. The Jade Rebellion also features her closest ally, the pirate Chang Pao; together, they’ve defeated every expedition sent out to destroy the Jade Rebellion.

Beginning today, SOE Denver is giving away a special promotional ship in anticipation of the release of the South China Seas expansion. For every ten (10) Pirates CSG Online digital game packs purchased by a player, they will receive the Baochuan, a massive 10-masted Chinese treasure ship – the largest of all the junks. Its size allows players to fit a larger complement of crew members aboard and capitalize on even more crew abilities, such as extra actions and additional moves. The Baochuan holds more cargo than any other ship; with 10 masts, it features four more cannons than the next largest ship, making it a formidable opponent in battle.

South China Seas will also introduce new game-changing events that can twist the outcome of your battles -- duel with your opponents, discover that your looted treasure is fake and summon rolling fog banks. As with all expansions for the Pirates CSG Online, Pirates of the South China Seas can be played as a standalone game, or combined with ships from other expansions. Single game packs contain everything a player needs to plunder the high seas for treasure.

For more information on Pirates of the South China Seas and the Baochuan, visit the website at http://piratesonline.station.sony.com/baochuan. For further details on SOE’s online trading card games, visit www.station.com/strategy.

Labels: Pirates, SOE

Wednesday 21st March 2007/… A Staffordshire market trader who was caught by Trading Standards officers with thousands of illegally copied games and counterfeit DVDs at his Branston home could face jail.

Jason Andrew Duesbury, 37, of Branston – a suburb of Burton, Staffordshire, admitted 17 offences under the Trademarks Act, following a private prosecution brought by Staffordshire County Council at Burton Magistrates Court on 7th March. Trading Standards officers, police and ELSPA investigators swooped on Duesbury’s home on 22nd September last year, where more than 300 illegally copied Xbox and PlayStation 2 games together with over 1,500 counterfeit DVDs were discovered in an upstairs office of the premises. A stash of adult films were also seized in the raid.

A PC and memory stick, as well as four duplicators and three chipped Xbox consoles, were also seized. Trading Standards staff worked with ELSPA investigators and other industry experts to establish that all 2,000-plus titles were counterfeit and bore unauthorised trademarks, the court heard.

Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA commented: “ELSPA would like to thank everyone involved for their work instigating this investigation and helping to protect local traders and the general community from the effects of pirated goods.”

Roger Constantine, prosecuting, said: "Duplicators have one use and one use only — that is to make copies of discs. "All the items seized were taken back to Stafford, where Trading Standards officers worked with representatives from the industry to establish that all the discs were counterfeit copies with unauthorised trademarks.

"The computer contained programmes to decrypt security devices which usually prevent authentic discs from being copied, and the memory stick included artwork for inlays and covers for Xbox games and films."

Mr Constantine added: "This is often described as victimless crime, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are the companies that produce the original items which lose money, but it also hits the trader in the high street, who loses out through people selling counterfeits on the markets."

Duesbury, who usually sold jewellery on his market stall, admitted trading in and producing pirated and counterfeit material when questioned. He said he had been trading in the illegal items for around a year and knew that he was breaking the law.

The case was adjourned until 2nd April for pre-sentence reports. Magistrates warned Duesbury that his case may be transferred to Staffordshire Crown Court for sentencing, as the maximum six months in jail that they are allowed to impose may not be sufficient.

Labels: Pirates