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To: Sarkie who wrote (3815)	6/1/2000 8:15:00 PM
From: sandintoes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4201

Things that make you go hmmmm! news.cnet.com CULVER CITY, Calif.--Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of Japanese electronics giant Sony, today said it acquired online game company Verant Interactive, known for the blockbuster game "EverQuest," to expand Sony's online game businesses. Sony Pictures also installed veteran video game developer and Sony executive Kelly Flock as president and CEO of its Sony Online Entertainment unit, which will consume Verant when the acquisition is completed. The online entertainment company will move its headquarters to San Diego, Calif., where Verant is based. Sony is laying off some staff in its offices in Culver City, a suburb of Los Angeles, to consolidate operations in San Diego. The exact number of jobs being moved was not disclosed, but a Sony representative said the Verant acquisition, Flock's appointment and the San Diego relocation were all part of a broader effort aimed at growing Sony's online game presence. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Verant employs more than 150 software developers, who have worked on popular games such as "EverQuest," "Tanarus" and "Sovereign." John Smedley, Verant's president, will join Sony Online as chief operating officer. "Considering that consumers worldwide spent nearly $7 billion on computer games last year, we look to Kelly and his team at Sony Online Entertainment to broaden our base and make us a pre-eminent force in this fast-growing business," Mel Harris, co-president of Sony Pictures, said in a statement. Along with overseeing online game development, Flock will head Sony Online's Web site, the Stationsony.com, at which Internet users already play interactive versions of Sony's popular TV game shows: "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy." Flock's previous role was president of Sony's U.S.-based interactive game company 989 Studios. He oversaw the growth of the adventure game "EverQuest," which was developed with Verant and has more than 250,000 paid subscribers. During its evening peak, more than 60,000 people play "EverQuest" simultaneously, acting as adventurers and dragon slayers in cyberspace. The average playing time per player is about 20 hours a week, Sony said. Video and online games are a cornerstone of parent Sony's growth plans. It only recently introduced its PlayStation 2 video game player and Web browsing device in the United States, with plans to begin selling it in October. The PlayStation 2 is meant to be a sort of all-in-one device on which people can play video games, watch movies in DVD format, listen to audio CDs and connect to a high-speed network to surf the Internet.