UPDATE, Feb 27: Linda "Brasse" Carlson, Director of SOE Global Community Relations, expanded on Smed's post on the official forums:

SOE and ProSieben worked throughout the weekend to develop a plan that will allow our players to access and play on any server regardless of where they are in the world. Our community is our top priority and rest assured, all of your concerns have been heard. We continue to work together with ProSieben and appreciate your patience as we work around the clock to work out critical technical details. We will share more information as soon as possible.

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UPDATE, Feb 27:  This just in over Twitter from John Smedley, CEO of SOE:  "We've come up with a plan to allow ALL players to play on any servers they want. More details to follow." Stay tuned for details when they are available!

 

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When Sony Online Entertainment announced their partnership with ProSiebenSat.1 to distribute SOE games in Europe the SOE gaming communities exploded with questions and concerns. Today SOE released a FAQ which answers those questions.  Highlights include the segregation of Euroean and American servers, and the exclusion of the original EverQuest from the deal.

 

We highly recommend you read the ProSiebenSat.1 Games Group FAQ on the Station.com or your favorite SOE game forum. 

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that it is now accepting applications and submissions for its 2012 Gamers in Real Life (G.I.R.L.) Game Design Competition. Since its inception in 2008, the G.I.R.L. program has granted scholarships to four winners through its annual "Game Design Competition," each of whom has made an impact within the gaming and art industries.

SOE will award one winner of the 2012 G.I.R.L. Game Design Competition with a scholarship in the amount of $10,000 to be applied towards tuition and other educational expenses at the winner’s school of enrollment. Winners will also be given the opportunity to participate in a paid internship of up to 10 weeks at SOE’s headquarters in San Diego for hands-on experience working on one or more of the company’s games.

Submissions for the 2012 G.I.R.L. Game Design Competition will close on March 29, 2012. To apply, applicants must register with Scholarship America®, SOE’s scholarship administrator, and submit their application for evaluation, as directed here: https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/gamersinreallife/

To follow G.I.R.L. on Twitter, go to https://twitter.com/SOE_GIRL or to join G.I.R.L. on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/GIRL-Gamers-in-Real-Life/.

Sony Online Entertainment will perform maintenance beginning at 6:00 AM Pacific on February 16, 2012. This will impact the following services:

• Account management will be unavailable starting at 6:00 AM to approximately 7:00 AM Pacific.
• Commerce transactions, including purchases on our websites and in-game marketplaces will be unavailable between 6:00 AM to approximately 7:00 AM Pacific.
• Forums will be read-only starting at 6:00 AM to approximately 7:00 AM Pacific.
• Login for our games will be affected from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM Pacific (players already logged in should not be impacted).

Here's our handy Time Zone Conversion Tool to help you plan!

Sony Online Entertainment will be performing maintenance beginning at 7:00 AM Pacific on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. This will impact the following services:

• Account management will be unavailable starting at 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.
• Commerce transactions, including purchases on SOE websites and in-game marketplaces will be unavailable between 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.
• Forums will remain open during the downtime however you may lose permissions and experience occasional disconnects between 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.
• Logins for all SOE games MAY be affected from 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.

Here's our handy Time Zone Conversion tool to help you plan! 

Source:  Station forums

Sony Online Entertainment will be performing maintenance beginning at 7:00 AM Pacific on January 25, 2012. This will impact the following services:

• Account management will be unavailable starting at 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.
• Commerce transactions, including purchases on SOE websites and in-game marketplaces will be unavailable between 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.
• Forums will remain open during the downtime however you may lose permissions and experience occasional disconnects between 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.
• Logins for PoxNora®, Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures™ and Free Realms® will be affected from 7:00 AM to approximately 8:00 AM Pacific.

Here's our handy Time Zone Conversion tool to help you plan! 

Source:  Station forums

This weekend only, enjoy double Station Cash exclusively with Free Realms cards purchased at CVS/pharmacy!  Offer only valid with CVS Free Realms cards redeemed between 12:01am PST January 20 and 11:59pm PST January 22.  Click here for CVS/pharmacy locations. Redeem your Station Cash cards here.

Thanks to astute ZAM user Arzym for bringing this to our attention!

Looking for a last-minute gift idea?  Do you need a little more Station Cash for yourself?  SOE will be giving double Station Cash for retail Pre-Paid cards from 12/24/11 (12.01am PST) until 12/27/11 (11.59pm PST)!

Click here to find an SOE Game Card retailer near you and stock up!  Remember, cards must be redeemed between 12/24/11 (12.01am PST) and 12/27/11 (11.59pm PST) to activate the double Station Cash offer.

On December 20, 2011 SOE's "12 Days of Holidays" promotion will be Double Station Cash! All purchases of Station Cash, excluding SMS (text), will be eligible for this offer. Stock up by purchasing through your account or redeem those retail SC cards you've been saving! Here's the official announcement:

Here is another opportunity to get a great deal on Station Cash!

Tomorrow will be the 8th day of SOE's 12 Days of Holidays celebration! We're happy to be able to give you double when you buy Station Cash anytime on December 20, 2011. Just buy Station Cash in-game, via your Station Account or redeem an SOE Pre-Paid Game Card and you'll get Double Station Cash!

But hurry, this offer is only valid 12/20/11, from 12:01 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST!

Plus, don't forget to login to participating games throughout the SOE 12 Days of Holidays to see what the daily special offer or activity is!

*Station Cash offer valid on 12/20/11, from 12:01 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST; excludes mobile/SMS purchases

Reminder: If you are using a retail card that can be redeemed for either game time -or- Station Cash, you must pick the Station Cash choice to receive the bonus amount.

On December 17, 2011 SOE's "12 Days of Holidays" promotion will be Triple Station Cash! All purchases of Station Cash, excluding SMS (text), will be eligible for this offer. Stock up by purchasing through your account or redeem those retail SC cards you've been saving! Here's the official announcement:

Celebrate the holidays with Triple Station Cash for one day only! Buy Station Cash in-game, via your Station Account or redeem an SOE Pre-Paid Game Card and you'll get Triple Station Cash!

But hurry, this offer ends December 17, 2011 at 11.59 pm PST!

Plus, don't forget to login to participating games throughout the SOE 12 Days of Holidays to see what the daily special offer, sale or activity is!

*Station Cash offer valid on 12/17/11, from 12:01 AM PST to 11:59 PM PST; excludes mobile/SMS purchases

Reminder: If you are using a retail card that can be redeemed for either game time -or- Station Cash, you must pick the Station Cash choice to receive the bonus amount.

UPDATE: The start time of this event was changed to 10am PST on December 13, 2011. It should now be kicked on, check your games! The exception to this is EverQuest, who begins their deals on December 14.

SOE will be launching a 12 Days of Holidays sales event starting Tuesday, December 13 at 10am PST, and running through 11:59pm PST on December 24. Players of participating games can login daily to find out what new sale item or feature is available.

It's time to celebrate the Holidays with us! Starting today, December 13, 2011 at 10:00 am PST through December 24, 2011 at 11:59 pm PST get daily offers and deals when you login to participating games listed below.

These could be new items, sales, or new features. You'll need to log in to find out what's happening in your game!

Participating games are EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, Clone Wars Adventures, DC Universe Online, Pox Nora and Magic the Gathering: Tactics.