New Online Radio Station Focuses On Community

Radio Free Zion | GAINESVILLE, Florida - February 11, 2005 UTC - In the midst of the beta test community that is already playing The Matrix Online, the upcoming MMORPG being produced by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Productions, a group of players have come together and started a 24/7 live online webcast named Radio Free Zion specifically for the entertainment of these players. Concentrating solely on this one game title, which is still unreleased, has allowed Radio Free Zion to refine their format and give Matrix players a community resource unlike any other. The inspiration for Radio Free Zion came from a belief that strong player communities are the most effective way to make a game franchise successful, according to David Quick, the founder of Radio Free Zion who plays under the name Sundog. "Players make or break any online game; the more connections there are between players, the stronger the social bonds will be, and the longer the game will continue to be enjoyable. By offering a consensual listening experience for the players of The Matrix Online, we feel we can help add to that sense of 'connectedness' for the players, and allow this community to develop to its fullest potential."

Focusing on providing news, information, and entertainment for the players of The Matrix Online, Radio Free Zion has positioned itself as a value-added service. Staff members of the cutting-edge station, all volunteers, have organized many in-game events for thousands of listeners over the three-month period that the station has been on the air. These events are designed to build community ties between players and have made The Matrix Online a completely different gaming experience for many players. Jenny Kennedy, a player known as Meduna in The Matrix Online, says, "Radio Free Zion doesn't just stream music to a game community for The Matrix Online, it makes The Matrix Online community by bringing everyone together, players as well as non-players, to enjoy events and promote a community beyond the gamespace."

Radio Free Zion also serves as a portal for other players to promote their own events, news, and in the case of Steven Morton, cinematography. "Radio Free Zion is the uncontested biggest contributor to the MxO community," says Morton, who is also known to his fellow players as Sevker. "It has networked dozens of smaller organized communities and continues to bring them together again and again. RFZ has served as the exclusive stage for my works. Due to the inherent beauty of The Matrix Online game world, it is pleasantly wrapped in a cinematic presentation. I try to capture this in my ongoing projects, and RFZ has been beyond helpful with its promotions."

Barry Collins, one of the on-air personalities at Radio Free Zion known to his listeners and fellow players as ZestyO, feels strongly about what the station is accomplishing as well. "Radio Free Zion provides the Matrix Online with a strong community, through its blend of music and popular events. Working with the community through Radio Free Zion is a great experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The community shows so much love for what we are doing; it is a pleasure to be a part of it every day."

In the future, Radio Free Zion plans to expand into more new territory in order to keep its listeners connected. "So far, Radio Free Zion has worked hard to provide music, news, and entertainment to this global community in a dynamic and engaging format, and we have been very successful so far, as our listeners in fifty-five countries worldwide can attest," says Quick. "I can assure all the citizens of The Matrix Online that Radio Free Zion will continue to bring new and exciting things to the attention of the community in the next few months. Exciting times are ahead, and we will continue to be 'The Voice of a New Redpill Generation!'"

Those interested in learning more about Radio Free Zion can jack in and crank it up at http://www.radiofreezion.com.

About Radio Free Zion

Radio Free Zion was founded in 2004 in order to develop new and innovative techniques for community building within the online game market. With prior coverage by Slashdot, IGN.com, the official site for The Matrix Online and the premiere issue of The Matrix Online Fanzine published by DC Comics, they are rapidly establishing themselves as the premiere community-building consultancy in the business. For more information or press inquiries, contact [email protected].

Radio Free Zion is in no way related to Warner Bros., WBIE, Monolith Productions Inc, or Sega Corporation.

THE MATRIX ONLINE, characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of and ® Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 2005.

THE MATRIX ONLINE is developed by Monolith Productions Inc. MONOLITH and the Monolith logo are trademarks of Monolith Productions Inc.

Sega is registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. SEGA and the Sega logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sega Corporation.