There has been some talk recently about Sony Online Entertainment workin on a new iteration of their MMOFPS, Planetside. Nothing official has been announced yet, but it looks like SOE boss John Smedley already has a working title in mind: Planetside Next.

The Free Realms (PS3 and PC) comic books that Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) announced last week is finally out and available - or at least the first of the 12 issues is. The Free Realms Comic Book issue #1 is available "wherever comic books are sold." Details after the jump.

Did you guys know that there will be a Free Realms (PS3 and PC) comic book? Yes, you read it right, Sony Online Entertainment's (SOE) MMORPG is venturing into the world of  colored ink and thought bubbles. Partnering with WildStorm and best-selling fantasy author J.S. Lewis of the Grey Griffin series, the Free Realms comic book will come out as a 12-issue series at the end of this month.

The economy still hasn't gotten much better and the gaming industry still isn't past the layoff limbo. The latest company to announce a cutdown in the workforce would be Sony Online Entertainment, which has sacked 5% of their workforce, which would number at 41 people who now have to endure the rest of the summer in a different kind of heat.

The Fourth of July weekend celebrations may be over, but the party's just getting started over at Free Realms.Their Seaside Summer Splash event is ongoing, and they've got a whole lot of fun and exciting stuff lined up for you.

EverQuest senior producer Clint Worley of Sony Online Entertainment is announcing that there's going to be a new server ruleset for the EQ fans. The decision for the new EQ ruleset was based on a poll which ended the other week - see, developers do listen! The new server ruleset now allows players to create level 50 characters for some high-end content on the get-go. Though this seems to be the most requested item on the poll, things don't seem to be all that peachy in terms of progression - progression server, that is.

Yes folks, the QJ Giveaway spree is well underway! SOE gave us a ton of beta keys so that people can try out their upcoming Free Realms MMORPG, and already, we've been able to roll out the first batch of keys to our lucky QJ.NET readers - congrats guys, you know who you are! More beta keys strung up on our belts and chains, meaning everyone's still more than welcome to join in on the fun! We've even included a full 10-minute dev walkthrough of the game in the full article, just to get you guys started. Have fun!

Did you know that the EverQuest MMORPG for the PlayStation 2 is still running? Did you even know it existed? Anyway, that's besides the point. Those who missed out on the PS2 version might get a chance to experience it on this get. SOE has suggested the franchise might find its way to the PlayStation 3.

I've always been pretty hesitant with Free Realms - I can' t get past the whole "it looks too kiddie" factor - but seeing this dev interview is giving me second thoughts. It's free-to-play, it's on the PC and one of the PS3's very first MMORPGs, and overall, the concept sounds pretty fun. For sure, it's not a game for everyone, but hey - if you've got 30 or 40-something year-olds playing Neopets, then that shouldn't be all that bad.

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley has said that he believes MMO gaming on the PS3 will bring in a lot of new players, and these players will in turn account for up to half of SOE's business. More from Smedley after the jump.