Next Gen MMOs
The Economist wrote about a new turn for massively multiplayer online and virtual worlds in a recent article in its technology quarterly.
The idea behind this article is that the platforms that exist today (World of Warcraft, Second Life etc.) are closed off, similar to the online landscape during the infancy stages of the internet.
What happened on the Internet, of course, was that the web came along and provided common, open standards for both client and server software, doing away with proprietary online services and bringing together previously separate communities as CompuServe, AOL and the rest adopted the web's open standards. Now a firm called Multiverse Network hopes to do the same for MMOs. It has created MMO client and server software based on open standards, and a way to move between virtual worlds built on its platform, just like following a link from one web page to another. And it has made its software available for free download by anyone who wants to build and host a virtual world.The logic seems to imply companies like Multiverse Network
Hey baby. I'm a skeleton. Nice dagger.
Providing backwards compatibility with existing worlds is difficult, however, because each uses its own data structures and communications protocols. So just as the Netscape browser could not access Prodigy or Genie, the Multiverse browser will not work with “World of Warcraft” or Second Life. It is already proving popular among developers nonetheless. Over 10,000 developer teams have registered to use the platform, in part because of Multiverse's attractive business model. All of its software is free to use, but once developers begin to make money from their worlds—from subscriptions, in-game advertising or sales of in-game items—they pay 10% of their revenue.If nothing else, this is an idea to carefully watch. The business model seems viable. The question is if they build it, will anyone come?
Other players getting into the open virtual world platform business:
Hero Engine
Big World Technology
