Jun 7th 2007
From The Economist print edition

Today massively multiplayer online (MMO) games such as “World of Warcraft” depend on proprietary server software on a distant server to furnish the necessary parameters for each client (player) to “model the synthetic realm and to co-ordinate the actions of different players”.  

But proprietary is the key point.  Each game requires its own closely held code.  And therein lies a limitation similar to the early days of online services: “MMOs and virtual worlds are, in short, like walled gardens. You cannot move from one virtual world to another. Just as with early online services—CompuServe, Genie, AOL and Prodigy—users exist in separate communities, each of which has its own way of doing things.” 

That of course is history.  As we know with 20/20 hindsight is that open standards were developed for the internet and that brought together those communities previously walled off in their separate gardens. 

“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.” 

Sounds a little like Netscape, the "mother of all" web browsers that provided a quantum leap from simply email on the internet to the freedom to follow links where you would.  In the gamey world on the internet, that may well be the point we are at with Multiverse Network, which by the way was founded by Netscape veterans. 

This team has come up with “… 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. … a platform and the tools to allow just about anyone to create an MMO, without having to make their own client and server software from scratch.” 

These folks look like they are ahead of the curve with this approach.  

OK, so you build your own world.  How do you expose it to the gaming community to whip up interest and a community of players?  Well, there are those that are ahead of the curve on that problem as well. 

For example, a company by the name of “Multiverse will provide a number of ways to search, though this too will be open. Corey Bridges of Multiverse says it would be “fantastic” if Yahoo! and Google wanted to add support for searching for worlds.” 

Loose the beasts of creativity!  Although I am not a gamey person, I have lived and worked with computers all my adult life from the early mainframes through today’s technology, and I can see the tremendous burst of creativity that this enables.  A whole brave new world for sure. 

So what’s in it for these companies?   How can they give their hard earned development away free?  Well, it looks like a win-win situation to me. 

“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.”

For the complete article (and there is more to it than has been included here) click on the article heading at the top of this article*, or buy copy or view a copy of The Economist print edition for Jun 7th 2007 at your local library.

What say you Pinb@all Wiz@rd?

*NOTE: See first comment.