A look at China-based Virtual Worlds Platform Operator HiPiHi

Details on a Chinese company named HiPiHi developing a Virtual World similar to Second Life have surfaced.  Singapore Entrepreneurs contributor Bjorn Lee provides a review about HiPiHi and offers his perspective on the competition with Second Life in the near future. HiPiHi: The World Exists Because Of You. (Literal translation from Chinese) The name is derived from 3 base words: I, Hi, Hapi (or the phonetically similar “Happy”). Currently in closed beta testing, HiPiHi has generated some interest on Second Life Insider and debates on whether this will take off in China.

Some Bjorn Lee's key observations:

• - There are two main products: Hipihi World and Hipihi Home
  • Hipihi World is exactly like Second Life: avatars can fly and modify their own appearances, build houses, explore the land with planes, choppers and hot air balloons, which HipiHi calls public transportation systems. You can also have steering controls over your flight, offering a chance to fly your own plane. Options for parachuting also exists. The World seems to be organized around malls and town squares with socializing at its very core. Of course, avatars can also buy land and build their own houses. I see a lucrative industry coming up.
  • Hipihi Home appears to be modelled after CyWorld. It is positioned as a personal space and private communication platform between friends. Users will own their “living rooms”, procure furniture and be able to invite their friends to their “homes” and attend parties at others too. Whats most interesting is the mention of a convergence between internet and mobile. Could Hipihi be a dual-screen innovation? We will have to wait for the launch
• - Like Second Life, Hipihi users will own the property rights to their in-world creations.
• - There will also be a in-world currency, implying a virtual economy to facilitate user-to-user transactions. Perhaps the first and Chinese-originated millionaire in Second Life, Anshe Chung, has made virtual world creators think Chinese are the best market for such a product?

For the full article go to The Chinese clone of Second Life: HiPiHi

Comments

[bjorn]

thanks for the trackback. my blog have moved off the Wordpress hosting servers though to bjornlee.com . Appreciate it if you could amend it. =)