MGA Entertainment Looks to Expand Online Worlds

We reported yesterday that MGA Entertainment, maker of Be-Bratz, was following up with a virtual world tied to its Rescue Pets line. Lisa Sirlin, MGA Director of Online Development, told VirtualWorldsNews.com that the company is already looking to open other virtual worlds. "They're very exciting, but we're not at liberty to discuss them yet." she said. "But we're looking at all the products that we put out there and seeing whether or not it makes sense to bring out an interactive component."

"We haven't rushed into the space," Sirlin said. "We've been moving into the online community for some time. Miuchiz 1.0 [a toy with an Active Worlds-based platform] was some time ago. And Bratz.com was ancillary to a specific product, but it was an extension of the brand. I think now people in all industries are catching on to the fact that kids have multiple ways of playing now. Online and interactive play is a natural activity of kids. For us, it wasn't. It was less ubiquitous."

Sirlin, whose background is as an interactive content developer, sees the trend as an evolution of youth culture. "Three years ago, we would have done a traditional website with flash games, because that's where kids were," she said. "Now kids are able to create their own individual brand online, everything from creating your own Web page to video blogs to virtual communities. You're able to craft an identity of ways that other kids look at you. You're able to combine and share interests and be a part of different affinity groups."

However, MGA Entertainment , an entertainment and consumer product company, isn't likely to move out of the toy world.

"Kids love toys," said Sirlin. "And they're not going to stop any time soon. We're giving them two areas to play. Our virtual world allows kids to customize an existing experience. Instead of moving in an imaginary realm and pretending to clothe a dog and feed it, it feels more real in the online space. You can see it. And it adds a communication component with other kids."

Currently the worlds are aimed at  children, though Sirlin says that each virtual world will be adapted for its toy line's demographic. And while she says the worlds are too new to release any hard numbers, she added that  "Myepets was fabulous from the moment we launched. The numbers are climbing rapidly."

Down the line, the company is looking at its electronics line, as more and more consumers are asking for virtual world tie-ins. In fact, Sirlin said the consumers have asked for interactive tie-ins for most of the toy lines that MGA produced.

"They're just excited about it," she said. "There's a natural inclination to accept cooperative play. Adults look at these websites and ask questions about how to get from point A to point B, but kids know instinctively how to play on the site. I like to think that we built them to be intuitive, but I think kids are intuitive to the product. They crave this stuff."

And while some spectators have criticized out the problem with developing private virtual world after private virtual world, Sirlin thinks there's still plenty of space.

"My way of responding to that is asking, 'Are there too many toys out there? Are there too many TV shows? Are there too Many songs?'" Sirlin said.  "Kids know what they want, and they know their preferences."