Q&A: SmallWorlds Announces Launch of Open Beta

Yesterday we noticed a report that SmallWorlds, a new Web-based world aimed at the 11-18+ market, was prepping to launch its open beta next week. The official announcement has just been published at the SmallWorlds blog, laying out the basics of the Web-centric world. The official launch, after a long private beta, will come on June 2, but users can register now for an open beta beginning the week before. We followed up via email for a (rather lengthy) Q&A with Co-Founder Mitch Olson to talk about the world and his plans.

Background

If you haven't read the blog announcement, here's a little background on SmallWorlds and a few of the features that prompted Ryan Stewart, Rich Internet Application Evangelist at Adobe and ZDNet blogger, to call it "…filled with Web 2.0 goodness everywhere you look" and "The coolest Flex application I’ve ever seen."

SmallWorlds is built on Flash and Flex with a Java backend. It's meant, from the ground-up, to interact with the Web. Every 3D space that users create can be shared via URL or embedded into other Web pages. Users can even use the browser itself to control the world, moving back and forth with the backward and forward buttons.

Because of the Web integration, users can incorporate many existing services, decking out their rooms with frames that display Flickr images, TVs that broadcast from YouTube, or radios that dial in to Last.fm among other widgets. The  company plans to open a public API to let  users develop even further on the extensible platform.

There's plenty of content already there, though, including in-house developed images, clothing, customization options, games, and public spaces.

As far as making money goes, the company is working on the three-pronged plan that's becoming fairly common nowadays: subscription, virtual good sales, and advertising/sponsorship.

I've had a chance to play around in the closed beta, and it's pretty compelling. The look is a little cartoony and reminds me of the Wii's Mii's. The thing that struck me the most about that comparison, though, is that SmallWorlds brings exactly what I'd hoped Nintendo would: the customization is simple, but rich; the options for integration are interesting without being overwhelming; and its all still simple to use.

From a broader standpoint, it's interesting to me for a lot of the same reasons that I'm excited about Whirled and Metaplace. Olson says the plans for the world include expanding it out as a way for users to create their own worlds for hanging out, meetings, or even creating  "parallel worlds" along the MMOG line.

As we discuss below, though, there's an increasing amount of attention being given to more realistic graphics and 3D worlds that still aim to offer easy access and usability. Olson says he views SmallWorlds as client agnostic. We'll eventually see SmallWorlds coming in both lighter mobile and heavier 3D versions.

If nothing else, it means June 2 should make for an interesting start.

Q&A

Note: The following Q&A has been only lightly edited for typos and clarity.

Virtual Worlds News: You say, "SmallWorlds is the first Web-accessible, casual virtual world which is designed for mass market appeal." A lot of people would say that something like Habbo Hotel meets most of your criteria. What specifically sets SmallWorlds apart in this increasingly crowded space, both in terms of attracting users and advertisers?

Mitch Olson: Good question. There are 4 key differences I see between SmallWorlds and Habbo in respect of the question of mass market appeal - (i) Richness of world-play  (ii) Accessibility to the world, and integration with the rest of the Web, (iii) visual appeal and (iv) Demographic breadth of appeal.

(i) We set out to create a virtual world that supported emergent properties and behaviour - that could grow and evolve beyond our imagination.  To this end we designed SmallWorlds as an extensible platform so that users, third party developers, and partners, could contribute their energy and creativity
to building and evolving richly textured worlds.  This combined with the greater flexibility of our user interface creates the opportunity for a richer and more diverse range of in-world interaction and world-play, which in turn we believe broadens the appeal of the product.

(ii) We wanted to make the "on ramp" to SmallWorlds gentle and broad so that it was incredibly easy to get into SmallWorlds.  To this end we designed SmallWorlds as a "first class citizen of the Web" where 3D spaces can be addressed like any another other Web page, and therefore inviting someone into your world space is as simple as giving them your personal URL.  Also, in the next release, you'll be able to embed your own 3D space into any Web page in the same way you can embed a YouTube video.  Together with the aforementioned point and our Web 2.0 widget and media integration we believe that SmallWorlds provides greater accessibility to target audiences.

(iii) The most obvious initial difference between SmallWorlds and Habbo is the visual style of the 2 products.  Whilst both products are based on a 3D-isometric projection, SmallWorlds incorporates a number of new features such as high definition pixel-perfect graphics, a widescreen world viewer,
and the ability to rotate and view the room from multiple camera angles. Together, we think these enhancements make for a more contemporary and visually appealing product.

(iv) SmallWorlds brings together and dimensionalizes the best elements of Web 2.0, social networking, casual gaming and Web media. We have designed SmallWorlds to appeal to a broader demographic - from 13 on and beyond the teen market of Habbo, into the adult market. In conjunction with the aforementioned differences we think that the unique features of SmallWorlds make for a broader appealing and more richly rewarding virtual world experience.

VWN: I know you've mentioned talking to entertainment industry professionals here in the States and have opened an office in L.A.; is Hollywood your target?

MO: We haven't actually opened our LA office yet - that was incorrectly reported in Computerworld.  This is planned for Q3 2008.

We are starting to see an increasing convergence between the Internet, and traditional forms (music, television, and movies) and interactive forms (console and casual gaming) of entertainment.  The obvious intersection space in between all of those mediums to my mind is an extensible Web-browser-based virtual world, as it combines massive accessibility with an engaging and immersive environment that is attractive to users, content providers and advertisers alike.  We want to facilitate the creation and experience of fun, entertaining and richly self-expressive virtual worlds. To this end we will be partnering with entertainment-oriented brands to bring their content into the exciting medium of a virtual world that offers new ways to engage with their target markets.

VWN: How do you see campaigns and advertising existing in SmallWorlds?

MO: We are still experimenting with a number of different options to provide the best balance of relevance, transparency, impact and measurability.

VWN: Can you name any partners?

MO: Not yet.

VWN:  Until then, are you guys still living on VC money? Who are those investors? Will you seek more funding or do you think you've got enough to get by on until the world is profitable on its own?

MO: We have raised a seed round and will probably seek further funding later in the year.

VWN: With all the options for users to create widgets, games, and content, are there any plans to turn that into the base for an economy as in Second Life? Can users make money off their creations?

MO: The short answer is yes.  We are launching with a very simple economy, but will be extending its flexibility later in the year.

VWN: You mention in the FAQ that virtual goods and subscriptions are a part of your business model. How do you plan on implementing those? Any idea on a time line?

MO: These will be implemented when the beta period ends, currently scheduled for around August.

VWN: What features will subscription give to users?

MO: We are still finalizing these details.

VWN: Will all users have the option to embed SmallWorlds and create their own virtual worlds?

MO: The ability to embed your SmallWorlds spaces & worlds in any Web page will be available in about 8 weeks.

VWN: How does content creation work? I.e., how easy is it to create an app (Web developer easy or regular Joe easy)?

MO: Well first of all let me say that accessibility is a core design goal of SmallWorlds so our intent is to provide everyone, no matter what their level of computer expertise, with a broad and meaningful range of self-expression and customization capabilities.  We have a multi-tiered and multi-phased
approach to content creation. 

Stage I is what you will see in the beta at launch in June.  This includes the ability for users to be able to change the décor, furnishings, widgets and games of a template interior space they have chosen.  There will also be a number of in-world items that provide "content creation" capability--e.g., The graffiti canvas.

Stage II is our next release in about 8 weeks which includes the embeddability functionality I mentioned before and the publishing of our widget and game API.  This later capability is aimed at widget and casual game developers and enables them to create interactive widgets and games for SmallWorlds.  This could be anything from say a magnetic poetry fridge, to a Friendfeed noticeboard, to the single or multi-user game that ties into our high score and tournament systems.

Stage III is what we call our Parallel World platform which I can't tell you much about at this point, other than to say it includes user-programmable characters, and a wider range of space selection and customization tools.

The stages beyond that are aimed at extending and deepening the range of content creation capabilities beyond the initial space customization toolset to multi-space world creation and programming tools.

VWN: How can users create new clothes and the like? Do they need to use other programs? Can you import designs or port apps from elsewhere?

MO: Currently all of the 3D artifacts in SmallWorlds have been created internally by our 3D art team.  In Stage II when we open the API we will provide a limited range of contribution, and this will gradually open up further as we progress further down our product roadmap.

VWN: With all the new, opening APIs from Google and the big social networks, was there any interest in working with those?

MO: For sure.  We will be looking to hook into Open Social and other emerging standards shortly.

VWN:  You mention that you look at SmallWorlds as client agnostic. When do you think we'll see new platform support?

MO: I think Q4 will probably see the first phase of our mobile stream.

VWN: Likewise, you've discussed opening new product lines aimed at the Asian market and the children. Any specific plans?

MO: Specific plans, but no public time lines at this point.  Our immediate focus is bedding in SmallWorlds for the initial target markets.

VWN: As far as entertainment content and casual games goes, do you have any partners to provide content or are you relying mostly on user-generated content, in-house properties, and media that's already streamable?

MO: We initially launch with mostly our own content, as well as streaming media from the likes of YouTube.  When we launch our API we expect to see this supplemented by third-party developers.  Entertainment brand partnerships will provide a further source when we exit beta.

VWN: You talk about users creating their own worlds to share with friends or use as meeting spaces or even MMOGs. It sounds like similar goals as those of Metaplace. [note: Raph Koster notes the similarities as well.] Can you talk a little more about user-created worlds, how that works, how you envision people using them, and why they'd use SmallWorlds instead of something like Metaplace?

MO: Some of this covered in answer to [question about content creation]. From what I know of Metaplace it seems to me that Raph's product is more of a platform play, aimed in the first instant at developers, and with more game-oriented play (vs socially-oriented interaction).  SmallWorlds is a casual virtual world aimed at end users, and in the first instant provides a range of social interaction, self-expression, casual gaming and media consumption experiences. 

VWN: One last question, are you concerned at all that users will want something with richer, more realistic graphics? I know most of those worlds require a download, but with products like Vivaty on the horizon, it seems like there's a near-term chance for fairly realistic 3D graphics to make their way to the browser. [note: I should have said "headway in the browser." There are options and tools out there now, but I feel like there's a chance for some of them to find more mainstream success soon.] In other words, why did you decide to go with the Nintendo Mii aesthetic instead of the Playstation Home feel?

MO: Good question.  The short (& immediate) answer is accessibility again.

3D Poly-based virtual worlds have 2 limitations when it comes to accessibility.  Firstly, you need to install, at a minimum, a plug-in, and anecdotal evidence suggests this can be a big hurdle to adoption.  In an age where the gap between the sophistication of technology and that of users is growing, and the threat of viruses, etc., strikes fear into the hearts of mortal men and women, people are averse to installing anything on their computer.  If they don't have to, they won't.

Secondly, 3D Poly-based rendering requires hardware acceleration, and this capability is far from pervasive.  The combination of these factors dramatically reduces the potential size of your user base, and from [a] content provider or advertiser's perspective, the audience.

We investigated a number of different options when building SmallWorlds and in fact built, from the ground up, two 3D engines (the first of these you can see in the avatar face builder, and the second in the in-world 3D-isometric rendering).  What we found was that the average specification computer (one without graphics hardware acceleration) struggles to render a reasonable number of polys to create a pleasing 3D experience.

So we architected our platform so that it was decoupled from the rendering engine so that we could build & deploy new visual representations as required.  You'll see the first of these - an embeddable lightweight presence and chat widget - in our next release.  Our mobile platform will be the next SmallWorlds client after that, and once we feel that there is sufficient penetration of graphics hardware acceleration we will build a 3D Poly Engine client.

In the meantime we strongly believe that the 3D isometric engine we have built is the optimum balance between user and audience accessibility and richness of representation.