Neopets Creators Working on New Casual MMO

Adam Powell and Donna Williams, the creators of Neopets who eventually sold it to Viacom, are at work on a new, untitled casual MMO through their startup Meteor Games. The external alpha is set for late Autumn with a public beta in early 2009, but the two recently spoke to Wired about the project. The virtual world will target gamers, ranging from hardcore MMO players to kids, with a Labyrinth/Dark Crystal aesthetic, casual games set in a 3D environment with customizable personal spaces, a cross-platform interaction pitting in-world players against others out on the Web, social networking and mobile elements, and larger story lines.  The free-to-play world will make money through a sub-$10, optional subscription and microtransactions for virtual goods. [via Wired]