Virtual Worlds News

Second Life: Ready for its Close-up

Over the weekend in Sydney, Australia, at the Sydney Film Festival, virtual world Second Life made a brief appearance. The context was a bit part in the live-action feature Beautiful Kate from director Rachel Ward (based on a 1982 novel of the same name by Newton Thornburg). The Metaverse Journal's David Holloway has a thoughtful entry on the site concerning the lack of pomp surrounding the few Second Life-related scenes, essentially saying the virtual world community should take note, and be appreciative of how blasé the filmmakers were about the SL inclusion -- that downplaying the presence speaks eloquently to the proper place virtual worlds ought to have in our collective paradigm of the world. "Once virtual worlds' place is cemented in everyday life, then perhaps there can be sensible discussions around their opportunities and challenges without the white noise of sensationalism or unfamiliarity." Encore Design Group the same company behind the SL inclusion in The Office (see clip below) managed the effort. A clip from Beautiful Kate is below. [via The Mataverse Journal]

DreamWorks, Masi Oka Give Avatars Top Billing

Avatars will play a major role in the upcoming feature film project from Heroes star Masi Oka and Hollywood production studio DreamWorks. Reportedly, the plot centers on a group of teenagers who initially link up in the metaverse via their avatars. The story, conceived of by Oka, then moves back to the real world where the teens are tested to see just how strong their online relationships are. Defenders, the working title of the project, is termed a "family adventure" by The Hollywood Reporter. D.J. Caruso is slated to direct while game journalist Gary Whitta will pen the script. Speaking with the Reporter, Oka said of the movie's inspiration: "You can be whoever you want to be [online]," he said. "The question came to me: What if you had to live up to the person you created in the virtual world?"

Quick Stat: Home Hits 6.5M Users, "Not Just Churn"

The last time Sony revealed PlayStation Home downloads, in March, the number totaled five million. Today, the company upped that figure to 6.5 million. Still, it's unclear how many of those millions remain active users, though Peter Edward, director of the PlayStation Home Platform Group, said in an interview the active user base was "very healthy" and that "we're finding as well that people aren't just churning, they're returning." Edward emphasized the virtual world initiative from Sony was seeing an uptick in microtransactions, but community, not in-game sales, is the division's primary focus today: "That's not to say that we don't want to monetize the platform, and that we don't have plans to do so, but it's definitely a kind of consequence of getting all the other factors right, rather than being a driving force. We're not in it to make a quick buck…"

Edward said that long-term, the hope is that more and more Home users will freely spend money on in-game items, though he is also clear he doesn't expect all Home users to opt in to an item-based economy. "[L]ike any market you don't expect all of your users to pay for virtual items or whatever the goods are…[but] if only a small percentage of the community is paying for items that still amounts to a lot of money." Brands with a presence in Home include Diesel, Red Bull, Ligne Roset, and Paramount Pictures. [via GamesIndustry.biz]

Wild Style City Mixes Graffiti, Commerce

The definition of virtual worlds remains fluid. In some ways, it is those still-in-flux or semi-permeable boundaries that give the sector such allure. One company that is exploring the boundaries of virtual worlds is Earthmine, Inc., a company based in Berkeley, Calif. which is demoing its Wild Style City application at the Where 2.0 conference this week in San Jose.

WB.com Goes 3D With ExitReality

Warner Bros. announced the launch of the new WB.com today, a stab at bringing together content from movies, TV, gaming, and more. The content, though fairly wide and varied, seems to mostly be trailers. There's a large archive, but while there's some novelty in watchingthe Gameboy Advance Trailer for "Tom and Jerry Tales," it's not overwhelming. It is available in 3D, though.

Jive And Ciara Sign On For Cazmo Concerts

Last winter, Planet Cazmo hosted a concert series with three artists from Sony Epic Records and Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Today it announced that Jive Label Group's Ciara would be joining in with a concert this Saturday to support her upcoming album "Fantasy Ride." The concerts are pre-recorded, but seem to be a hit with users, who keep asking for them, says CEO Mike Levine. Along with a branded space in Cazmo, they also make for a great, relatively simple way to connect with fans.

“The Planet Cazmo concerts are a great way to extend the reach of our artists, using innovative digital platforms – a format which allows fans to interact with music in new ways," Jeff Dodes, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Digital Media, Jive, said in a statement.

Smart Bomb Developing Kids World On Existing IP

Smart Bomb Interactive hasn't been too active in the virtual worlds space so far. It's largely been working with existing IP, developing a "Bee Movie Game" for the Wii and "Snoopy Vs The Red Baron" for multiple platforms. According to a recent posting for a creative director, though, the company is gearing up for AAA virtual world based on recently secured IP aimed at kids ages 4-10. 

"Our newly formed virtual worlds group has just secured a partnership with a children's media property so mind-shatteringly cool that we're pinching ourselves, and we'd like to hire a few senior design and GUI art talents who'd like to pinch themselves as well," explains the posting.

Violator Management Signs On For "Planet's Best DJ"

Violator Management is set to announce its role in "Planet's Best DJ," the upcoming reality show/contest with a virtual world hook. Kool DJ Red Alert, New York-based DJ credited with helping break some of hip hop's biggest acts, will be the central figure in the upcoming contest. With auditions already starting, DJ Red Alert will help pick semifinalists from the show's website before sending them on to compete live. The final show will feature 12 contestants competing in cities around the world with a panel of celebrity judges led by DJ Red Alert. 

To keep everyone connected, the hub of the show will be a virtual world where all participants, including DJ Red Alert, are contractually obligated to spend time. Liminati, the studio behind "Planet's Best," told me they haven't selected a partner world yet, though. The deal to bring in Kool DJ Red Alert is in the seven-figure range.

Planet's Best DJ Starts Auditions

Earlier this month we reported that Liminati Productions was developing a reality show around DJs competing for $250,000 and a management contract. Yesterday the company announced the teaser site for Planet's Best DJ where users can begin uploading video auditions to be a part of the 100-person competition. 

The hook of the show is that all participants, whether celebrities, competitors, crew, or host, are required by contract to participate in events set in a virtual world, which is yet to be announced. Liminati is setting another announcement for early April, so it sounds like more of the partners and participants will be announced then.

DMC Launching With Worlds.Com This Month

Last summer Worlds.com announced plans to create a virtual world for Run-DMC co-founder Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. The project is in collaboration with Paid, a fansite service with built-in ticketing options. The world is now prepping to open on March 31.

When it launches, DMC World promises to replicate actual venues from DMC’s personal and professional life, including concert stages and backstages, a hip hop club, and an NYC rooftop party. According to company representatives, DMC is  excited enough about the project to be spending time in-world and looking for future options. 

Thom Kidrin, President/CEO, Worlds.com Inc., will be discussing how music is going 3D next at next week's Engage! Expo, March 10, 2009, 2:30-3:30.