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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by MDude (talk | contribs) at 04:13, 10 January 2012 (Added note of Multiverse Network, Inc.'s closure.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Multiverse Network, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryOnline Games
FoundedJuly 2004
HeadquartersMountain View, California, USA
Key people
Bill Turpin, Co-founder & CEO

Rafhael Cedeno, Co-founder & CTO
Corey Bridges, Co-founder, Executive Producer and Marketing Director

Robin McCollum, Co-founder & Principal Engineer, Client Technology
Websitewww.multiverse.net

The Multiverse Network, Inc. is an American startup company creating a network and platform for Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) and 3D virtual worlds. Multiverse's stated aim is to lower the barrier of entry for development teams by providing a low-cost software platform for online game and virtual world development.

In 2009, the company extended its development platform to support Flash[1] and built a series of real-time multiplayer games to demo the technology. As part of the worldwide marketing effort behind James Cameron's AVATAR film, Multiverse built two Flash-based games[2], one with McDonald's and another with Coca-Cola Zero. Both games allow players to explore Pandora, where much of the film takes place. In late 2011, Multiverse closed from lack of profits, releasing the source code to a non profit group[3].

Technology

Multiverse provides technology known as MMOG middleware (Multiverse uses the term platform). It includes the client software Multiverse World Browser (for Microsoft Windows only at this point), a server suite, development tools, sample assets, documentation, and a developer community. The goal is to provide consumers/users with a single client program that lets them visit all of the virtual worlds built on the Multiverse Platform. From the consumer point of view, this enables a de facto network of virtual worlds.

Like RealmForge, the Multiverse World Browser is written in C#, and based on the Axiom Engine. The Multiverse server suite is written in Java and uses a publish/subscribe messaging system to provide reliability and scalability. The server also provides a plug-in API. The Windows-based tools use the COLLADA data interchange format, to enable artists to import 3D assets from popular tools such as Maya, 3D Studio Max, and now Google SketchUp.

Business model

Multiverse provides its technology platform cost-free for development and deployment. Income comes through revenue-sharing; Multiverse takes a share of any payments made by consumers/users to the world developer. If a developer provides a world for free (or free for a period of time), Multiverse does not charge anything. When a developer starts charging consumers/users, Multiverse takes a share (10 percent), and also handles the financial transaction processing. Development teams host their own servers and retain 100 percent of their world's IP.

James Cameron joined the company's board of advisors, and Red Herring magazine selected it as one of the "Red Herring 100" privately held companies that play a leading role in innovating the technology business.

In December, 2006, Multiverse announced that it had optioned the rights to develop an MMOG based on Firefly, the science fiction television series [1]. Since then the Firefly MMO has been delayed but a Buffy and Titanic MMO have both been announced [2].

References

References

  1. ^ "Multiverse Unleashes New Era of Online Gaming". Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Multiverse's Remix Makes it Easy to Create AVATAR Spinoff Games". Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  3. ^ "Cash-strapped Firefly MMO developer Multiverse closes (January 4, 2012)". Retrieved 9 December 2012.
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