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The MMO Report: Baby names edition

Brianna Royce — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, MMO industry, Opinion, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous

This week on The MMO Report, Casey discusses the un-disbanding of the Multiverse project and associated Firefly/Buffy IPs, Wakfu's bright and bizarre character classes, DC Universe Online's timely crafting update, and Razer's new Fiona gaming tablet. He also notes that Bethesda came away the clear victor in the Fallout Online settlement. Now, where's our Fallout MMO?

Finally, Casey dips into the mailbag to dispense advice to aspiring game designers and gratitude to a pair of gamers who are planning to name their first child after Casey himself. Says the Beard: "I am equally honored and aghast... I'm just a loudmouth with a camera who reads hit-or-miss jokes about nerd stuff off a teleprompter so that someone can put it on the internet."

Watch Casey blush at the prospect of little baby beardlings in the full MMO Report video tucked behind the break.

Continue reading The MMO Report: Baby names edition

The MMO Report: Baby names edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition

Brianna Royce — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous

This week on The MMO Report -- where everyone prefers "a blaster over hokey religions and ancient weapons" -- Casey tries to make the most of a slow MMO news week. He reports that the fallout over Fallout Online has settled, Multiverse (the Buffy/Firefly MMO platform) is dead in the water, CCP is launching EVE Online character avatars into orbit via balloon, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is boasting 350,000 concurrent users.

There's no mailbag this week, he relates, because everyone's too busy playing lightsabers with their friends, which is probably true.

He also thanks BioWare for teaching him how to /getdown... and I think you should tune in at the five-minute mark to see his moves for yourself. The video's tucked behind the break for your amusement!

Continue reading The MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition

The MMO Report: Cool balloon bro edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, Legal

While Multiverse, the development platform that was supposed to be the driving force for possible Buffy and Firefly MMOs, suffered a studio shutdown, the source code lives -- and has been snatched up by the newly formed Multiverse Foundation. Fortunately for those who were holding out hope for an online version of Joss Whedon's scifi western, it looks as though this new company wants to pick up where the previous team left off.

Massively was contacted by Tristan Bacon, head of communications for Multiverse Foundation. He says that the company has acquired the source code and is "starting work full-time on the actual MMO creation platform." Bacon says that if there is still interest from fans, the team intends to use the platform to make a Firefly MMO.

Don't get overexcited at the prospect of saddling up for the 'verse in your own ship, however, as this might be as long a shot as it ever was. There are substantial obstacles to overcome, including permission to use the IP. Bacon also says that the current team is just a small group of volunteers working on it in their spare time, and would appreciate more developers to sign on to the project.

Firefly MMO gets a possible second shot at the stars originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multiverse shuts down: Firefly, Buffy MMOs officially dead

Jef Reahard — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Miscellaneous

It may be 2012, but 2011 isn't finished claiming its victims just yet. As discovered by Ten Ton Hammer, the team behind the Multiverse development platform has officially pulled the plug due to lack of funding. If that name doesn't ring a bell, we're sure you've heard of the two IPs most closely associated with it.

Multiverse was slated to be the engine powering both the Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMOs, but as of December 7, 2011, fans will have to look elsewhere for their Whedonverse fix. There is always Firefly Universe Online, but due to the unauthorized nature of the project and the lack of updates, we're not holding our breath.

Multiverse shuts down: Firefly, Buffy MMOs officially dead originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer

Jef Reahard — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Miscellaneous

Prior to this week's Gamescom, blurbs about the Otherland MMO popped up once a year or so, if that. Now we're bringing you the second bit of news in as many days, courtesy of the trailer announcement that follows hot on the heels of yesterday's developer interview at IGN.

The video clip showed up on publisher gamigo's YouTube portal this afternoon with a curious action MMORPG label in tow. We say curious here because "action" isn't the first word that springs to mind when discussing Tad Williams' Otherland novels, nor is there a lot of action in the four-minute trailer. There is a lot of eye candy and appropriately bizarre cyberpunk trappings, though, and all of it is presented through the glossy stylings of the Unreal 3 engine.

The free-to-play title is scheduled to release sometime next year, and you can get a glimpse of what awaits you in the teaser after the cut.

Continue reading Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer

Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five MMOs that have gone MIA

Krystalle Voecks — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Humor, Miscellaneous

Unlike Chuck Norris, who seems to hang on as an MMO meme with insane tenacity (perhaps it's that extra fist under his beard), there are a handful of MMOs that appear to have dropped off the radar in the last several months -- if not years. Admittedly, this was originally to be a top 10 list of missing MMOs, but in the last half of this year, several developers have seen fit to thwart our plans by actually releasing information about their games. Shock! Horror!

Nevertheless, I've armed myself with an enormous cup of coffee and plundered the archives of Massively and general press releases for MMOGs that seem to have dropped off the radar. Are they still under development? Will we see some movement on them in 2011? Will it take a Chuck Norris-level feat-of-strength and all-around badassery to pull them back from the developmental abyss they appear to be in? Join me behind the break as I run down some of the MMOs we're still waiting for word on.

Continue reading Five MMOs that have gone MIA

Five MMOs that have gone MIA originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC09: Multiverse travels to the City of Sinners and Saints and the Islands of War

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Launches, New titles, Free-to-play, Casual

This summer is shaping up to be a big release for the Multiverse platform, as two independent developers are gearing up to remove the final bugs from their games built on the open-source engine. However, their choice in development platform is the only thing these two games have in common, as both have taken radically different approaches to their gameplay.

Telos International's City of Sinners and Saints will be setting up a closed beta for April in preparations of opening their doors to the public in June. The game is focusing on creating a social networking experience within a three dimensional space, combining Facebook-esque concepts with game environment mechanics. Quests and games will be available, but most of the focus centers on creating an avatar and just meeting other people in a very over-the-top environment.

On the flip side, Neojac Entertainment's Islands of War has announced that they wish to start their open beta today, the 25th of March, and they have requested testers via their website. This fantasy themed MMORPG has been created more in the vein of the traditional MMO, a la World of Warcraft. While the game will be incorporating features that the casual player will enjoy, the setup seems to be more traditional than the approach of Sinners and Saints.

GDC09: Multiverse travels to the City of Sinners and Saints and the Islands of War originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multiverse reveals a peek at their upcoming flash development platform

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, New titles, Casual, Virtual worlds, Massively Interviews

Imagine booting up your computer to play your favorite online game with your friend, except he's in an airport waiting for a flight and you're at home in your office chair. You see a glorious 3-D world from the comfort of your computer monitor, and he sees a two dimensional isometric view from his hunched view over his mobile phone. You use your mouse to click your action buttons and fight monsters, and he just taps the screen with his finger. You're questing together, winning battles together, except you see the world entirely in 3-D and he's seeing it in 2-D.

If you're thinking that this scenario is entirely implausible, you would be wrong. MMO tools developer Multiverse has recently unveiled a sneak peek at their upcoming flash toolset by launching the flash based game Multiverse Battle.

Continue reading Multiverse reveals a peek at their upcoming flash development platform

Multiverse reveals a peek at their upcoming flash development platform originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 22

Michael Zenke — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Culture, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 22 delves deep in the last week's worth of MMO news! Join Massively's Shawn Schuster, Samuel Axon, and Michael Zenke as they explore the length and breadth of a busy week in the massively multiplayer world. Discussion ranges from WAR to EverQuest 2 patches, back to WAR and on to the launch of Wizard 101. Then we return to WAR, for a side of Age of Conan. Did I mention Warhammer? Tune in for all the latest news from the front.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 22

Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 22 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffy/Firefly interview pt. 2

Michael Zenke — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, News items, Casual, Massively Interviews

Are avatars that you create for the 2D experience be able to step into the 3D version of the game?

CB: That's exactly what we're planning for. We're showing it a little bit at this show, we'll be able to show you some of it in Austin at AGDC. We really want to make sure to show this game to people. One thing that I worry about is backlash from Firefly. We announced that so long ago, and people are going "crap, guys, where is it?" It was really important to us that we not announce Buffy before we were already working on it. Once bitten, twice shy.

Believe me, nobody could beat us up that we beat ourselves up about this. We're not at fault, but there are a lot of dashed hopes here. I wanted us to be in a public beta of Firefly here by now!

Continue reading Buffy/Firefly interview pt. 2

Buffy/Firefly interview pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively interview: Multiverse explains the Buffy MMO, Firefly's delay

Michael Zenke — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, New titles, Casual, Massively Interviews

Yesterday we brought you word that the folks at Multiverse (the developers of the MMO middleware) are in development on an MMO based on Buffy the Vampire slayer. At the same time, news came out the Firefly MMO will now be delayed considerably while they focus their efforts that other IP from writing dynamo Joss Whedon. Yesterday evening we had the chance to speak with Mr. Corey Bridges, Co-founder, Executive Producer and Marketing Director for the company. Mr. Bridges took some time out of his busy schedule at the Virtual Worlds Expo to explain a bit more about the Buffy/Firefly MMO hoopla.

Most interesting, it sounds as though (despite the lack of any announcements about it) there has actually been some forward movement on the Firefly MMO! Mr. Bridges could say almost nothing about it because of contractual obligations with Fox (the owners of the Firefly IP), but what he could say left us with the tantalizing impression we may actually see that Firefly game someday. Read on for all of that discussion, plus tidbits on why they're working on a Buffy title, a bit on what the game will be like, and the interactions between the 2D and 3D game spaces.

Continue reading Massively interview: Multiverse explains the Buffy MMO, Firefly's delay

Massively interview: Multiverse explains the Buffy MMO, Firefly's delay originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMO announced, Firefly MMO 'delayed'

Michael Zenke — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles

In an announcement to press today about the keynote address to this year's Virtual Worlds Conference in Los Angeles, the folks at Multiverse have announced a trio of new and interesting projects. One is a Titanic-related project connected to James Cameron, while another is the main connecting 'space' that will link all of Multiverse's worlds - a project called Multiverse Places.

The third is, apparently, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer massively multiplayer game. Multiverse, if you'll recall, is also the company that holds the license to develop an MMO based on the Firefly television show, another Joss Whedon fan favorite. While the Firefly title has now apparently been 'delayed', it sounds as though the Buffy title is already in development. From the announcement: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A massively multiplayer online game based on the critically-acclaimed Joss Whedon television series. Currently under development at Multiverse, 'Buffy' exemplifies a new era of game design, allowing consumers to play it either as a fully immersive 3D environment or as a Flash-based 2D game."

The full announcement is available below the cut.

Be sure to check out our exclusive interview with Corey Bridges of Multiverse for plenty of details on the project!

Continue reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMO announced, Firefly MMO 'delayed'

Buffy the Vampire Slayer MMO announced, Firefly MMO 'delayed' originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wising up to the Firefly MMO's unique challenges

Samuel Axon — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items

It's been about a year and a half since Wired reported that the Firefly license would be MMO-ized by Multiverse. Since then, there's been a vacuum of news -- nada. The game is looking vaporware-esque at this point, but MMORPG nevertheless ran a feature article speculating as to what sorts of challenges the developers of the Firefly MMO will face.

The author goes through all sorts of possible approaches, from a Star Wars Galaxies-inspired ground game to an EVE Online-inspired space game -- even a mostly-social, barely-RPG, casual-type experience. We suspect the last of those is the most likely, if the game gets made at all. As the article notes, the project is not likely to have much funding, and while the audience is passionate, it's also small. That was FOX's problem, too. As we know, the challenges don't end there.

One concern MMORPG didn't bring up at all; Firefly was a character-driven series. Its setting was kind of interesting, but the characters were what made it all worthwhile. If Mal, Jayne, Inara, and Kaylee aren't a part of it, will anyone want to tune in? Turning this franchise into a successful MMO seems almost impossible. Regardless, Captain Mal Reynolds said "we have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty." If the folks at Multiverse pull off a Firefly MMO, that quote could be their mantra.

Wising up to the Firefly MMO's unique challenges originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multiverse partners with Vivox to bring voice to virtual world developers

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: EVE Online, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Metaverse development company Multiverse has announced a partnership with Vivox, the voice service provider for virtual worlds and MMOs of many stripes. Being able to provide integrated voice chat, 3D positional audio, presence, speaking indicators, and management tools right out of the box will be a definite selling point for developers who are interested in using Multiverse's platform to create their virtual worlds.

Vivox is keeping influential company -- other partners include Wizards of the Coast, IBM, metaverse developers Electric Sheep Company, and EVE Online's CCP Games. With strong strategic alliances like these, they're quickly rising to the top of voice provider solutions for the industry. Let's hope their grasp doesn't exceed their reach.

[Via Business Wire]

Multiverse partners with Vivox to bring voice to virtual world developers originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bridges backhands Rosedale, Second Life

Tateru Nino — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Corey Bridges, founder of Multiverse another player in the increasingly large virtual world space, had a number of things to say to Worlds in Motion about the announcement that Philip Rosedale was planning to step down as CEO and step up as chairman.

A sort of freehand summary would be, "Second Life can't deliver, and Multiverse can. So long, Philip, and thanks for all the fish."

Intentional or not, it comes across as unbecoming smack talk, basically.

Continue reading Bridges backhands Rosedale, Second Life

Bridges backhands Rosedale, Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Multiverse co-founder describes new virtual world order

Samuel Axon — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items, Virtual worlds

Multiverse's Corey Bridges spoke at the SXSW conference about the effects digital distribution and the democratization of advanced development tools will have on the industries of gaming, social networks, and virtual worlds.

Gamasutra put together a great summary of the talk. The thesis: just as they are stripping the entrenched establishments of the music and film industries of much of their oligarchical power, new technologies will transform online gaming and virtual worlds. According to Bridges, virtual worlds are just getting started. "WoW is not a fad," he said, "it's a harbinger." Furthermore, the virtual worlds will be in the hands of indies, not the major conglomerates, and they'll be synergized with social networks.

Bridges also touched on the notion of a more splintered industry made up of smaller projects catering to lots of niche tastes, as opposed to the huge Hollywood-budget productions we see today. A while back someone said that it would take at least a $1 billion super project to take on World of Warcraft. But maybe, as it was with the Roman Empire, the wolves at Blizzard's gate will be countless smaller tribes made up of the so-called unwashed hordes.

Multiverse co-founder describes new virtual world order originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SL2MV copies stuff from SL to Multiverse

Tateru Nino — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Tips and tricks, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Notable Second Life blogger and photographer Vint Falken has highlighted Mike Sutton's tutorial videos on moving Second Life content from Second Life to the Multiverse platform. There is quite a bit of work involved and the workflow pipeline isn't for the faint of heart. Only those with a solid technical aptitude are going to be able to follow the process at this stage. However, it is still in Alpha, and who knows? It could well solidify into a more integrated system over time. Obviously this only deals with meshes and textures - not with scripts or directly with component prims.

No object permissions apply to the system, since it only operates on what the viewer is generating for display on your PC, however, would-be content exporters should respect the rights of content creators and only perform this with allowable content.

SL2MV copies stuff from SL to Multiverse originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 1

Chris Chester — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Marvel Heroes, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Warhammer 40k

In the waning weeks of December, we've already started turning our eyes towards the new year. 2008 is already showing a great deal of promise for the MMO community, with the impending release of Pirates of the Burning Sea, Wrath of the Lich King, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Though most of these titles are still a good ways away from hitting retailer shelves, we've already got a pretty good idea of what's in store, not just in terms of assets and information that's already been released, but also from hands-on impressions and beta testing. In other words, as excited as we are, there probably won't be terribly many surprises as it concerns these titles. They're practically a given.

As luck would have it, those aren't the only titles we'll be drooling over next year - this much we know. There are a number of games in development out there that have shown up on our collective radar screens over the past few months, but only as tiny blips. For the most part, they still represent riddles wrapped up in mysteries with a side of question mark. We've assembled a list of the top 10 MIA MMOs - those mysterious games that represent the future of the MMO... if only we knew what they were.

In the first part of this feature, we'll take a look at the first half of the list.

Continue reading Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 1

Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASU testing Snow Crash for Google?

Tateru Nino — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds, Snow Crash

Matt Stone at ASU Web Devil (Arizona State University's online newspaper) has gotten a hold of some internal emails between ASU officials that indicate that they are testing a secret project (referred to as Myworld or sometimes Snow Crash), among strong suggestions that it's for Google and that it's in beta with a small number of students right now.

ASU is something of a poster-child for Google (who even have an office on one of the ASU campuses), and has been an early tester for assorted Google applications.

Continue reading ASU testing Snow Crash for Google?

ASU testing Snow Crash for Google? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A multitude of worlds - the Multiverse platform

Tateru Nino — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:15:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, Opinion

Back at the beginning of August, MMO/VW platform developer Multiverse released the 1.0 version of their Multiverse platform. With Multiverse, tools and platform tech is available for any team to build a world, from 3D chatrooms to game-based MMOs.

According to Multiverse, their platform has so far attracted 11,000 registered development teams/individual developers. Twenty-eight of those are featured on the Multiverse site, in both game and non-game genres from chat-rooms to victoriana.

Continue reading A multitude of worlds - the Multiverse platform

A multitude of worlds - the Multiverse platform originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world

Samuel Axon — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 10:35:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items, Virtual worlds, Snow Crash

World of Googlecraft? GoogleQuest? Pirates of the Google Sea? No, really. It could happen. Sort of.

Apparently Google isn't satisfied with how massive it is already; the tech juggernaut might be developing a virtual online world. Okay, so it probably won't really be an MMORPG per say, but it could be something similar to Second Life. Rumors of the project have been gaining momentum for a while now, and we here at Massively are laying out all the evidence right here for you to see.

Continue reading Google almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world

Google almost certainly creating multi-user virtual world originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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