Multiverse Network

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The Multiverse Network, Inc.

Type	Private
Founded	July 2004
Headquarters	Mountain 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
Industry	Online Games
Slogan	Changing the <virtual> world.
Website	www.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 MMOG developers by providing a low-cost software platform for online games. Multiverse's engine is currently in open beta.

1 Background
2 Technology
3 Business model
4 Competitors
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Background

Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) have become increasingly popular, starting with Meridian 59 in the late 1990s, through the breakout games Ultima Online and EverQuest, and up to the recent worldwide phenomenon of World of Warcraft, estimated to have 7 million subscribers [1].

The technical challenge of connecting thousands of players in a shared graphical world is a high barrier to entry for MMORPG development. Traditionally, each video game publisher has built its own proprietary massively multiplayer game engine, often at a cost of millions of dollars and years of development time. The effort and expense involved have deterred all but the largest companies from entering the market. Multiverse claims it will address this barrier to entry by providing a general MMOG platform suitable for small, independent developers.

[edit] Technology

Multiverse provides technology known as MMOG middleware (Multiverse uses the term platform). It includes the Multiverse Client (for Microsoft Windows only at this point), a server suite, and development tools. The goal is to provide players with a single client program that lets them visit all of the game 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 client 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 scaleability. 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 and 3D Studio Max.

[edit] 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 players to the game developer. If a developer provides a game for free (or free for a period of time), Multiverse does not charge anything. When a developer starts charging players, Multiverse takes a share, and also handles the financial transaction processing.

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 [2].

[edit] Competitors

Most of the competition differs in one way or another from Multiverse's technology and approach, but these are the other companies that compete in the MMOG Middleware space: