Following in the footsteps of games like
Team Fortress 2 and
Second Life, Sony Online Entertainment has announced that it will soon allow users to make money off of virtual item sales with a brand new service powered by user generated content.
The new program, known as Player Studio, will allow users to create their own items for games like
EverQuest and
EverQuest II, and then sell those items for real-world money.
When the service goes live, users will be able to download sample geometry from SOE and craft their own unique virtual items using third party tools such as Maya or 3DS Max. If their submissions are approved by SOE staff, those items will appear on the SOE marketplace, and the company will take a 40 percent cut of each users' net sales.
While the Player Studio will only support the mainline
EverQuest titles at launch, SOE says it will eventually allow users to create items for other titles such as
Free Realms, and
Vanguard.
SOE hasn't confirmed when the program will be up and running, but users can learn more about creating their own in-game items on the official
Player Studio website. At launch, Player Studio will only be available in the United States.
SOE's new program is very similar to Valve's Steam Workshop, which allows players to create and sell new items for games such as
Team Fortress 2 and
Dota 2.
And while it doesn't allow users to create items from scratch, the
Auction House in Blizzard's Diablo III also allows users to sell virtual items for real-world currency.
