Multiverse Network Unveils Version 1.0, Four New Worlds

The Multiverse Network, which builds networks for MMOs and 3D virtual worlds, has released version 1.0 of their platform, a software solution for online worlds developers, also revealing four new in-development worlds. The Multiverse Platform has been in beta until now, and the company says that over 11,000 development teams participated. The Multiverse Network has also launched an initiative it calls "Worlds in Progress," a collection of early prototype games and worlds built on its platform, with the aim of providing consumer access to the network. Four worlds have been launched, and all of them are accessible via Multiverse World Browser, a free downloadable that enables consumer access to any game on the network. Among the Worlds in Progress currently launched, the featured MMO is Dark Horizons Universe, built by indie game studio Max Gaming Technologies (Lore Invasion, Kachinko). The other new prototype world is Doomsberg Entertainment's Forgotten Legends, a skill and power-based fantasy game. Two other offerings that Multiverse calls "sample worlds" are the Multiverse Social World, which provides a basic environment for people to chat and dance, and the Multiverse Fantasy World, which puts players into a basic MMOG-style game. Also on the horizon for the network is Wardog Studios' Force of Arms, a futuristic hero RPG, and RETRO Laboratory's LunarQuest, where players, as cadets, are tasked with colonizing the moon. Multiverse says it expects production-quality versions of these worlds to become available on its network in late 2007 or early 2008, and that they will continue to launch new prototype games and worlds as they become available. Included with the Multiverse Platform, development teams receive the complete source code for both sample worlds, which they can use as a starting point for their own products, or as training material. Multiverse says it has no plans to continue developing either world beyond their current state. "By providing our technology without upfront fees and eliminating many technical barriers, we've made virtual world development faster and less expensive than ever before," said Bill Turpin, Multiverse co-founder and CEO. [Further coverage of virtual world news, as well as a comprehensive atlas to the multitude of online worlds, is available at new CMP Game Group site Worlds In Motion, from which this story is cross-posted.]