October 22nd, 2007
Eric Rice offered an interesting take on what he describes as a forthcoming “epic battle” between Microsoft Virtual Earth and Google Earth that might affect the emerging mirror and virtual world marketplace. Intriguing excerpts below, but perhaps of most note is Rice’s discussion of what he sees to be some of the likely disruptions in the virtual worlds industry, namely that “Sandbox and Social become two more optional modes, joining Single Player or Multiplayer on various titles. Niche worlds will exist, custom worlds will exist, and the appeal of such generically wide-open and context-free places may diminish over time, especially as the costs to create plummet even further (if not, entirely free)”.
“…Both WoW and SL have worlds– fictional ones– that have used Google’s mapping technology….Google Maps is what is behind Azeroth, the fictional, multi-continent world that exists in World of Warcraft. Similarly, Second Life is comprised of three continents and other user-created land masses. Both are fictional. One is filled with user-generated content, both fictional AND real; the other is a fictional place to serve as the foundation and backdrop for a game. Both WoW and Sl contain the presence of a vast population of users, residents, players, etc.
…How can Microsoft win? By attaching it with the same ‘maybe real/maybe fake’ underpinnings to a strong, massively multiplayer network that touches the web and the living room: the Xbox360.
Here’s where the concepts merge: Halo 3 debuted with astounding sales, somewhere around the 300 million dollar mark in a single week. One of the characteristics of the video game for the Xbox 360 is a utility called FORGE, which allows users to modify game maps, place objects (provided by a set library in the game itself), and share them– and here’s the important part– on both the web *and* the console. In fact, you can see all the games I own, compare games you’ve played to me, see the custom games I’ve made (and download them to your living room, er, console), send me messages or add me as a friend— ALL from the web.
…Could Microsoft tie in the fictional worlds with the real worlds? EA started to address this with Google Earth, by releasing Tiberium Earth maps (and models for the Command & Conquer video game are scattered throughout Google’s 3D warehouse). Entirely possible. That is, IF Microsoft decides to connect the dots.
…I can’t predict what the next steps could be. I can suggest my own ideas about where the future of virtual worlds will be/be disrupted. Most virtual worlds will be categorized contextually– social, sandbox, context. The Need for Speed ‘virtual world’ might be both sandbox and social because of the nature of car culture (wouldn’t that be an amazing investment for car companies). Madden 2008 (or any sports titles) could easily benefit from adding on a club house/locker room social space. The pattern? Sandbox and Social become two more optional modes, joining Single Player or Multiplayer on various titles. Niche worlds will exist, custom worlds will exist, and the appeal of such generically wide-open and context-free places may diminish over time, especially as the costs to create plummet even further (if not, entirely free).“
This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 9:42 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
