Multiverse Network

Multiverse Network, Inc. was an American technology startup focused on lowering the technical and financial barriers to building massively multiplayer online games and three-dimensional virtual worlds. Rather than operating a single consumer game, the company developed a platform intended to let independent studios and other development teams create, host, and monetize their own online worlds. Its broader consumer proposition was a common network experience in which users could move among multiple worlds through one client application. The company’s principal technology was MMOG middleware, which Multiverse described as its platform. The package included the Windows-only Multiverse World Browser, server software, development tools, sample assets, documentation, and access to a developer community. The client was designed to provide users with a unified way to visit worlds made with the platform, while the server technology supplied messaging, scalability, and an extension mechanism through plug-ins. The development environment supported COLLADA asset interchange, allowing artists to bring three-dimensional content from tools including Maya, 3ds Max, and Google SketchUp. The browser was written in C# and built on the Axiom Engine, while the server suite was written in Java. Multiverse pursued a relatively open commercial model. Developers could use the platform without an upfront technology fee and were expected to operate their own servers. Development teams retained ownership of the intellectual property associated with their worlds. When a world charged users, Multiverse intended to process transactions and receive a 10 percent share of consumer payments; worlds offered without charge did not generate platform fees. This model aligned the company’s revenue with the success of participating virtual worlds rather than with software licenses or conventional game publishing. The company attracted attention during the mid-2000s as online worlds and the idea of a three-dimensional web gained industry interest. James Cameron joined its board of advisors, and Red Herring included Multiverse among its Red Herring 100 privately held technology companies. It also announced plans involving recognizable entertainment properties. In December 2006, it optioned rights to develop an online game based on the television series Firefly, and announcements in 2008 referred to possible Buffy and Titanic projects. These projects did not ultimately come to fruition. In 2009, Multiverse expanded the platform to support Adobe Flash and created real-time multiplayer demonstrations. As part of the global promotional effort for Cameron’s film Avatar, it produced two Flash-based games in partnerships with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola Zero. Both placed players in Pandora, the film’s fictional setting, and illustrated the platform’s potential for branded, browser-accessible multiplayer experiences. Multiverse ultimately failed to reach profitability and closed in late 2011. Following the shutdown, the company released its source code under the MIT License. The code and project were transferred to the Multiverse Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization that continued updating the platform. The commercial company is therefore defunct, while its open-source technology project continued independently under community stewardship.

Multiverse Network emerged during the 2000s expansion of massively multiplayer online games and persistent virtual worlds. Its central proposition was that creating such products required too much specialized infrastructure for many independent teams. The company therefore sought to supply a reusable platform rather than publish one proprietary game. Its technology was intended to reduce the cost and complexity of developing online worlds, while allowing each development team to retain control of its own content and intellectual property. The Multiverse Platform combined a Windows client, server software, development utilities, sample content, documentation, and a community for developers. The Multiverse World Browser was designed as a common entry point through which users could access different worlds made with the platform. This network-oriented model distinguished the company from a conventional game studio: Multiverse aimed to operate an enabling layer for multiple online experiences. Its server software used Java and a publish/subscribe messaging system designed to support reliable communication and scalability, and it offered a plug-in API for customization. The browser used C# and the Axiom Engine, while the toolchain supported COLLADA for exchanging three-dimensional assets with widely used modeling applications. The business model was based on participation in the economics of worlds built on the platform. Multiverse made its development and deployment technology available without a conventional license charge. Developers were responsible for hosting their own servers and kept ownership of their world IP. If a world charged consumers, Multiverse planned to provide transaction processing and retain 10 percent of payments; free worlds did not incur that platform share. The approach was intended to make experimentation easier for small teams while giving Multiverse a recurring revenue opportunity if its network developed a successful portfolio of worlds. The company gained visibility through industry coverage and strategic associations. James Cameron joined its board of advisors, and Red Herring selected the startup for its Red Herring 100 list of private technology companies. Multiverse also pursued licensed entertainment properties. It announced an option to develop a Firefly-based MMOG in 2006 and later publicized possible Buffy and Titanic games. None of these announced projects reached release, illustrating the difficulty of turning well-known intellectual property into completed online products. In 2009, Multiverse broadened its platform to include Flash-based experiences and built real-time multiplayer demonstrations. The most visible examples were two promotional games connected with Avatar’s worldwide marketing campaign. Produced with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola Zero, the games let players explore Pandora, the fictional world of Cameron’s film. They demonstrated a browser-oriented and branded use of the platform beyond the company’s original focus on independent MMOG development. Despite its technology and industry profile, Multiverse did not achieve a profitable commercial operation. It closed in late 2011. Rather than abandoning the software, the company released its source code under the permissive MIT License and transferred stewardship to the Multiverse Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization. The Foundation continued work on the platform, separating the later open-source community project from the original commercial company. Multiverse Network is consequently best understood as a defunct middleware and virtual-world platform company whose principal technical legacy continued through open-source maintenance.

• 2011

  Commercial operations end

  [1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Multiverse closed in late 2011 after failing to become profitable.

• 2011

  Platform becomes open source

  [1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  The company released its source code under the MIT License and transferred ongoing stewardship to the Multiverse Foundation.

• 2009

  Flash support and Avatar promotional games

  [1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  The platform added Flash support, and Multiverse created two branded multiplayer games set in Avatar’s Pandora for McDonald’s and Coca-Cola Zero.

• 2008

  Buffy and Titanic projects announced

  [1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Multiverse announced possible games connected with Buffy and Titanic; neither project ultimately came to fruition.

• 2006

  Firefly game rights announced

  [1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  The company announced that it had optioned rights to create an MMOG based on Firefly, although the project was never completed.

• 2005

  Multiverse Platform launches

  [1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Multiverse introduced its platform for developing massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds.

A low-cost, developer-oriented platform for creating, deploying, and monetizing massively multiplayer games and networked three-dimensional virtual worlds.

• MMOG middleware and virtual-world platform · 2005

  Multiverse Platform

  The company’s core software platform provided infrastructure for building and deploying massively multiplayer online games and three-dimensional virtual worlds. It bundled client and server components with development tools, documentation, sample assets, and community support. The platform was offered without a conventional development or deployment license fee, with Multiverse instead seeking a share of payments made by users of commercial worlds.

• Virtual-world client

  Multiverse World Browser

  A Windows client intended to give consumers a common way to access multiple virtual worlds built with the Multiverse Platform. The browser represented the consumer-facing portion of Multiverse’s network concept, allowing users to visit separate online environments through one application rather than installing an entirely different client for every world.

• Online game server technology

  Multiverse server suite

  The server-side software supported persistent multiplayer worlds and included a plug-in API for extensibility. It was written in Java and used a publish/subscribe messaging system intended to provide reliable and scalable communication among online-game components. Developers hosted their own servers, preserving operational control over the worlds they created.

• 2009Avatar Pandora multiplayer games

  International

  For the worldwide marketing campaign surrounding Avatar, Multiverse created two Flash-based real-time multiplayer games in partnership with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola Zero. Both games allowed participants to explore Pandora, the film’s fictional setting, and served as demonstrations of the company’s browser-oriented platform capabilities.

  Outcome. The games demonstrated a branded promotional application of the Multiverse technology, but the company later closed after failing to reach profitability.

  Source

• 2011

  Release the platform as open sourceStrategy

  Background

  After the commercial company failed to become profitable and closed, its software still had potential value to developers and volunteer maintainers.

  Action taken

  Multiverse released the source code under the MIT License and transferred management to the nonprofit Multiverse Foundation.

  Aftermath

  The commercial brand became defunct, while the software continued as a community-maintained open-source project.

  Source

• 2009

  Extend the platform to FlashProduct launch

  Background

  Multiverse wanted to demonstrate that its multiplayer technology could support more accessible, browser-oriented experiences in addition to conventional downloadable virtual-world clients.

  Action taken

  The company added Flash support and developed real-time multiplayer promotional games, including two Avatar-related experiences.

  Aftermath

  The initiative expanded the platform’s demonstration and marketing use cases, although it did not lead to a profitable standalone business.

  Source

• 2005

  Adopt a platform and revenue-sharing modelStrategy

  Background

  Multiverse sought to make online-world development accessible to smaller teams that could not easily build their own MMOG infrastructure.

  Action taken

  It provided development and deployment technology without a conventional upfront fee, allowed developers to host their own servers and retain their intellectual property, and planned to receive a share of payments from users of paid worlds.

  Aftermath

  The model gave developers a lower-cost entry point, but Multiverse did not achieve profitability and eventually shut down its commercial operations.

  Source

• 2011

  Multiverse Network closes after failing to become profitable[1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  The commercial company shut down in late 2011 because it had not achieved profitability, and its source code was subsequently released to the Multiverse Foundation.

• 2011

  Multiverse source code moves to nonprofit stewardship[1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After the company closed, the platform’s code was made available under the MIT License and placed under the management of the volunteer-run Multiverse Foundation.

• 2009

  Multiverse develops Avatar promotional multiplayer games[1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Product launch

  Multiverse extended its platform to Flash and produced two real-time multiplayer games tied to Avatar, working with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola Zero.

• 2006

  Multiverse options rights for a Firefly online universe[1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company announced an option to develop an MMOG based on the science-fiction television series Firefly. The proposed project was never completed.

• 2005

  Multiverse launches its platform for MMOG development[1]Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Multiverse publicly introduced a platform intended to help development teams build massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds with a lower technology barrier.

1. 1Multiverse Networken.wikipedia.org