3D virtual community Worlds has announced that it has added former Sony Computer Entertainment of America and Sega exec Bernard Stolar to its board; also joining the board are Entertainment Marketing & Communications International CEO Jay Coleman and Robert Fireman, former Director and General Manager of SmartSource Direct.

Worlds, which was founded in 1994, says it's preparing to released an updated version of its 3D platform, with a new rendering engine and micro-economy platform. Worlds allows users to navigate avatar-based 3D worlds, both proprietary and user-generated via a peer-to-peer network. the company says its' also building on existing formats to improve its entertainment, socializing, and marketing capabilities in the online environment.

According to the company, Worlds actually received its first US patent for multi-user server technology for 3D applications in 2001. It recently received another patent in 2001 as a continuance, providing for a scalable architecture for a 3D graphical, multi-user interactive virtual world system.

Said Thom Kidrin, Worlds CEO, "This is an exciting time for Worlds. I am happy to have these seasoned veterans in their respective fields join the Worlds.com board to assist the company in positioning itself to take advantage of the recent growth and media attention in the 3D market place. Collectively, the new board members bring a diverse and well-rounded expertise in the area of marketing, advertising, video games, and stored value products to further drive creativity, expansion and development in 3D virtual worlds."