Online world firm Trion World Network has revealed its first projects - including a Jon Von Caneghem-helmed fantasy themed MMO, and a Sci-Fi Channel co-developed online game to intertwine with a TV series, as the company becomes a licensed PS3 developer and publisher.

The firm, headed by EA veteran CEO Lars Buttler and Might & Magic creator and chief creative officer John Van Caneghem, will deliver games developed by both its internal studios and external partners via its Trion Platform, which is compatible with broadband-enabled PCs and PlayStation 3 systems.

Delivering what Trion calls "server-based games", the user will have a client which handles I/O and rendering, while content - which can be changed dynamically - is stored on servers and fed to the clients as needed.

Games will initially be delivered via download, retail, and other distribution methods -- with Buttler alluding to the possibility of free AOL-disc-like distribution methods for the client. Different "channels", which are essentially different game titles, will be maintained on Trion's server, and deliver that dynamic content to users depending on which "channel" they engage with.

The first newly announced game for the Trion Network platform is a currently-unnamed fantasy MMORPG developed under Van Caneghem in Trion's Redwood Shores, California studio.

No specific details about the game were revealed, but Trion's promises "battles of enormous scale will create epic moments that an unprecedented number of players can participate in." It will be published by Trion in both North America and Europe, and promises dynamic content -- a feature at the core of the Trion Platform experience.

MMORPG developer Cryptic Studios has appointed John Needham, former senior president of Business Development and Operations at Sony Online Entertainment, as its chief executive officer.

Needham began his career with Sony in 1994, holding positions in the television division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Director of Corporate Development and Vice President of Finance, Telemundo Networks.

After joining Sony Online Entertainment in 2001, Needham served as CFO and SVP of Business Development and Operations, managing strategic initiatives, international operations, customer service, and quality assurance testing.

Headquartered in Los Gatos, CA, Cryptic Studios is an independent, employee-owned company best known for its City of Heroes and City of Villains MMO titles, both of which have now been sold to publisher NCSoft, which is continuing them.

The studio announced in February Champions Online, a 3D MMORPG based on the pen-and-paper Champions RPG and slated for release in spring 2009.

Said Cryptic Studios president Michael Lewis: “John Needham's proven leadership in the MMO space makes him a dynamic fit for heading up Cryptic's new corporate direction. As an SVP of Sony Online Entertainment he has contributed greatly to the growth of the industry and we're excited to combine his operational experience with our vision for the future of online games.”

In anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Michigan State University professor Yong Zhao and MSU Confucius Institute have created Zon, an MMO aimed at teaching Mandarin Chinese and introducing Chinese culture to players, according to university paper MSU Today.

The browser-based virtual world allows players to visit markets, read newspapers, watch television, chat and trade with other players, and find jobs, all in China and with the added twist of using tools to understand the language and culture. Players can access quests and learning materials, including live Chinese tutors, while advancing through different stages of status in China, such as “tourists,” “residents,” and ultimately citizens.

Though Zon is currently free and available as an open beta, a monthly subscription fee is being considered for the MMO. Zhao believes the summer Olympics will generate interest for Zon from children around the world hoping to learn more about China.

Said MSU College of Education dean Carole Ames: “MSU, through our Confucius Institute, has been a leader in the increasing interest for instruction in Chinese language and culture by providing innovative programs that are accessible to people. This game boldly goes to another frontier in learning that has the potential, technologically, to reach our largest audience yet.”

Organizer Tandem Events has announced a special day-long addition to its July 29-31st Brighton, UK Develop Conference focusing specifically on online gaming, with representatives of Linden Labs, Jagex, Blitz Games and more set to headline sessions.

Tandem says the July 29th special conference will consist of "ten enlightening sessions and one inspirational keynote address" that will "address the real world – and virtual world - challenges and solutions facing online game developers globally."

Currently confirmed speakers include representatives from Guild Wars developer ArenaNet, EVE Online creator CCP, Second Life developer Linden Labs, RuneScape creator Jagex, and more.

The online session will be in addition to the Develop conference proper, which recently announced sessions from four Japanese developers behind recent Sony releases Patapon and Echochrome.

Said Tandem managing director Andy Lane, “Online gaming is booming in Europe... The creation of Develop Online recognises the increasing importance of the online gaming sector and addresses the technical issues currently faced by online developers, giving a unique opportunity for European developers to come together to share their insights for a day."

Publisher NHN USA, a subsidiary of Korean internet company NHN, has announced that it has secured the rights to publish the PC release of MMO first-person shooter Huxley in North America and Western Europe in late 2008. The title will arrive via gaming portal ijji.com. Details for publishing the Xbox 360 release were not revealed.

Developed by Seoul-based studio Webzen, Huxley combines the fast-paced gameplay of the first-person shooter genre with the character development of MMOs. The developer sold Huxley’s Chinese rights to MMO operator The9 for $35 million in February 2007.

NHN USA’s ijji.com portal claims over six million registered gamers. The site hosts a diverse selection of free-to-play online titles, each with optional micro-currency models offering purchasable in-game items. ijji.com currently hosts Gunbound Revolution, Drift City, and Soldier Front.

Said NHN USA CEO Whon Namkoong, “Huxley is one of the most anticipated online games currently in development, and we are very excited to bring the triple-A title to Western audiences. Huxley provides gamers with a unique and compelling experience that gamers everywhere are sure to enjoy. The revolutionary online shooter is a welcome addition to ijji.com, the site where millions of fans can play it later this year.”

[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape.]

This week, our Online World Atlas looks at Gaia Online, from Gaia Interactive. Beginning as a link list for anime fans, Gaia Online has since expanded hugely to feature customizable avatars, an online world with user-owned homes, virtual currency and games, though its core is based around a huge forum, which averages a million posts a day according to some commentators.

Name: Gaia Online

Company: Gaia Interactive

Established: February 2003

How it Works: Gaia Online is experienced on the web through a combination of html, Flash, Java and Shockwave. It requires no installation. Navigation and gameplay are accomplished via mouse and keyboard input.

Overview: Gaia Online community originally solidified around it's forums, and the majority of Gaia Online users still spend most of their time there. However, the site has a massive range of other community options, with customizable avatars and home pages; an online world with towns full of user-owned homes that are just as customizable as the avatars; and games to play (with or against other members of the community).

Payment Method: Gaia Online is free to play, and earns revenue through microtransactions (users can purchase limited-edition items each month, and Gaia Cash), advertising/corporate sponsorship and licensed clothes and accessories.

Key Features:
- Unique avatar with a huge variety of dress-up options
- Customizable home and car for your avatar
- Full social network with a massive forum community
- Games to play with and against other community members
- Items can be bought, sold and traded within the community

Useful Links:
Gaiapedia
Gaia FAQ/Help
Gaia Forums

Hoping to attract players who’ve previously abandoned it MMOs, Sony Online Entertainment has launched a new initiative inviting former EverQuest and EverQuest II players to log back in to the games and play for free until the end of July. Titled Living Legacy, the new program will also feature in-game events, game updates, and more.

Though the free play period lasts only until July 31st, the promotion will run until the end of September. As part of the Living Legacy program, returning EverQuest players will receive the EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer all-in-one compilation and bonus in-game items at no additional cost, while returning EverQuest II players will receive the EverQuest II Rise of Kunark all-in-one compilation and bonus in-game items, also at no charge.

Current EverQuest II players who recruit a friend to play the game and to convert to a valid subscription will receive free gameplay-time added onto their current subscription. The Living Legacy initiative will also offer bonus XP weekends, several live events, new content updates and new zones in EverQuest II.

Sony Online Entertainment plans to support the program with an online and print advertising campaign featuring real EverQuest and EverQuest II players.

Said Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley: “The EverQuest franchise has touched so many lives since the launch of EverQuest in 1999, and with the 10th anniversary of EverQuest just around the corner, we felt it was the best time to give back to all the players who made it the cultural phenomenon it is today. We are grateful for the continued support from our legions of fans and are extremely excited about the groundswell of interest surrounding Living Legacy.”

Capcom and Nickelodeon virtual world division Neopets have announced a partnership to create Neopets Puzzle Adventure (working title), a new puzzle-adventure title for the Wii, DS, and PC.

Scheduled to ship for all three platforms this holiday season, Neopets Puzzle Adventure will be co-developed by Capcom and Infinite Interactive, the studio behind multi-platform hit Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords and other titles in the Warlords franchise.

The Neopets virtual world boasts over 44 million global memberships. Users can care for Petpets, virtual pets, as well as play games and interact with each other through various community features. Free registrations are available for the online world, but users can pay an optional monthly fee for an enhanced experience and premium content.

Neopets Puzzle Adventure’s puzzles will be based on classic board game Reversi, integrating more than 150 customizable Petpet creatures into the experience. Over 300 items, 150 quests and several mini-games, all based on the series’ Neopia setting, will round out the title. Players will also be able to earn codes by achieving certain goals, unlocking exclusive items on the Neopets site.

Said Capcom Entertainment’s senior vice president of licensing Germaine Gioia: “Capcom is working to expand the breadth of our catalog to gamers of all ages in North America and Neopets is a perfect brand for us to bring to casual and family gamers. Combining Capcom’s experience, the rich world of Neopets, and Infinite Interactive’s skills in the puzzle/adventure genre makes a perfect match.”

Mobile gaming solution developer Vollee has launched a free beta application allowing users to access Linden Lab 3D virtual world Second Life through their qualified 3G or Wi-Fi enabled handsets.

Vollee’s technology intelligently adapts applications for screen size and key layout, and then streams the original application to mobile devices. The developer's interactive video streaming platform optimizes compression to minimize bandwidth, allowing gamers to navigate 3D spaces.

After downloading Vollee's client to their handsets and logging in to their existing Second Life, users will be able to look up friends, interact, and communicate online with other avatars in the online world.

Said Linden Lab business development manager Christopher Mahoney, "Vollee offers the perfect Second Life mobile service that brings our virtual world to handsets in a way that is ideal for connecting our Residents. We look forward to the new and exciting ways people will be able to extend their Second Life experience through this new service.”

Following CEO Kaz Hirai promise to deliver Sony's PlayStation 3 social world, Home, "towards the end of the year," PlayStation Network senior director Susan Panico clarified that the service will launch as an "open, working beta," according to technology site Wired.

Previously, the virtual world was scheduled to open in late 2007 before Sony put off its launch to Spring 2008, citing "user feedback" for the delay. Sony later extended the delay again last month to Fall 2008, noting that the company needed to spend more time in development with Home. The service is currently under closed beta testing.

Speaking on Home's eventual public launch, Panico described the planned rollout as "similar to Gmail," Google's free webmail service. Presumably, much like Gmail, which has been in beta since its launch in April 2004, Home will receive content updates and additional features years after the virtual world debuts.

[In this exclusive editorial, Exit Games CEO and president Tom Sperry examines the incorporation of features from MMOs, a genre traditionally limited to PCs and home consoles, into mobile games, creating a mobile complement to the MMO experience.

Already, developers have selected Exit Games' Neutron platform to provide their users MMO content for their mobile phones, as is the case with Abandon and its upcoming virtual world, Freaky Creatures.]

Social networks are thriving, and Massive Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) are leading the way to an increasingly social and connected world. The leading MMO, World of Warcraft, recently surpassed 10 million players, all with a vested interest in the ever spinning fantasy land.

Such persistent worlds continue to pulsate even as the player is away from their PC, and the detached feeling that a gamer typically experiences signifies a void in service offerings. With current revenues in the billions, it’s a void that can be addressed with existing technology and know-how.

Some of the core features that these MMOs have in common include teams of players or “guilds”, text and voice chat, friends lists, auction houses, and even postal services. All of which are familiar territory to mobile technology providers that have experience leveraging different mediums to extend the game and its community.

These features can be applied to platforms beyond just PC-based MMOs and incorporated into games on the mobile phone, representing a huge opportunity to reach a true mass market of gamers.

Abandon Interactive Entertainment recently opened its Freaky Creatures beta registration sign-ups to the public, promising to launch the beta for its virtual pet community this summer, and we talked to President and COO Jamie Ottilie about the company's plans for the title, a cross-platform (both mobile and PC) MMO that requires users to purchase collectible figures with USB drives to begin playing.

Introduce us to Freaky Creatures.

Jamie Ottilie: Freaky Creatures is a cross-platform, massively multiplayer online game that allows players to build customizable creatures and battle them against friends. Players begin with a starter pack that features two collectable action figures and a flash drive that brings the creatures to life online. The initial creatures come with 50 different parts, 20 powers and 4 objects that can be placed into the creature’s lair. The variety of parts and powers will allow players to create more than 3 billion visual combinations. Players can battle other creatures via PC to PC or PC to mobile game play.

Following earlier rumors, Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine has officially announced that it has raised $40 million led by GGV Capital and media company Time Warner, who made special note of "opportunities that exist with our own broad portfolio of IP."

Turbine's release also noted that GGV Capital is "a leader in expansion-stage venture capital investments in the U.S. and China." Additional investments came from existing Turbine investors Highland Capital Partners, Polaris Venture Partners, Tudor Ventures and Columbia Capital.

Time Warner Investments managing director and senior VP Rachel Lam said, "Our investment in Turbine is an important addition to Time Warner's entertainment initiatives. Online interactive entertainment is a huge growth market and we are very excited about Turbine, its unique capabilities and the obvious opportunities that exist with our own broad portfolio of IP."

Turbine’s catalog of subscription-based PC MMO titles include Asheron’s Call, Lord of the Rings Online, and Dungeons & Dragons Online. The company appointed former m-Qube COO Jim Crowley as its new CEO in a round of new executive hires in late 2007.

Said Turbine CEO Jim Crowley, "Turbine has an extraordinary team, incredible technology and a growing portfolio of games based on some of the most popular brands ever created. With this funding we are uniquely positioned to change the future of online entertainment as we bring new titles to market, expand the platforms we support and introduce new technologies to sustain self-evolving game worlds."

Virtual in-game currency marketplace Sparter has announced that it will no longer accept new purchase orders only a year after the company publicly launched its Gamer2Gamer trading platform. Sparter hopes to eventually reinvent itself by shifting its focus to providing develop and publisher-sponsored marketplaces.

Sparter's platform allowed gamers to trade virtual currency, keeping payments in escrow until bot sides approved the trasnfer. The company also provided reliability ratings based on actual transactional data and price charts showing market trends. Its supported MMOs included World of Warcraft, EVE Online, IMVU, MapleStory, and several others.

Though Sparter did not publicly explain its decision to cease operations, it's assumed that its closing was brought about by pressure from developers and publishers, seeing as most virtual worlds actively discourage, if not forbid outright, the buying, selling and trading of virtual money and goods, or any out-of-world RMT (real money transactions).

Said Sparter in a posted notice: "Going forward, we believe the best course for our business is to focus solely on providing marketplaces with the full support of game developers and publishers. To all of the members of the Sparter community, we thank you for your business and support. We continue to believe that open and efficient real-money trade of virtual goods benefits everyone in the gaming ecosystem, and we look forward to creating new solutions with our partners."

Berlin-based MMO developer and operator Metaversum has partnered with Bitfilm to create Bitropolis, a virtual art city in 3d online world Twinity in which users can attend a virtual version of the Bitfilm Digital Film Festival.

The festival, which is running from May 1st to July 12th, celebrates films which use digital technology in creative and innovative ways, such as 3D blockbusters, internet flash movies, machinima, or short clips for mobile devices.

Bitropolis will encompass a cinema, art gallery, night club, and bar, the last location allowing visitors to gather for virtual drinks after films. Filmmakers and 3D artists can rent their own "studio cube" and host special film screenings or other events. The studio cubes will be scattered throughout the Bitroplis cinema, which will be showing all of the nominated festival films.

Said Metaversum co-founder and chief marketing officer Dr. Mirko Caspar: “Bitropolis is a wonderful example of the vision that we are pursuing with the virtual world Twinity. Real events, such as the Bitfilm Festival in Stuttgart and Hamburg, are given a whole new dimension when they are transferred into a virtual world. We thus enable users from all around the world to take part in the festival and experience the best featured films,” comments Dr. Mirko Caspar, CMO of Metaversum GmbH.

France-based Ankama Studio has announced the closed beta launch of its upcoming tactical MMORPG, Wakfu. Scheduled to release in Q4 2008, this Java sequel to Flash-based MMORPG Dofus is entering its final development stage.

Wakfu allows players to create and customize characters to send into turn-based battles. Significant additions in the follow-up include the absence of non-player characters, a political system with appointed player-governors, and new customization options.

This first version of the Wakfu beta features only five of the twelve character classes. Players can register for a chance to be chosen for the beta on the game's official site. Closed beta access keys will also be distributed on partner websites where contests will be organized.

The beta follows Ankama's April announcement detailing a partnership with subsidiary and mobile entertainment provider Kalmeo to release DofusPocket this summer, a mobile version of Dofus. Ankama has had success merchandising the Dofus series and has produced two other spin-off properties, Dofus Arena and Wakfu.

With the recent launch of our new Worlds In Motion Job Board as a standalone board complete, complete with its own RSS feed and unique URL, every week, we will be higlighting the latest posted jobs relevant to our readership of professionals creating online worlds.

The listings cover a wide range of companies and open positions, so everyone seeking jobs in the MMO/online/virtual world industry should find the board useful.

- L5 Games (San Mateo, CA)
MMO Programmer / Senior
("Recently founded in San Mateo, CA, L5 Games is the primary development arm for Gravity Interactive, a subsidiary of Gravity Co. based in Seoul, South Korea. The company is comprised of game industry leaders who have been the heart and soul of creating many critically-acclaimed games world wide. L5 Games has a charter to bring current and new high-quality entertainment products to market.")

- Mattel, Inc. (El Segundo, CA)
Executive Producer, Virtual Worlds and Online Play
("Turbine Inc. is the largest privately-held online game studio in North America. Turbine is working on several massive franchises including Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings. We are looking for a select group of talented individuals to join our team.")

- Octopi (Tucson, AZ)
Pixel Artist, Database Administrator, Texture Artist, Senior 3D Modeler, Senior Game Designer
("Octopi is the developer of PoxNora, a leading online collectible strategy game. We are growing our staff in order to expand the world of PoxNora, as well as begin production on several new exciting game titles. We offer a casual work environment, comprehensive benefits and competitive salary.")

- Turbine Inc. (Westwood, MA)
Senior Console Engineer - PS3 or XBOX 360, Senior Graphics Software Engineer
("Vivox is the premiere provider of voice services to online games and virtual worlds. Recently named the winner of the 2007 Game Developer Magazine Frontline Award for Best Audio Tool, Vivox delivers voice communications to some of the industry’s leading studios, including CCP Games, Linden Lab, NCsoft Corp., Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. Today, the Vivox Network supports millions of users in more than 180 countries.")

- Vivox, Inc. (Framingham, MA)
Community Manager
("Vivox is the premiere provider of voice services to online games and virtual worlds. Recently named the winner of the 2007 Game Developer Magazine Frontline Award for Best Audio Tool, Vivox delivers voice communications to some of the industry’s leading studios, including CCP Games, Linden Lab, NCsoft Corp., Sony Online Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. Today, the Vivox Network supports millions of users in more than 180 countries.")

- Walt Disney Internet Group (Burbank, CA)
Lead Mobile Artist (mDisney), Software Engineer (mDisney)
("WDIG is an industry leader in online virtual worlds for kids and families, with offerings including Disney’s Club Penguin, Disney’s Toontown Online and the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Disney Fairies. Additionally, WDIG’s Disney Mobile phone service is the first comprehensive mobile phone service with applications specifically developed to meet the needs of kids and parents. WDIG, which is headquartered in North Hollywood, Calif., has operations in Asia-Pacific, Europe and across the Americas.")

As a reminder, once you've paid to post your job on Gamasutra, it's absolutely free to cross-post that job to any of Gamasutra's sister sites - including WorldsInMotion.biz!

Worlds In Motion will continue to highlight the online worlds-related jobs posted at our new standalone Worlds In Motion Job Board, every week.

[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape.]

Gaia Online began as a linklist for anime fans, and has since expanded hugely to feature customizable avatars, an online world with user-owned homes, virtual currency and games. Its core is still based around a huge forum (which averages a million posts a day according to some commentators), but let's take a look at its MMO aspects.

Speaking as part of an in-depth Gamasutra analysis of subscriptions versus alternatives for the MMO/online game market, EA Mythic's Mark Jacobs has suggested that it's "very disingenuous when publishers talk about how many people are playing their game but won't talk about how much money they're making."

Jacobs is general manager and VP of the Electronic Arts-owned developer of subscription MMO Dark Age Of Camelot and the upcoming, similarly subscription-based Warhammer Online, and particularly notes on the subject of alternative revenue streams for online games:

"You know, everyone thinks it's just so cool to say that the subscription model is passé, that it's dead... They love to talk about their new models and how they are going to revolutionize the MMOG world. But MMOG publishers are spending a lot more on their games than anyone thought they'd be spending five years ago.

But if you're investing as much time and money as we are on our MMOGs, if you need to pay for the servers and the customer support, if you want to make a real profit on your game, subscriptions are the only way to go."

The Walt Disney Company is merging two of its divisions, the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), its digital media unit behind Disney.com and Club Penguin, and Disney Interactive Studios (DIS), its video gaming unit behind Nintendo DS online world DGamer, according to an internal memo sent by Disney CEO Bob Iger and posted by PaidContent.

The new unit, labeled Disney Interactive Media Group, will be led by WDIG president Steve Wadsworth and will have global responsibility for developing and distributing "all Disney-branded interactive digital media and entertainment for all digital interactive platforms." Existing management teams from both units will continue to opera in the combined group.

The move to merge the two divisions was attributed to the company's desire to create "a unified Disney-branded experience and community across all connected devices." Disney believes the integration of WDIG and DIS' activities comes at a timely point when console and handheld games are becoming more and more connected to the internet, and more users are looking to the internet and mobile devices for games and interactive entertainment.

Said Iger: "Digital media is a high priority for our company, and focusing all of our Disney-branded interactive digital media efforts in one group will ensure we are best positioned to maximize this emerging and dynamic opportunity. We have made fantastic progress through the efforts of Disney Internet Group and Disney Interactive Studios, and the combined organization will maximize the experience, expertise and talent of both groups across all platforms to be a world-class interactive digital media company."

In a report forecasting virtual world adoption, research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics has predicted that 22% of global broadband users will have registered for one or more virtual worlds, resulting in a one billion registrant market with an eight billion dollar services opportunity.

The study, "Market Forecasts for Virtual World Experiences," indicates that online worlds represent a massive activity growin in Asia, North and South America, and Europe. Though the report shows that most teens services, such as Sulake's Habbo Hotel, focus on attracting children and teens, Strategy Analytics noted that virtual worlds for adults are emerging as well.

Said Strategy Analytics president Harvey Cohen, "Despite a multitude of challenges, virtual worlds present a unique marketing opportunity to target a highly sought demographic, and virtual worlds should be part of a company's marketing portfolio."

In a strange interview with The Times Online, Electronic Arts label The Sims' president Nancy Smith discussed the company's plans to expand community features in The Sims games, hinting that an online element "could be of interest" to the series' fan base. She added that the game's producer would consider it, as they are "constantly exploring new kinds of content and experiences.

Of course, EA already launched the exact solution Smith claims that the studio will consider, The Sims Online, in 2002. The virtual world was rebranded as EA-Land and switched to a free-subscription model in February of this year, several months before Electronic Arts announced that it would be closing the community on August 1st, 2008.

Discussing another potential virtual world experience for The Sims, Smith hinted that the franchise would explore new revenue models, including sponsorship and selling virtual goods.

Smith also predicted that the label's future products would require players to buy and install software to play, contrary to online worlds played entirely through users' web browsers, such as Club Penguin and Habbo Hotel. She explained that the game's complex graphics and tools were too complicated to manage within a browser.

Said Smith: "Micro-transactions will be important, but I think people will continue to pay [a one-off fee] for client software. If you think about the hours of entertainment people get from interactive entertainment, you'll find that software is enormously well-priced. I don't think we're experiencing price ceilings just yet."

Silicon Valley-based online publisher Aeria Games has launched its closed beta for free-to-play game Stone Age 2, a "relaxed MMORPG" targeted at Kids.

Set in prehistoric times, Stone Age 2 allows players to roam dungeons and deserts, decorate personal home dens, form guilds, capture cute dinosaur pets, and raise the dinosaurs to fight primeval threats. Players can duel with other gamers and their creatures by building up their team with a combination of over 200 dinosaur species.

As with Aeria's other free-to-play titles, Stone Age 2 will like feature an optional, in-game store which offers custom outfits and other goods in exchange for Aeria points, the publisher's purchasable currency for all of its free-to-play MMOGs.

Ad agency Tribal DDB CEO Matt Freeman has resigned from his Omnicom Group position to work as CEO at online ad network GoFish, according to advertising news site Ad Week. Paul Gunning, formerly president of Tribal DDB East, who take over Freeman's position as CEO of Tribal DDB.

Based in San Francisco, GoFish is the exclusive brand advertising partner for its network of youth-focused sites, including WeeWorld, Magi-Nation: Battle for the Moonlands, Whyville, and other properties targeting the six- to seventeen-year-old demographic and their co-viewing parents. The company launched its youth-targeted online media network in February and signed several new publishers in Q1 2008, now boasting 66 million users per month for its network.

Handpicked to head the Omnicom Group's digital arm, Freeman helped build Tribal DDB Worldwide towards a 40% annual growth rate. The company's clients include Pepsi, Johnson & Johnson, and McDonald's.

Said Freeman: "What attracted me to [GoFish] is I saw all the other ad networks are chasing CPC and direct-marketing dollars. Their average user engagement is five times [that of] the other ad networks. I saw an opportunity for an ad net that focuses on brand advertising."

Publisher Funcom has announced that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has shipped over one million copies after less than three weeks since the PC game's debut in the U.S. and Europe, marking its launch as "the biggest MMO launch since World of Warcraft."

This announcement follows Funcom's recent first quarter financial results, which made it clear that future profits depended almost entirely on the game’s successful launch and long term success.

Since Age of Conan's release, the game has topped sales charts across the western world, including the U.S., Germany, France, and the UK. To meet demand, Funcom's retail partner is now re-supplying retail boxes rapidly while also sending units to new markets.

In the U.S., Age of Conan has has already passed its 500,000 shipped mark. FunCom claims that over 8 million unique visitors from over 200 countries have visited its Age of Conan websites so far in 2008. Already, 800,00 members have signed up for its official Clan of Conan fan club.

Said Funcom's Sales and Marketing vice president Morten Larssen: “Sales data shows that Age of Conan is the biggest MMO launch since World of Warcraft. The numbers are very promising, and we are very proud to be one of the fastest selling PC games ever in a launch month and the biggest simultaneous Europe/US MMO launch in history.”

[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape. You can view Part 1 of our investigation here, and Part 2 here.]

First a linklist for anime fans, now a social network and MMO with a massive community – Gaia Online has come a long way across its history, but has it been for the best? Our conclusions after the jump.

With the 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference coming this September 15-17 and registrations now open for the Austin, Texas event - which includes both 'Online Gaming' tracks and a special Worlds In Motion Summit for businesspeople and brands looking to get into virtual worlds, it's time to continue highlighting a few of the already-announced lectures:

- This time round, we can confirm the first - and very neat - keynote for the Worlds In Motion Summit at Austin: Dunder Mifflin Infinity: A Case Study in Using Game Mechanics to Drive Community Behavior. NBC.com's SVP of Digital Development and general manager Stephen Andrade joins Bunchball CEO Rajat Paharia to discuss their success driving user behavior and increasing engagement with Dunder Mifflin Infinity, NBC's a social networking and user-generated content site for fans of TV show The Office. This is the kind of differentiated business-specific content we're providing for WiM that should make it very worthwhile.

- Elsewhere in the Online track at AGDC, Rebel Monkey president and co-founder Nick Fortugno (the co-creator of Diner Dash) is holding a valuable session on design strategies gleaned from successful casual MMOs and how they can be applied to all kinds of online games. The talk, titled What Your Mother and Your Ten-Year Old Can Teach You About MMOs, is intended for anyone looking to expand their online game's reach to less hardcore, less game savvy players and make their games more accessible.

- On the more technical end, NCSoft client technology lead Rusty Koonce will present Postmortem: Deferred Shading in Tabula Rasa as part of the Online track, an in-depth look at deferred shading in an MMO client, using MMORPG Tabula Rasa as a reference. The lecture will cover a wide range of lessons useful to programmers and technical directors, including cost and benefits, implementation details, and performance/scalability/compatibility.

For more information, including a number of other key already debuted lectures that we'll be highlighting weekly here on WorldsInMotion.biz, alongside further new Worlds In Motion Summit/online keynote specifics as they happen, check out the official Austin GDC 2008 website.