Virtual world platform publisher RocketOn—a venture-funded startup located in San Francisco—has announced it is rolling out its virtual world platform by layering "virtual stores" across the Web.

Users who browse the web via the RocketOn "parallel virtual world" can encounter these virtual stores which can be hair salons, clothing stores, costume shops or other locations which can offer virtual goods for RocketOn users' avatars.

The virtual goods are sold for real money as well as points that users earn by using RocketOn.

"We view the Web as a virtual landscape that's now undergoing a real estate boom," says Steven Hoffman, cofounder and CEO of RocketOn. "A few years from now, we'll have tens of thousands of virtual stores and objects placed all across cyberspace, so every location you think of as a major destination will also have a corresponding virtual environment waiting to be explored and experienced."

Seems like we missed this when it was announced a few days ago—OnNet USA has announced that its free-to-play title Manga Fighter (on the GamesCampus portal) is now going to allows non-paying players to earn "Don" (the world's in-game, micro-transaction credit) through in-game achievements, meaning they'll be able to purchase items in the game's item mall without having to spend real money.

The promotion lasts until the end of March, and Don can be earned by playing matches, allowing them to purchase previously paying-player only items such as guns, melee weapons, throwing weapons, launcher weapons and skill cards.

"The free-to-play micro-transaction model is sometimes criticized for not providing a level playing field for both non-paying and paying players," said David Chang, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Gamescampus.com. "We wanted to offer the opportunity to allow Manga Fighter players who do not have the means to spend real money on these items, a chance to earn them through their gameplay.''

Middleware developer BabelFlux LLC says online game company Trion World Network has licensed its NavPower AI solution for multiple upcoming titles.

NavPower provides AI pathfinding and motion planning technology for both PC and console platforms. It includes an auto-generation library and a runtime engine that automates stitching of hundreds of meshes for large open worlds.

Trion says the solution minimizes additional work by its content team, making it valuable in the creation of their server-based games. Specifically, Trion aims to publish and develop games as "dynamic broadband service."

"We are thrilled that Trion selected NavPower to help deliver on the promise of creating a new generation of server-based interactive entertainment," says BabelFlux CEO David Miles. "Trion provides another great example of a AAA customer using NavPower to push the boundaries of the videogame experience."

[The preceding article by Leigh Alexander also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Epic Games China has announced the Atlas Technology MMO suite, an extension of Unreal Engine 3's functionality focused on supporting persistent online games.

The Paul Meegan-headed Chinese division of Epic is currently using Atlas Technology for its unannounced projects, and has also been in private evaluation for a year, licensed by developers in North America, Europe and Asia, according to the firm.

Atlas Technology is intended to be a pre-integrated online game development solution for Unreal Engine 3 licensees, aimed at saving them the time and money involved in adapting third-party persistent server solutions or building proprietary server apps.

Epic Games China itself was most recently in the news for the establishment of Seattle-based Titan Studios, whose core team previously operated as Darkstar Industries and most recently unveiled Fat Princess, a PlayStation Network-exclusive game slated for 2009.

According to information released at the time, Titan Studios is currently helping on several unannounced Unreal Engine 3-based projects, including a massively multiplayer online game, presumably also using Atlas tech.

"UE3 is already a proven and powerful MMO engine,” says Epic Games China CEO Paul Meegan. "With Atlas Technology, we’re now providing a purpose built solution that takes care of a lot of the heavy lifting and Unreal client modification.

[The preceding article by Leigh Alexander also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Pioneering MMO EverQuest reaches its ten-year anniversary today, with publisher Sony Online Entertainment holding a number of upcoming in-game and real-world events in celebration.

The game was released on March 16, 1999, and was developed by the Verant Interactive label of now-effectively-defunct Sony subsidiary 989 Studios. One of the first major graphical massively multiplayer online games, it has had a significant impact on the genre.

Largely because the graphical MMO segment is a relatively young one, few other games have hit the decade milestone. Origin Systems' Ultima Online reached ten years of service in 1997, and the arguable first modern graphical MMO Meridian 59 did so in 2006 (albeit with a period of downtime as it switched from original publisher 3DO to the current Near Death Studios).

Gamasutra recently conducted an interview with SOE president John Smedley about the history of the franchise, revealing that the title is "still very profitable" for the Sony division, even after a decade.

"This year marks a major milestone for SOE and the entire interactive entertainment industry," said SOE president John Smedley, instrumental in the original development of EverQuest and credited as one of its co-creators. "While it was hard work and a dedicated vision that brought EQ to fruition, without our loyal fans, EQ would not be the game that it is today."

The company is hosting a number of in-game events this week in EverQuest and the embedded collectible card game Legends of Norrath, and has planned a number of celebratory activities for this year's SOE Fan Faire, to be held June 25 to 28 in Las Vegas.

[The preceding article by Chris Remo also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Independent developer Turbine, Inc. has tapped Jan Roberts Horsfall as its first chief marketing officer, the company said today.

The Westwood, Massachusetts-based MMO-focused studio created the new role to manage Turbine's brand and "oversee all consumer and partnership marketing initiatives."

Founded in 1994, Turbine currently develops and operates three online games: Asheron's Call, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach, and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

"Turbine has built an amazing brand experience with strong global recognition and incredible good will," said Horsfall in a statement.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to build upon the company's strong reputation. The clear goal is to understand our consumer’s values in light of the constant technology and creative innovation which Turbine is known for, and then lead the team that is integrating these brand experiences into our consumers' lives."

Before joining Turbine, Horsfall founded and served as CEO of Gelazzi, White Summit Strategies, and Gemini Voice Solutions. He also claims to be a gaming enthusiast, with a particular interest in online communities.

[The preceding article by Chris Remo also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Developer Tilted Mill Entertainment has announced that its browser-based MMO strategy title Immortal Cities: Nile Online has now gone live after a four month beta.

Nile Online is free-to-play and features an ancient Egyptian setting where players begin by building a single city, harvesting local resources and turning them into goods and structures, so they can conduct trade with their neighbors along the Nile. Players can expand their empire to include several cities, and build monuments to become the Pharaoh.

“We are very proud of the innovations we have brought to this genre” said Chris Beatrice, president of Tilted Mill Entertainment. “With a consistent setting, the ability to win, and no un-earned advantages, we think of this as a social Strategy game that happens to be played in a browser.”

EYA Interactive has announced that Titan Online, its free-to-play MMORPG is to enter into a limited public beta, with the title to be fully released later this spring.

As we've mentioned before, Titan Online is an "epic title based on traditional Asian culture", Titan Online is based on the Korean novel Mo Siang. Though a Korean, the novel and game are set in ancient China, where players are to "experience historic Chinese locales and meet influential figures from various dynasties."

New to the beta, players can create African American and Caucasian avatars, and in-game and forum events are to be held for players.

“This new milestone will contain quite a bit of additional game content including more quests, and various labyrinths and dungeons,” said Han Joo Lee, EYA Interactive’s global service manager. “With all the new players in the game for the limited public beta, the experience will be much more interactive and users will really get a feel for the commercial version; especially playing with group skills like formation in a party or guild battles.”

Today, Conduit Labs launched the public beta of Loudcrowd, its online music game-social networking hybrid.

Developed by a staff with a mixed web and game development background, Loudcrowd hopes to blend the social aspects of a music site like Pandora or Last.fm with the gameplay appeal of a Rock Band -- while leveraging the design concepts behind hardcore MMOs, Conduit Labs' CEO Nabeel Hyatt says.

"I would call it more of a music games channel than I would a single game," says Hyatt. While the Loudcrowd dance game is a "a very quick 30-60 seconds" of gameplay, according to Hyatt, "the DJ game has a competitive leaderboard mode similar to the way you might be competitive in Rock Band or Guitar Hero or any Xbox Live game."

Tracks from artists like Cut Copy, Santigold and The Twelves are included, and special items can be unlocked and stored with the player's persistent character. While there is no navigable virtual world in this version of the game, players can network and exchange info, tracks, and playlists. The game will support microtransactions for both music tracks and character items.

New massively multiplayer online game publisher and developer Gazillion Entertainment has emerged from stealth mode, revealing its ownership of formerly independent MMO studios including NetDevil and Slipgate Ironworks, and announcing it has signed a worldwide agreement with Marvel Entertainment to make a MMO based on the Marvel Comics universe.

At one point, Microsoft planned to publish a Marvel MMO, but the project was cancelled early last year for still unspecified reasons. Developed by City of Heroes creator Cryptic Studios, the game formed the basis of the forthcoming Champions Online.

The new title from Gazillion will be developed by wholly owned Californian studio Gargantuan, which was founded this year. Little else is known about the developer or the game, which is not due until after 2010.

The first game to result from Gazillion's 10-year licensed deal will be the more child-friendly Marvel Super Hero Squad in 2010, by Washington State developer Amazing Society. As with other Marvel video games, the MMO will be licensed separately to the previously announced Super Hero Squad game from THQ.

Privately-held Gazillion, previously known as NR2B Research, has a number of separate development studios under its wings. According to VentureBeat, the company acquired Lego Universe developer NetDevil back in 2008.

Gazillion’s other wholly owned studios include Slipgate Ironworks, founded by original id Software designer John Romero. First announced in 2006, the San Francisco-area Slipgate is working on an unrevealed MMO using an original intellectual property.

The final studio under Gazillion's wing is SmartyCard, whose eponymous online educational game offers virtual rewards to children from sources such as iTunes, Webkinz, Stardoll and Bella Sara. That technology is expected to be used across multiple Gazillion titles.

[The preceding article by David Jenkins also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

New York-based Rebel Monkey has launched its casual web-based MMO CampFu, as well as the Monkey Wrench platform on which it runs.

CampFu had been running in beta form since February, racking up some 30,000 players. The free-to-play game allows players to join teams and participate in cooperative challenges, as well as purchase in-game items.

The Monkey Wrench platform itself forms the backbone of the game's social community, and powers numerous games within CampFu including FunGeez, WordMob, Critter Smackdown, and Veg-Out. Its APIs are not yet available to outside developers, but the company plans to allow externally-created games to plug into CampFu once Monkey Wrench is released more broadly.

"Monkey Wrench makes CampFu possible -- allowing for rapid, scalable and cost-effective deployment of real-time multiplayer content," said CEO Margaret Wallace.

"We've taken care of all the technical heavy-lifting and intend to make the Monkey Wrench application programming interface available to developers for launching their own co-op games on CampFu."

[The preceding article by Chris Remo also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Perfect World Entertainment, the publisher behind Chinese mythology based MMORPG Perfect World International has announced that the beta for Ether Saga Online is now an open beta.

Based on the frequently-referenced literary classic, Journey to the West, Ether Saga Online is to be a free-to-play, microtransaction-supported title with a "youthful anime style," and is due to officially launch later this spring.

The title includes features such as an "integrated quest/navigation system", three races, six classes, pets, crafting, clans, alliance and a variety of skill and reputation systems.

“The initial response to Ether Saga Online has been very enthusiastic and we are excited to officially open the game world to an even larger audience of gamers,” said Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment. “We are encouraged by the growing popularity of our free-to-play model and the greater level of customization it offers for both traditional MMORPG gamers and for those players that are new to the genre.”

Browser-based 3D gaming platform InstantAction announced that it acquired the IP for the entire Starsiege Universe, and plans to release an updated, web-based version of the original Tribes game.

Developer and middleware provider GarageGames, which founded the InstantAction platform, obtained the Starsiege IP, including the entire Tribes online first-person shooter PC series, from Activision/Vivendi late last year.

GarageGames itself was founded by key personnel from now-defunct Dynamix, the original studio behind the Tribes games. The company's connection to the Starsiege brand was made even more evident with InstantAction's release of Fallen Empire: Legions last year, a first-person shooter that many saw as a spiritual successor to Tribes and that was developed by a number of Tribes veterans.

InstantAction intends to demonstrate a browser-based version of Starsiege: Tribes, which was originally released for PC in 1998, at next week's Game Developers Conference. It also says it has the game's source code, enabling it to update the title with bug fixes.

The resurrected title, however, will not feature new graphics. "This is the same Tribes that fans will remember, and newcomers will see what jetpacks are all about," says a representative on the company's weblog.

A build for the updated Tribes game will be distributed through its site, but will still be playable as a standalone game, notes InstantAction.

[The preceding article by Eric Caoili also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Multiplayer online development services provider Exit Games has announced Photon, a multiplayer development engine for PC, browser, Mac and mobile devices including iPhone and Android.

Exit says Photon is geared for the development of games that let players compete against one another in real time, and the first Photon-developed game is Cmune's Paradise Paintball, a browser-based 3D multiplayer shooter also available on Facebook.

Photon comes with multiple platform SDKs including Flash, Windows, .NET, Unity3D, Android and iPhone, among others, notably recently adding support for Unity 3D. It features a purely C-based core engine and Exit Games' Neutron 5.0 managed service for connectivity features.

"Photon is absolutely unique in the market, and delivers an affordable, easy-to-use experience to developers," says Exit Games CTO Chris Wegmann. "Most of the commercial network middleware services are either difficult to use, or are based on technology which is not the natural choice for many game developers."

"What makes Photon so unique is its second-to-none platform support, the purely C-based core engine which, quite simply, delivers the best performance while also being easily expandable using C#/.NET."

[The preceding article by Leigh Alexander also appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]