MTV's Jeff Yapp chatted about the media giant's future musings on virtual worlds at the recent Under the Radar Digital Entertainment and Media Conference in Mountain View, CA. "The scale and the scope of this thing is absolutely immense; we have fairly ambitious plans," Yapp said, amid footage of Doppelganger's Virtual Lower East Side and MTV's Virtual Laguna Beach being synthesized as mobile, web, and TV content. "We believe in 'one avatar, one world'; the ability to take your avatar-- that personality, that 3D representation of who you are-- anywhere you want to go." Check out the video at CNet (for all you gamers, there's Rock Band stuff, too!).

Yapp's presentation was a keynote separate from the virtual worlds group presentations at Under the Radar, where Doppelganger and Kaneva were the highlights. During the panel, Doppelganger (Virtual LES) CEO Tim Stevens said their service currently has 150,000 users, growing at a rate of 10% weekly. Kaneva, whose 3D social networking site just went public beta in April, said that despite its resemblance to MySpace and its ilk, it sees its primary competitor as television and movies-- go figure. Both of these companies glean their primary income from sponsorship and the sale of virtual goods.

Another participant in the group was Meez, an avatar specialist. Through Meez's website, users can design custom avatars that can then be exported to other services. Photobucket members, through a recent partnership with Meez, can now export and store their 3D avatars on Meez. Despite having 2 million registered users (and 425,000 newcomers each month) to Photobucket's considerably larger estimated 40 million, Meez apparently gets enough revenue from sponsorship, virtual goods, and their associated promo partnerships to be able to pull it off.

Finally, founder Corey Bridges discussed Multiverse, an MMO development platform that runs in a "world browser" (according to Bridges, that's like a web browser) and can be used by anyone to make their own online games. Multiverse is the platform University of Indiana prof Ted Castronova is using to build Arden, his MacArthur-funded Shakespearean world. In a round of fundraising led by hedge fund Sterling Stamos Capital Management, Multiverse recently snagged $4.175 million.

[Via Webware.com]

Kaneva has launched a free in-world casual game called Dance Party 3D. They describe it as a social experience, a multiplayer dance game with dance battles, competition and a build-your-own-nightclub feature. Interestingly, Kaneva claims the number of users Dance Party 3D can support for gameplay and socializing is unlimited.

It also promises over 55 million possible options for avatar customizability, with new fashions available daily. Avatars teleport into one of the two new Kaneva clubs created to feature the game, or into one of the of Dance Party 3D Clubs created by Kaneva members. Once inside a Dance Party 3D club, players step onto the dance floor to start battling other players -- or, they can simply watch, chat with others and cheer on their friends.

User-created establishments, where users design the club layout and DJ their own music, can move up the leaderboards based on ratings from other users

Additionally, Kaneva’s also selling a series of four "collector" game cards in retail outlets in $10 and $25 denominations. The cards can be redeemed for immediate access to the game and unlock extra virtual dance gear exclusive to the cards and, in the $25 denomination, bonus credits that can be used to buy more virtual items in Kaneva.

Kaneva’s Dance Party 3D is free to join and play. It’s the first game to support an unlimited number of players for game play and socializing, along with the added ability to explore a growing 3D world with thousands of virtual homes and hangouts. ribe

“Kaneva’s 3D virtual world is full of fun, friends and exciting entertainment,” said Christopher Klaus, founder and CEO of Kaneva. “Today’s launch of Dance Party 3D is an expansion of our community’s love to connect, dance, compete, share music and build cool clubs.”

Turner Broadcasting's Products Group has signed a one-year deal with Kaneva to extend its entertainment properties into virtual worlds, reports Online Media Daily. Each Turner Web property will have its own space within Kaneva, and video players will broadcast Turner content.

Under the terms of the agreement, Turner will get access to Kaneva's technology, enabling it to use and create its own Kaneva spaces. "Through this opportunity, we hope to leverage the Kaneva platform to explore how users interact with our brands in a virtual world," said Blake Lewin, vice president for TBS Inc.'s New Products Group. "

"Turner is an ideal flagship media partner for Kaneva," said Christopher Klaus, founder and CEO of Kaneva. "Turner's high-quality programming and credibility is synergistic with our unique focus on delivering entertainment to the masses inside a virtual world. As a result of this partnership, we will provide entirely new ways for audiences to watch, participate and interact around their favorite TV programming."

[Via Online Media Daily]

Kaneva, which claims 750,000 users at present, recently launched a free in-world casual game called Dance Party 3D. They've describe it as a social experience, a multiplayer dance game with dance battles, competition and a build-your-own-nightclub feature. Additionally, Kaneva will be making available prepaid cards worth Kaneva credits in Target stores. Worlds in Motion spoke to the Kaneva team, including Jon Hannah, the senior game producer for Dance Party 3D, and Kaneva founder and CEO Christopher Klaus.

How did the idea for Dance Party 3D come about?

Hannah: The idea first came about because we were looking to extend the gameplay in the world of Kaneva. But we also wanted something that allowed players to connect and share their media in the world, just as they do on the Kaneva web site. We also knew from our community that dancing was one of the most popular and well-liked activities inside the World of Kaneva and we wanted to extend it further. We realized that a 3D dancing game would be a great way to create fun gameplay while also allowing players to customize their avatars, their music, and their world through the game.

Dance Party 3D is a lot more than just a dance game -- it's a true MMO game inside an immersive 3D world. It takes the whole idea of collaboration on the web and puts it into a 3D world. It supports unlimited number of players for simultaneous play through instancing Players can also create their own dance clubs using whatever theme and music they want. You can create a country dance club one day and then change it to a punk rock club the next day. The variety of clubs already in Kaneva is astounding! The game is also part of a larger virtual world and includes the ability for people to socialize during the game through 3D chat, be a spectator and explore the many other places inside the World of Kaneva.

How does Dance Party 3D's dancing system allow players to differentiate themselves from other players?

Hannah: Players get better dances the better they are at the game. So if a player is doing really well, they'll perform cooler moves more frequently. In the near future we're adding the ability to earn unique clothing, animations, titles, and trophies for playing Dance Party 3D. So a player could be walking in the Kaneva Mall or the city wearing a really cool shirt that they won from playing Dance Party 3D. The best dancers in the World of Kaneva will definitely stand out from the crowd.

Can players 'practice their moves' anywhere in Kaneva just for fun, or is this mini-game only playable on the dance floors of Dance Party 3D?

Hannah: Players can place a dance floor in their Kaneva home or hangout if they want to practice. Many players take it a step further and create their own dance clubs with their own music and invite others to play Dance Party 3D with them. That's one of the really unique aspects of Dance Party 3D, the whole thing takes place inside the virtual world. You can design your own dance club, use you own music, and host dance competitions. You can play Dance Party 3D in a different dance club every virtually every night. You aren't limited to the spaces we've created, although they're fun to dance in as well.

Could you talk a bit about the "Prepaid Party Cards" that you'll be making available at Target stores, and what they will be used for?

Hannah: The Dance Party 3D cards allow players to get credits without having to use a credit card. Credits can be used to purchase all kinds of things in the world from clothing to televisions. The cards also give your avatar unique dance clothing that you can only get by redeeming a Dance Party 3D card.

Of the nearly 750,000 registered members of Kaneva, can you say roughly what percentage of those members log in regularly?

Klaus: While we're in beta, we are seeing our activity growing, users staying longer, people spending more time inside the world of Kaneva. At this stage, we believe there's a large opportunity to improve the overall Kaneva experience to further make an intuitive and immersive experience for all users.

What is Kaneva's strategy to compete with the other personalization-focused social worlds, and what sets it apart?

Klaus: Our strategy is to build the best modern day 3D world that reflects entertainment, hanging out with friends and having a good time. We are the number one most integrated media virtual world in the market. We've simplified integrating in video, music, photos, live TV channels, along with content and spaces from strong partners like Turner. Turner provides a full TBS headquarters experience that captures their shows in a 3D community. We are the first to bring social networking tightly architected into a social entertainment world where navigating and managing your friends and hangouts has been drastically simplified.

What kind of things can we expect in the near future for Kaneva?

Klaus: We initially focused on building out spaces inside our Kaneva world, and now have many places for people to meet friends and socialize such as cafes, clubs, theaters, malls and stores. In the near future, we are significantly expanding these locations to provide a comprehensive full world that includes both inside and outside locations. The outside represents a much more contiguous experience from place to place and allows for exploration beyond just simple 3D chat rooms. We are extending the outside spaces to go from full cities to fields to beaches and even private islands.

How do you see the state of virtual worlds in general right now?

Klaus: We believe we are in the infancy of this exciting new industry and are excited about the many opportunities to innovate and bring humanity together in ways that several years ago would only have seemed like science fiction!

[Patrick Murphy contributed to this report.]