MTV, formerly known as a music video channel, has announced German and Asian partnerships with 10Tacle Studios to create a virtual world. The "music" network already has substantial proof of concept in this space, having successfully brought two of its properties - Virtual Laguna Beach and Virtual Hills - to the There.com platform. Does this signal a move away from the Makena Technology company?
From the release:
Starting in 2008, the multi-user 3D online world will give Internet users access to, among other things, the classic content offered by the MTV Group, while offering a large number of online games. 10TACLE STUDIOS AG, Europe's largest developer and producer of high-end computer and video games, will handle the technical implementation and operation of the multi-user 3D online world. MTV, whose popular content is available on all platforms relevant to its target groups, such as TV, online, broadband and mobile, will be responsible for target group communication and the editorial preparation of the content.
Another company which has invested impressive time and energy into their own virtual platform is IBM, whose internal 3D space has produced, among other things, a series of guidelines for virtual world behaviour.
Intriguing. But virtual world historians may argue that we've seen it all before.
