Metaplace Closing January 1, 2010
Metaplace, the 2-D isometric virtual world platform by Raph Koster, received sad news earlier today when an announcement went online saying that the game would be shutting down on January 1st, 2010.
While Metaplace wasn't comparable in appearance to other modern titles, it was notable for its strident attempts at democratizing virtual worlds (Raph Koster wrote an "Avatar's Bill of Rights" years ago that served as the blueprint for his intended relationship between the company and its users) and its accessibility; Metaplace itself can be accessed on anything that has Flash installed and can connect to the internet, meaning anyone on netbooks to desktops to mobile phones can sign in.
Unfortunately, despite its ambitious goals and scope, the project failed to get any real financial traction that made it viable.
Over the last several years, we here at Metaplace Inc. have been working very hard to create an open platform allowing anyone to come to a website and create a virtual world of their own. Unfortunately, over the last few months it has become apparent that Metaplace as a consumer UGC service is not gaining enough traction to be a viable product, requiring a strategic shift for our company. We're sorry to announce today that Metaplace.com will be closing to the public at 11:59pm on January 1st, 2010.
Metaplace, Inc., the company, will still continue following said strategic shift. In the meantime billing has been suspended for existing VIP customers and December has been refunded for those customers who've already paid. Its last day will host a huge party starting noon PST, celebrating Metaplace's good experiences instead of the closure itself.
The official announcement is here, as well as an official FAQ. Both links require an active Metaplace subscription to access.
mixvio
Posted to Hot Stuff, MMOs on 22 December 2009
Other stuff like this: closing, metaplace, raph koster, virtual worlds
