[MUD-Dev] Democratizing MMOs - new business model

[chris klaus]

Hello,

Looking for feedback on our new gaming business model for enabling
small studios to make MMO's.  At Kaneva, we've spent a couple of
years working on building an MMO middleware platform that includes
client, server, ai, and a full editor.  We rely on importing 3d
assets from 3dsmax, and soon will be adding support for Blender and
other 3d tools.  Rather than selling our platform upfront to
studios, we are providing it at no upfront fee.  And when you build
your Virtual World and are ready to launch it as a commercial game,
we provide the hosting, bandwidth, distribution, marketing, billing,
and security.  And to minimize what the studio pays us upfront, we
plan to generate revenue from splitting the royalties.

I see this as a way for studios to spend their time and resources on
making the MMO game, and Kaneva focuses on building the underlying
engine and services around delivering the game.

1) I'm not aware of any other company pursuing this model.  We
believe this will lower the barrier for game studios to make their
own MMO games.  Do you believe that small game studio teams could
build viable MMO worlds?  Possibly make mini-MMO's?  (oxymoron, but
have lots of players in a small world, with many instances).

2) Subscription vs. In-Game money. If you are designing an MMO game,
do you think there's more revenue associated with making the game
free, and sell in-game items to generate revenue? This maximizes
number of potential players, with upside for those that want to be
better to pay a few extra bucks.  Or keep with the traditional model
of a $5 - $15 monthly subscription and perhaps support in-game item
selling as a feature?

Any feedback and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks, chris
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