Virtual Worlds Forum

As the drive towards more microtransactions and other new business models for MMOs and virtual worlds gathers pace, so the payment companies who enable it are gearing up to capitalise. PlaySpan has just announced its acquisition of PayByCash, and says the merged company will be one of the "fastest growing commerce and payment services companies" supporting the online games industry.

Electronic Arts is certainly exploring links between its games and physical retail, what with the recent deal seeing Ikea furniture sold within The Sims 2. That game is also the subject of a deal going the other way, with retailer H&M now selling an outfit designed within The Sims 2 by a player, as part of a competition.

Makena Technologies has always been pretty forward thinking in striking branded deals for its There.com virtual world, and its latest example is no exception. The company has partnered with US clothing brand NaCo USA, which targets Hispanic and Latin American consumers. The companies say the online audience for this demographic is 19.5 million people in the US, to give you some idea of their ambitions.

Virtual worlds agency Millions Of Us has launched a new division, Virtual Greats, which will focus on making branded virtual goods based on celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Tila Tequila and The Incredible Hulk. An eclectic list, I think you'll agree. Initially, the company will be selling items based on these celebs in virtual worlds including Second Life, Habbo and Gaia.

It's surprising that more real-world furniture retailers and designers aren't involved with virtual worlds and games. After all, if people are buying virtual furniture in these worlds, isn't there an opportunity for the retailers to get involved? And so it's proved, with a deal between IKEA and Electronic Arts for The Sims 2.

Trading marketplace firm Live Gamer has extended its relationship with Sony Online Entertainment, with the news that SOE will use its Live Gamer Exchange real-money trading (or RMT) platform in two upcoming MMOs.

If you're selling hooky Playboy items in Second Life, it must be a bit of a shock to have two Amazonesque Playmate avatars show up and start taking notes. However, that's what's happening in Second Life, with an investigation led by Playboy Island manager MSGiro Grosso.

It's tempting to see China as a potential goldrush for virtual worlds, given its huge population. However, an article in Business Week makes it clear that it's very early days indeed, claiming that the largest local virtual world, HiPiHi, has 48,000 registered users, while its main rivals NovoKing and UOneNet have £10,000 and less than £1,000 respectively.

In truth, the answer is probably 'no', but Apple nevertheless filed a patent in 2006 titled 'Enhancing Online Shopping Atmosphere', which appears to describe a virtual 3D retail environment selling books, music and electronics. There's some really interesting stuff going on with the avatars, as indicated by Apple's patent, too.

It's not just Habbo Hotel that's looking to leverage music stars to increase awareness of virtual worlds. US toy firm Build-A-Bear has cut a deal bringing exclusive backstage footage from the Hannah Montana 'Best of Both Worlds' gigs to its Buildabearville virtual world for the next month.

We covered Reuters' article about larger virtual agencies looking beyond Second Life for new projects the other day, but New World Notes has followed it up with another angle on the story, pointing out that smaller boutique agencies aren't ditching Linden Lab's world.

Makena Technologies has struck a deal with Paramount Digital Entertainment to license clips from thousands of the latter's films and TV shows for use in Makena's There.com virtual world. Most of the clips are from the archives, with the aim being that There.com users will pay for them.

Earlier this year, we interviewed Starfruit, the Swiss virtual world ecommerce developer, about its activities selling virtual items in Second Life, and partnering with real-world retailers to turn them into physical gifts. Now the company has officially announced its partnership with florist Fleurop.com - Interflora.

Last week saw the National Retail Federation's annual convention in the US, with a host of speakers predicting the big trends for 2008, with technology a key focus. Mobile was a big focus, with coupons and barcode reader applications high on the list of priorities. However, virtual worlds were also suggested as a key trend for 2008.