Description The fact that massively multiplayer online games (MMOG's) are big and getting bigger, is well established. But now they are evolving and beginning to claim even more areas of our real life, converting them into virtual reality. Project Entropia is such a game, it introduces unique features like a real economy where its currency, PED, is exchangeable with any major currency in the world. This different MMOG is the brain child of MindArk, a Swedish development company and is going gold on January 30th 2003. Project Entropia is Sweden's largest software project ever, and has been in development since 1997.
The game will charge no subscription fees and its distribution will also be free, through the Internet and promotional CD's. What is different though is that every object used in the game's three-dimensional environments, will have to be bought with real money and periodically be renewed as it will gradually degrade. At the same time any money players accumulate within the game will be convertable to real money as well. It is the first MMOG offering keen gamers the chance to make money, theoretically even a profit, from its use.
It is even possible to make a living in Project Entropia, says Chairman Benny Iggland. This is being demonstrated by several of our commercial trial users. A market economy is rapidly evolving, with our users defining prices on various commodities and items available in the virtual universe. Project Entropia will also incorporate real world commodity trading in a three dimensional environment.
Some 15 million USD have been invested in the development of Project Entropia to date and we expect to continue developing Project Entropia in the years to come for a sum of at least 5 million USD annually, says Managing Director Jan Welter Timkrans.
There is an obvious danger that the game will quickly become a gambling adventure and will lose all credibility, the developers however, hope that it will manage to retain its game-like characteristics and involve players in its various storylines.
Even though the release date has been set for January 30th, 2003, it is possible for anyone who wants a head start to immediately enter the Project Entropia universe after downloading the software, the link to which may be found by following the download tab above.
