Before you discount the viability and technical prowess of a game like Neopets (which has sold somewhere near a bajillion copies, by the way), you might want to learn a bit more about the next game from Neopets’ creators. It just so happens to be an MMO — the same “hardcore” Blizzard dominates with its World of Warcraft.
Meteor Games, an independent developer created by Neopets founders Adam Powell and Donna Williams, is developing Twin Skies, a fully 3D PC MMO. However, the gameplay won’t be limited to the PC alone, as players will be able to interact with and even impact the online game world through a series of Web-based activities, mobile applications and social networking applications.
Unlike traditional MMOs such as World of Warcraft, Twin Skies will give players multiple access points to the game world, allowing them to interact with the game when, where and for however long they want. PC players will be able to jump into the main Twin Skies adventure and explore the open world by themselves or with friends. Players will also be able to interact with Twin Skies on the official Web site via a series of Flash-based mini games. However, users will also have the option to play Twin Skies through mobile applications and games.
Once Twin Skies launches, the mini-games on the official Web site will have a direct effect upon the game world. Registered players will earn points to spend customizing their avatars, unlocking new areas of the Web site or spawning events within the online world. For example, achieving a high score in the Web-based Hungry Junkworm mini-game might create a huge junkworm in the Twin Skies game world, which could then head off and attack players.
The mobile applications, meanwhile, will allow players to access characters and affect the persistent online world. More information on the mobile applications will be announced at a later date.
Twin Skies is expected to enter Beta testing later this year, with its full launch anticipated sometime in 2009.