Football Superstars. The first Metammog

Football Superstars. The first Metammog. In recent posts I’ve talked about how virtual worlds will evolve in the future. Well, the future is closer than we think.

As more people, corporations and organisations move into virtual worlds, the way these spaces will evolve will focus more and more around the individuals engaging with them (sound familiar?). On this basis, we will see metaverses being created to serve specific communities of people with specific vertical interests. This differs from worlds such as Second Life that have no defined purpose (by design) and are constructed to cater to the requirements and interests spanning multiple interests. Currently, Second Life works very well and is demonstrating how we can benefit from metaverses.

However, what will drive mass adoption, and by this I mean comfortably 100m+ users in a short space of time are applications serving a specific purpose and providing environments in niche categories.

Today, we have metaverses and we have MMOG’s. Both are popular. Both have different audience demographics and attributes.

Let me introduce Football Superstars. Football Superstars is a forthcoming virtual world being created specifically for football fans (that’s soccer).

Here’s how it’s going to work…

It’s going to be a metaverse themed around football and you enter the world as a trainee player. From day one you’re able to play in matches just as you already can with console based football games.

But here’s the twist……When you play in the matches, you’re only one player in the team. The matches will be played out with 22 different people all connected at the same time in the same virtual space.

This means it will be a true MMOG experience with a huge potential for viral growth as players seek quickly seek to bring their friends into the experience.

Here’s the next twist….

When you’re not playing in matches, you live the life of a footballer in a virtual world scenario. You train, you practice, you can interact with other people and you can even buy virtual products, developing your virtual career. So, Football Superstars is a world devoted entirely to football.

Players can form clubs and play in matches (league and cups) just like the real world and voice integration will also enhance the experience.

This is a new type of virtual world offering. Part MMOG and part metaverse – the first example of a Metammog with the excitement of gameplay and the engagement of virtual worlds.
Planned for launch in Spring 2008, is being launched by Cypersports, a UK-based company headed up by Malcolm Clark and development is being managed by Monumental Games.

CEO Malcolm Clark has stated:

“The MMO is the perfect platform for team sports games. This is the focus that has enabled us to bring authenticity and real competition to a football game for the first time, by playing against real people instead of AI. Participants pit their skills against those of others in an MMOG where everyone knows the rules. Breath-taking design, a brilliant team and world-class technology has produced a game with lasting appeal targeted at a huge global audience. Were all big football fans here and it shows.”

More information relating to Football Superstars and the opportunties for advertisers and brand partners will be published on the K Zero week in the forthcoming weeks. Companies wishing to learn more about the opportunities available can contact K Zero here.

K Zero is an accredited agency for Football Superstars development and marketing strategy.