WebWars have announced a innovative way to play games in your internet browser. you install a toolbar to the Web Browser which allows the user to play the game whilst surfing the web. the aim is to offer gamers flexibility in how a game is played and when it's played. it removes the barriers of people wanting to view their favourite sites and playing the game as both can happen together.
Player VS Environment will be the first game to use this new platform, which is a fantasy book style game focused around collecting, and is expected to be out in July.
Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas --(Business Wire)-- Jun 09, 2009 WebWars, the innovator in layered reality gaming, today emerged from stealth mode with a new approach to digital entertainment. Led by CEO Cindy Armstrong, WebWars will develop new game titles based on its unique technology platform, where the Web browser itself becomes integral to successful gameplay, via an easily installed toolbar.
Layered reality gaming (LRG) turns the Internet itself into a game, allowing users to play while they surf the Web, browsing news, entertainment and sports sites, among others. This increases engagement and adds depth to gameplay, while allowing players to multi-task on the Web. The first game built on the WebWars platform will be a Player vs Environment offering focused around collecting, with a fantasy look and feel. Beta testing for this game will open in July.
“The online games development model has been broken for some time, and we see the WebWars platform as a transformational offering in terms of how these games are created,” said Cindy Armstrong, CEO of WebWars. “By making the Web browser itself into a fundamental component of the game, we are able to deliver rewarding gameplay while still offering gamers flexibility in how and when they play. Layered reality gaming is the ideal form of entertainment for many players because it removes the barriers between the game they enjoy playing and the Web sites they enjoy visiting. This allows them to experience the Web in a brand new way.”
Game studios have traditionally been hampered by protracted development processes and the need to create complex, custom technical systems in order to build just one successful game. However, the WebWars development approach is based on a number of easily extendable games ‘modules,’ which provide flexible building blocks for any type of online game development. These modules are ‘event-driven,’ and can be easily customized and re-used in other games, making it easy to build in features that players would naturally gravitate toward.
Using high quality Flash, the WebWars modular design process enables interchangeable themes, gameplay mechanics (such as Player vs Environment, or Player vs Player) and standard games components (social networking, chat features, billing etc), in order to roll out new games on a much more aggressive development timeline.
Through this platform, WebWars is simplifying the online game development model by leveraging existing open source technology within a re-usable modular game system developed by the company. Through this system of game and entertainment components, WebWars is able to pick and choose from a variety of features for its future title development, drastically reducing time-to-market and costs. The modules are also backwards compatible, enabling WebWars to upgrade existing games with future developments, in order to extend a successful franchise.
“The business model on which WebWars is built has significant opportunity in today’s gaming market. WebWars has found an approach that addresses current consumer playing needs and style, while the platform extends the longevity of the game by adapting to changing gamer sentiments,” said Michael Pachter, managing director of research at Wedbush Morgan Securities. “The US market is ready for this type of gaming and the international potential, especially in Asia, is even greater.”
The management team includes Cindy Armstrong as CEO and Mike Heisley as chairman of the board. Armstrong has more than 20 years of experience in online entertainment and was most recently the CEO of WEBZEN America. Mike Heisley, founder of The Heico Companies, LLC and majority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, is also a key investor.
“I recognized both the immediate and long-term opportunities with WebWars, and was compelled by the clear-sighted business vision that a games industry veteran like Cindy brings,” said Mike Heisley, chairman of the board at WebWars. “The WebWars proposition is built for the mass market, yet doesn’t sacrifice the fundamentals of innovative, exacting games development. In this way, it appealed to all my best instincts as a business man and as an avid entertainment fan.”
About WebWars
WebWars, the innovator in layered reality online gaming and entertainment, is changing the way users engage with online entertainment by removing the barriers between Web gaming and Web sites. Pioneering modular online game development, WebWars can easily create new features and titles through their unique technology platform. Founded in 2008, WebWars is privately held and based in Austin, TX. For more information, please visit www.webwars.com.