Long before Brittania made it onto the Internet, there were massively multiplayer games plodding their way out of the dark ages of 300 baud acoustic couplers (OK, maybe not that far back). Two of these services, Key West-based MPG-Net and Charlottesville, Virginia based Kesmai, have evolved to where they represent radically different approaches to multiplayer gaming. The two companies differ in size, mindset, and content, yet they share a common devotion to providing massively multiplayer (and multipayer) games over the Internet. Both are competing for gamers, and both are confident that they have what it takes to survive the turmoil of the infancy of the wide-open and wildly erratic online game industry.
There are other players, too, like Simutronics; these folks have been around for a while as well. Simutronics sells text-based games, primarily, along with an action game similar to the MechWarrior titles. Simutronics is pursuing a course different from either MPG-Net or GameStorm. Smaller than either, it is perhaps the most closely tied to the feedback of its customers, and the most flexible in its dealings with outside entities. Another casualty of AOL's inauguration of the WorldPlay service, Simutronics has set out on its own on the web to build a viable business.
This feature focuses on these three services, their games, and their plans. Online gamers are a diverse bunch, and no one service has yet been able to snag a majority of players. There's also the problem of the availability of free gaming on the 'Net (well, it's only a problem if you want folks to pay you to play your games!). Free matchmaking services, gratis company Internet sites like battle.net or bungie.net, shareware deals like Kali or GameSpy—all these cut into the ability of commercial services to make a buck. Add to this the prevalence of free beta tests, which often are as fun as the final game, and you can see the problems commercial services face. In the future, we'll continue to look at online gaming providers, including single-product games like Ultima Online or Tanarus, as well as multiproduct services like Mplayer and TEN.
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