Multiverse Network

The Multiverse Network, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Online Games
Founded	July 2004
Headquarters	Mountain View, California, USA
Key people	Bill Turpin, Co-founder & CEO Rafhael Cedeno, Co-founder & CTO Corey Bridges, Co-founder, Executive Producer and Marketing Director Robin McCollum, Co-founder & Principal Engineer, Client Technology
Website	www.multiversemmo.com

The Multiverse Network, Inc. was a US-based startup focused on creating a platform tailored for massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) and 3D virtual world environments. Its core business approach aimed to lower development expenses by providing an affordable software foundation for building online games and virtual worlds.

In 2009, the company broadened its platform capabilities to include Flash support and introduced real-time multiplayer titles that demonstrated the platform’s features. Collaborating with McDonald's and Coca-Cola Zero, Multiverse produced two Flash games as part of the worldwide promotional campaign for James Cameron’s movie Avatar, enabling users to explore Pandora, the film’s fictional universe.

Facing financial difficulties, Multiverse discontinued operations in late 2011 and subsequently made its source code publicly available through the nonprofit Multiverse Foundation, which has continued to update the platform.

Technology

Multiverse delivered middleware designed for MMOG development—referred to as a platform—that included a Windows-exclusive client application called Multiverse World Browser, a comprehensive server suite, development utilities, sample content, detailed documentation, and an active developer community. This system allowed players to connect to various virtual worlds using a single client interface, facilitating a linked virtual ecosystem.

The client software was developed in C# utilizing the Axiom Engine, whereas the server components were built on Java and featured a publish/subscribe messaging architecture to ensure scalability and robustness. The server also offered a plug-in API for extensibility. Development tools supported importing 3D models in COLLADA format from popular design software such as Maya, 3D Studio Max, and Google SketchUp.

Business model

Multiverse provided its platform technology at no cost for both creation and deployment phases. Revenue was generated by taking a 10% commission on consumer transactions processed by developers once they monetized their games. The company handled payment processing services while developers maintained control over their intellectual property and hosted their own servers.

Prominent figures like James Cameron served on Multiverse’s advisory board, boosting its credibility within the industry. The firm earned recognition as one of the "Red Herring 100" most innovative technology companies.

In 2006, Multiverse acquired licenses to develop an MMOG based on the Firefly television series. Later announcements included plans for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Titanic games in 2008; however, these titles were never brought to completion.

Open source

Following its shutdown, Multiverse released its platform’s source code under the terms of the MIT License. As of May 2023, ongoing maintenance is managed by the Multiverse Foundation, which supports continued global development within the open-source community.