Singapore:
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Still
from The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks
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Singapore based Media Freaks
is developing an online virtual world called The Travels
of Wiglington and Wenks based on children's story book
series by John Bittleston. Targeted at the age group 7 to
14 years, the launch of the same is slated for Christmas 2009.
The players in the online
virtual world would be able to travel to factual and mysterious
places around the world, travel through time and space,
meet famous people from the past, play dozens of enriching
and fun games, make new friends and party with them, buy
exotic islands, build culture-inspired houses, wear clothes
from different countries, explore secret locations, solve
mysteries and puzzles and become a legendary traveler!"
Speaking to Animation
Xpress Asia Pacific, Aldric Chang Managing Director
Mediafreaks, and Creator and Executive Producer of The
Travels of Wiglington and Wenks said “The virtual
world is an entirely original concept which promotes the
spirit of traveling and encourages the learning of geography,
history and culture through online adventure. It all started
when we noticed after Club Penguin’s success that there
were virtual worlds sprouting up all over the internet but
there were really very few virtual worlds for kids that
could boast good graphics and a truly imaginative world.”
The studio met John Bittleston
and Eliza Quek and got to know more about their storybooks.
After reading The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks which
revolved around two water rats traveling around the world
in search of a series of magical maps which could unlock
the secrets of the universe. At once the studio thought
they had a winning concept for a virtual world at the right
time in the evolution of this sector.
A team of over 20 producers,
programmers, animators and artists are working on the virtual
world at this moment. The virtual world is five months away
from launch but most of the features and technical issues
have been ironed out. The beta version will be launched
soon.
Talking about the revenue
model and number of players, Aldric added “We intend
to monetize through premium subscriptions, micro transactions
and sponsorships of virtual locations in the virtual world.
About the number of players, at the moment, we are currently
carrying out closed beta tests that can support up to 100,000
users, and we are anticipating serving up to millions of
users’ in the future after launch.”
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Still
from The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks
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According to Aldric, the
USP of The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks is its
fantastic story-line. Which means the children inside the
world will be immersed and engrossed in the plot at all
times. So the users are not simply logging in to just play
a game or chat but they’re participating in a story!
“There is massive potential in cross platform opportunities
for The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks. The background
story is rich and educational, backed by a cast of well-designed
and engaging characters. The virtual world will provide
the perfect platform from which to create animated series,
video games and publications based on the intellectual property.
We welcome all interested parties to contact us for collaborative
inquiries.” Concluded Aldric.
