Another startup, another browser game

GoldFire Studios bets on yet another free, virtual currency-backed MMORPG

In 2009, we saw its rise. In 2010, we may very well see its utter explosion. I'm talking about virtual goods gaming, of course.

GoldFire Studios announced today the launch of a new free browser-based game, BC Wars, which demonstrates yet again how much money young startups see in the quickly growing online gaming industry, especially in regards to games supported by in-game virtual currency models.

BC Wars, launching in beta today, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in the prehistoric world. As expected, users control a neanderthal whose tasks grow from gathering and hunting for food to facing combat with other cavemen (other users in the online world) to protecting and sustaining a cave.

A cave, presumably, meant to be filled with lots and lots of virtual stuff.

BC Wars boasts that it is a "real cash economy," meaning that real money can be exchanged for virtual money, and vice versa, via an exchange rate set in-game. GoldFire hopes to draw in users, not just motivated to have fun playing the game, but also motivated to take a little time in trying to make some real hard cash.

Nevertheless, as VentureBeat notes, GoldFire Studios already has its fair share of competitors--Artix Entertainment, Bigpoint, GameForge, and xs-software--not to mention all those social gaming companies crowding up popular networking sites like Facebook and mobile platforms, like Apple's iPhone or Google Android. Zynga is just one example of a company doing extremely well through its popular social gaming apps on Facebook.

BC Wars has been in development since June 2008 and its Oklahoma City-based developer has been in the business since 2005. The small company, just twelve-strong, is currently funded by CEO James Simpson.