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.
