Linden Lab totally revamped its corporate website about the same time it announced it was launching two new non-Second Life projects, and it's just worth noting what it represents: The second life of Linden Lab.
Where the company once announced its mission was to make an online world "that advances the human condition" (screencap at right), the new site describes a company with a far more modest goal -- but a much more achievable one. Now the company is "a developer of digital entertainment that inspires users to create, socialize, share — and have fun", in which Second Life is only the first in a larger portfolio of products around that theme:
"In 2012 and beyond, the company is unveiling a new slate of shared creative spaces that allow for collaborative creativity across multiple platforms." Overall, I think this is a very positive direction for Linden Lab, which has previously been stymied by a vision that it should be building the metaverse, something it was never really founded to be. At the same time, the new Linden Lab branding retains the core aspect of SL that is its most essential, and the most appealing -- shared creativity. As we've seen with the success of Minecraft and other games with a open-ended creative aspect, the market for products like that is in the millions. And who knows, if the market gets larger than that (and I kind of think it will), then it may be time to think about making the metaverse once again.
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I am glad the core feature of SL is still part of the new products: creativity. And I am glad they did not build just another game for mobile devices, as there is way too much competition in that market and nobody makes any money any more (see Zynga). You could actually call this an innovative lightweight derivative of Second Life. So the interesting part is, this could actually be used to bring more people to the bigger brother SL. Get them addicted on the IPad and that way get them interested in SL.
I find it just disappointing that it seems to be just for the IPad, because in my eyes the Apple hype is comming to an end and other platforms are taking over. Apple once had great engineers, now they seem just to employ lawyers. I hope the Lindens don´t get sued by Apple for building a successful product;)
Posted by: Jason | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 04:35 PM
I have no idea what these extra-SL platforms are or how they might affect or integrate with SL, but I am glad LL seems to have identified and is appealing to its target market -- those interested in learning and creating.
Posted by: Pamela | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 09:26 PM
I think you guys are interpreting too much into what is basically just a small change to the website layout and wording. LL will stay the same badly managed company and SL will stay the same badly administrated and seriously underpowered grid.
No worries about that.
Posted by: Orca Flotta | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 09:47 PM
woot!!! 3 posts before we got a grumpy one. things are starting to slip round here
jejejjejeje (:
I think is all good what linden are doing. about time really
who knows they may make a whole bunch of money off these other things. that be good. be kinda funny as well if linden did makes some big bucks off them and then reduced SL tier even bc of it
Posted by: elizabeth (16) | Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 11:25 PM
Hopefully they aren't diverting too much manpower from their excessive hard work at fixing all those bugs we've had for years...
(Fuck yeah, passive-aggressiveness!)
Posted by: Jessi | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 12:12 AM
http://orcasl.blogspot.pt/2012/09/lls-last-server-rollout.html
If the problems that All though where solved are back again, then for sure LL is treating users as Shi****** and the few faith we can still have on the Lab will go puuuf faster then any before cause Real Life is not being easy and supporting companies that seems to not care at all with their user base is not a choice anymore!
Posted by: foneco zuzu | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 07:22 AM
I look forward to using a program from LL that costs too much up front and does less than the previous version from half a decade ago (Crayon Physics Deluxe), but has the same delightful bugs and problems as found in the beta version a full decade back.
Of course, I would RATHER pay money to have a retrofitted V2 version of SL that fixes the long standing bugs that experience has revealed in the architecture. It is the high cost and terrible performance that has hindered SL's applications throughout the business-centric push. There are plenty of applications for a virtual world, from a turnkey telecommuting solution to a distance learning center. But these require a better architecture than SLV1 provides. So instead of making LeapFrog games for 4 year olds without wallets, why aren't you designing the VR V2 architecture that would actually allow real use for real applications by people like me who have real Platinum cards?
This whole thing tells me that LL has abandoned its core product because it doesn't do what is necessary, rather than redesign the product to serve customers needs. And companies which don't serve customers needs in one product, typically don't bother with them in other products either. LL has myopia when it comes to customer service and that's not going to change just because they put out iPad programs now.
You can sell Yugos in a market that has never heard of them, and you'll just end up with the same angry customers because you sold them Yugos.
Posted by: shockwave yareach | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 07:22 AM
My kids and I all climb into bed at their bed time and play silly video games before I read them a bedtime story and watch their little eye lids get heavy. LL could make a bundle on Rodvik's toys!
But what has it got to do with Second Life?
Oh yeah, I forgot, SL is a playground for "broken" grown-ups. *smirks*
Posted by: Gaga | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 08:15 AM
I think its great that Linden have so prominently demonstrated their focus on shared creative spaces.
Its the one thing they actually do in an interesting way , excelling in many areas far beyond any competitor.
Posted by: Dizzy Banjo | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 09:47 AM
Dizzy, with all respect I guess you're confusing LL and SL here.
While it's great that LL makes money with unrelated stuff it is of no use for us, the SL residents. They might be in the market for space shuttles and rake in millions of tax payer money or making kitchen appliances, I couldn't care less.
I only signed for one of their products. And I want that product to meet my expectations and LL's promises. I pay them for a service, now I rightfully eypect them to hold true to their side of the deal.
Elizabeth wrote:
woot!!! 3 posts before we got a grumpy one. things are starting to slip round here
Well, according to your count you were the grumpy poster, as your post was the 4th. :)
BTW, if you are referring to my post, I don't find it grumpy or negative in any way. Just told the first 2 posters that they are reading too much into a minimal change to an insignificant website.
When last did you check the LL website? I can't even remember when I was on there. I have all my needed stuff bookmarked and go directly to my account, the SL forae, the maps and whatever is there.
Posted by: Orca Flotta | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 10:11 AM
Honestly, I don't see how this really changes anything for Linden Lab. With its primary source of revenue shrinking and no replacement in sight, the lab can't possibly fund its non-SL projects.
Posted by: Archangel Mortenwold | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 11:52 AM
I fail to follow the logic that because LL's cash cow is shrinking, it "can't possibly fund" its new projects. A lot of companies manage to fund projects without any existing cash-cow at all.
Posted by: Galatea | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 12:16 PM
Not really. Without a viable revenue source those companies either go bankrupt or they go out of business. Looks like Linden Lab is on a course to do one or both.
Posted by: Archangel Mortenwold | Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 02:01 PM
@Orca- true lol jejejjeje (:
Posted by: elizabeth (16) | Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 04:53 AM
@Orca- badly managed?
in the last 12 months or so linden have been doing something that we been demanding. fix stuff. while everyone jumps up and down about all the big stuff is lots of little fixes they have done which are pretty good
+
example of 3 things that make things really good for those who used to be affected badly by them
1) parcel invisibility that works great for small parcel owners
2) when you mute some bent out of shape greifer now they get derendered completely. so no ugly grey blob messing up your screen
3) if someone else right-clicks on your vehicle then it keeps going now and doesn't stop like it did before
they not earth-shattering things. but they make world of difference to people most affected previously
+
is lots of other little things like this linden have done. they mostly go unnoticed bc the functions now work as they should. which is what we asked for
so i think linden are managing this part well
Posted by: elizabeth (16) | Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 05:09 AM
"Maker of Shared Creative Spaces" does not exactly have the sizzle of "World Builder", but okay, I am in.
Posted by: Karma | Friday, September 21, 2012 at 07:44 PM
i agree with you, karma.
i find it sad that "advancing the human condition" is no longer the mission statement, when a lot of people have been given a chance to do just that in SL....if you look at how some people propel SL and make new uses for it, and in effect gets some RL elevation (increased happiness or motivation and meeting of artistic need of expression).
sort of trivializes and put some monetary value to everything...oh well, reality bites...as long as it will keep SL going, i'm still going to support rodvik's direction for LL.
Posted by: Isadora Fiddlesticks | Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 04:40 PM
Where are #virtualworld Clients? Steam > 54 million active user accounts - 5 million concurrent user peak
http://ow.ly/eGKKp
Posted by: James OReilly | Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 12:15 AM
We encourage collaboration on the BURN2 sims and clearly the Second Life environment has allowed us to hold some amazing events that were a lot of fun. We had over 100 volunteers and staff, 120 artists and campbuilders, 50 DJs and 40 Live Performers coming together in a one week period. More platforms? Looking forward to seeing them!
Collaboration = Fun
MC
Posted by: Emcee Widget | Friday, November 09, 2012 at 11:34 AM