More on Sansar's Transition to Metaverse Investments

 
When we last reported on Sansar a few months ago, it was a virtual world in trouble. It was described as on "life support," and was involved in a million-dollar lawsuit. Little wonder that when the world went offline one day in December, people were quick to assume the plug was pulled on it, though it was up and going the next day. 

With the virtual world in this kind of trouble, Sansar needed help, and soon. A few days ago, it arrived. On the Sansar Discord channel on Tuesday  April 12, there was an announcement. Sansar would be getting a new owner: Metaverse Investments. Speaking for the company, Chance Richie promised to get the virtual world back on track and be "focusing on the future and making Sansar the most Creator-friendly Metaverse on the planet." He also promised to resume community meetings.

Hello Sansarians! My name is Chance Richie, and I will be working with Wookey to transition the Sansar platform to Metaverse Investments Ltd. Wookey Technologies has been diligently looking for the right candidate to take over the responsibility of progressing Sansar to the next level, and Metaverse Investments Ltd is looking forward to the challenge.

I am working with the Wookey Team to get Sansar back on track.  In my opinion, the Wookey Team has done a lot of good work on the platform and has had to work through many challenges inherited from the Linden Labs acquisition.  I believe the Wookey Team has been fully committed to the platform and expanding it to a broader audience by focusing on the true immersive VR Metaverse experience.  I understand that there has been some history with the former direction and team, however what is most important is focusing on the future and making Sansar the most Creator-friendly Metaverse on the planet.  My strategic vision is focused on providing the Creator community the tools they need to build the most engaging worlds, quests, and experiences in the Metaverse.  I strongly believe that if we fulfill that vision, visitors and residents will come in droves.

We understand Sansar has problems that need to take care of as soon as possible and it has been a challenge to address these issues with a limited team.  My first priority is bringing in the engineering talent necessary to get things fixed and stabilize the platform. So do not despair, help is coming soon!

In the meantime, I want you to know how amazing I think the Sansar platform is, and that I see great potential. That potential will only be realized if we are successful engaging the Sansar Community, so to that end I’d like to restart the meetings Ebbe Altberg used to do in Sansar.  More to come on that!

Rest assured, we did our homework and know Sansar has a great community that is welcoming to new users. The Sansar Discord has also been a great way to pass knowledge on to new people and I have gotten more familiar with the platform as a result of following the channel. No question seems to be too difficult or tiring for you. Sansar is clearly "for the people, by the people", and we want to amplify that culture.

And last but not least, I’d like to thank the Sansar ambassadors and helpers who have stuck with Sansar through thick and thin, including all you die-hards who kept events going. You never stopped believing and I am here to reward that belief in Sansar by providing you the tools you’ve all been looking for.

I am transparent almost to a fault so feel free to reach out and ask me anything.  Even though Sansar is about 8 years old from its initial conception, it is still a startup, and I am going to try and instill the “nothing is impossible” startup mentality.  Admittedly, I am far from Phillip Rosedale or Ebbe Altberg, but I have built and sold software companies and guarantee you I will put my heart and soul into making Sansar a success.  I am looking forward to meeting you on Discord and in the first "Community Meeting".

I am the Sansarian known as “Oriym” and if you see someone in the Nexus with a black cowboy hat on it is probably me.  Please stop me and say hi if you see me wandering around!
 
Hopefully the new owners will be able to not just keep Sansar running, but growing.

For those who don't know, Sansar was created by Linden Lab, officially going online on July 2017, as a next-generation virtual world. But it's numbers remained small, so Linden Lab would eventually sell it to Wookey Technologies in 2020. 

Image credit: DrFran Babcock

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Wookey To "Transition" Sansar to Metaverse Investments

 
On Tuesday April 12, it was announced on Sansar's Discord channel that the virtual world would be changing hands. Wookey Industries would be handing over the virtual world to Metaverse Investments Limited. 

Stay tuned for more information.
 

Montecito Bay Undergoing Rebuilding

Before the Newser closes out our reporting on the month of March, yours truly decided to take a look at our sponsor Montecito Bay. When we last looked at the place in February, some more property had been bought up by a previously unheard of company. The locals hadn't been saying much to begin with, and had been saying little since. So I took a trip over.

The place has been greatly changed from the look it had in it's beginnings. The look of a coastal city in the American southeast in the fifties has given way in places to more futuristic-looking buildings. The Sandbox area no longer looks like a baseball diamond, but an arena for some different kind of sport (and has a billboard to aid in newcomers wanting to learn how to build with prims).

There are some places I hadn't seen before, such as the Wasa Bay sushi bar near the beach. Deeper in the town is the Flying Pickle Food Festival. And with the change having started with stories by an entity named Azucar, there's a tall office building with the Azucar logo. No information is yet available on who they are, or who owns it.

But some places are still around. The beach area is still around, although it's boardwalk is still being worked on. The Avagora Mall has been getting some new shops lately. Becky Nosferatu told me they plan to have, "a ton of stores that will be open by the end of next month." Clubs like the Flying Pickle Lounge and Studio 86 are still around. Dropping by the latter, when I brought up the subject of the changes, not much was spoken, one local commenting, "I'm just glad that they haven't snapped up that lovely Taco Crux restaurant."

The town is still in the middle of renovations with some places obviously halfway finished and some loose prims here and there. Stay tuned for more information.

Bixyl Shuftan

Looking Back: The End of Second Life Newspaper

Before Second Life Newser, there was Second Life Newspaper. So what happened to the original? Well, it did have some problems near the end, but what pulled the plug were problems no one could solve. As it's Office Manager, here's Bixyl Shuftan's story on what happened to what then was the best newsletter in Second Life.

Read the article in People.

Pop Art Lab to Close

After about five years in Second Life, Pop Art Lab's founder and director Claus Uriza will be taking a break from the virtual world. And with his departure the group and inworld location will be closing down. In the blog, Claus stated the group and place would close in November.

The time has come to step away for a while from virtual worlds. After spending 5 years testing and playing with Second Life and Virtual Worlds platforms, I have decided to take hiatus. It has been a fantastic ride but I don’t think we can push it much further without significant changes in the technologies surrounding these environments.

In this 2010 video, Claus describes himself as a "music librarian" who went through a number of CDs every day, selecting the best ones to play at Pop Art Lab, "ten to twenty new albums each week." He had wanted to provide music available for listening in a 3D environment, the style of the location involving futuristic looking builds. There are four listening booths, each representing different genres: rock, pop, electronic, and R&B/hip-hop. The location itself was built in November 2008, and got a boost in traffic after being listed on the Second Life website for a few months.

Claus gave several reasons for the closing. Streaming could be done using other services, he wanted to "focus on real life and real life clients," and it was his observation the "mass adoption of virtual worlds" had stalled, with few musicians and bands from outside Second Life willing to invest here.

Pop Art Lab's group will continue in Second Life, but future updates will be linked to  posts on Facebook, Google, and Twitter to "focus entirely on posting news about music and shiny new tech in social media" including games and virtual worlds. The Facebook page was no longer focused on Second Life. The group will cease streaming music inworld, except on special occasions.

As a final note, I would like to assure that Pop Art Lab loves the Second Life platform, Linden Lab and the people who create the magic in there. During the years, there have been many issues in the way Linden Lab handle(s) Second Life. I want to point out it’s a wonderful platform they have created: especially the unique democratic tools that give everyone without specific skills a golden opportunity to create and visualize their culture, history and lives.

I sincerely hope all who have helped and still help create wonderful experiences inside virtual environments will flourish in the years to come. Lastly, thanks so much to my team behind Pop Art Lab, because without you none of above would ever have happened!

For more information, check out the Pop Art Lab blog, or Daniel Voyager's article.

Info Island DK (187, 109, 225)

Image sources: Pop Art Lab, Al Kohn 

Bixyl Shuftan