On May 5th, Nielsen released its March numbers for the top 10 PC game titles. The number 1 spot is no surprise, with World of Warcraft from Blizzard holding a huge lead over all others. But the number two position may be a surprise to some of you, particularly with the wrath of negativism SecondLife has received in the press over the past 18 months. The truth of the matter is that the company is quite large, it’s growing, it’s profitable, it has hired a number of great people over this time frame, and as the data shows it’s kicking butt. Note that the data also shows SecondLife actually leads WOW in terms of minutes played per user.
One of the reasons the company has received a large amount of negative press, is a direct result of it getting an unfair share of positive press in the 2007 time frame. The “hype cycle” is quite volatile these days, and like Icarus, if you fly too close to the sun…
The good news for this company is that the real numbers are shining through, and as the company’s momentum continues the press is now taking notice:
Venture Beat, How I Became a Virtual World Believer
Information Week, Rumnors of SecondLife’s Failure Are Just Lousy Journalism
CNET, Second Life’s economy is the envy of the real world
Virtual World News,SecondLife Grows Transactions 65% Year over Year
eWeek,New Second Life Era Allows Greater Customization, Control
You must be logged in to post a comment.