14 DAY TRIAL // Live Gamer has officially gone public announcing its introduction as the premier provider of a publisher-supported, secure platform for real money trading of virtual property, as far as MMOs go. Partnering up with top MMO game publishers and virtual world operators the company will introduce a fully transparent, secure, publisher-sanctioned marketplace, that helps protect content creators from the impact of illicit trading on their intellectual property.
Acclaim, Sony Online Entertainment and 10TACLE STUDIOS are just some of the companies trusting Live Gamer with their new marketplace for trading items, characters and more stuff, estimated at $1.8 billion in real money, exchanged annually among MMOG players and virtual world inhabitants. Thus, by introducing this secure, publisher-sanctioned marketplace, Live Gamer hopes to help protect content creators from illicit trading on their titles and to provide a safe alternative for MMO players worldwide, according to Next-Gen.biz.
"Virtual item trading is already transforming the way people experience MMOGs and virtual worlds, but in its traditional underground context, the impact could be as easily negative as positive for a given player or world. An economy this large clearly needs a legitimate trading infrastructure that serves the needs of each of its millions of participants," said co-founder and president, Andrew Schneider. "Live Gamer has developed a platform with all the integrity, security, and professionalism of any real-world marketplace, and we're working hand-in-hand with publishers to ensure a positive experience for every player."
"Virtual trading has the potential to open an entirely new dimension for the player experience in some games, but it has also caused endless grief through the actions of gold farmers and fraud artists, as well as the generally poor quality of service to participant", said Trond A. Aas, CEO of Funcom. "Live Gamer makes it possible for publishers to satisfy players' growing demand for this type of activity in selected future games by providing a legitimate and balanced outlet that protects their experiences. We really look forward to offering this opportunity to players in our upcoming casual MMOG."
Live Gamer was founded by industry veterans and backed with $24 million in venture funding from Charles River Ventures, Kodiak Venture Partners, and Pequot Ventures.