Most of the industry sources agree that the future means big money for the MMO market. We already have a very clear title to beat in World of Warcraft, when it comes to success and to subscriptions. WoW is an example of a "classical" MMO which hit all the right notes when launched and now continues to keep gamers hooked with a combination of new content and mechanics. But there are already people working to develop online multiplayer experiences which are aimed to be successful, without needing to go up and defeat World of Warcraft.

One such group is Callipygian, a company made up of people that are working or have worked for Austin-based games studios. Some of them have an overly developed sense of irony while others are thoroughly disillusioned with the traditional way of making games, so they have decided to create a MMO called Secondhand Lands, which they describe as being an "edgy fairy-tale" multiplayer experience.

The game, now undergoing closed beta testing, is built around what the developers describe as "an eternal struggle between two sisters: Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood". Gamers in the MMO will have to choose sides and play as either sheep or wolves to support one of the sisters. The game is fully balanced, with wolves relying on speed and brute force, while the sheep rely on cunning and trickery. The developers are aiming to create a game that will attract both the casual MMO player with a sense of humor and the hardcore MMO raider that's had enough of the big titles.

The developers are also announcing that they plan to use the Pixel Mine developed micro-transaction model to support the game. This means that the title will be free to play, with certain elements of the experience only available for those who choose to pay.

Callipygian released a statement saying that "We chose to work with Pixel Mine because they offered us the best value for our company and our players. As an independent developer it is very difficult to find a distribution deal that gives us a package with everything we need to manage accounts and handle payments. Also, we are excited to be working with another Austin company; this town is rich with talent and services tailored for game creation".