http://www.mindark.se/Latest news from MindArk AB...http://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/entropia-universe-contrib/index.xml Entropia Universe is First Virtual World Ever to Contribute to Emmy Award | Interactive Emmy® Award recognizes convergence of television drama and virtual world Entropia Universe | Gothenburg, Sweden and Cannes, France, April 14, 2008.   Last week in Cannes, France, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the winners of the International Interactive Emmy® Awards, recognizing the drama "The Truth About Marika," produced by Swedish Television and The Company P, for the best Interactive TV Service. The program successfully integrated television and the Internet, yielding an exemplary crossover experience for viewers that showcases the potential of future projects between the two mediums. As part of "The Truth About Marika," viewers could participate in the show by helping to solve the mystery of a missing person. Clues were planted in the virtual realm of Entropia Universe, where viewers could collect the separate clues to solve a larger puzzle, leading them one step closer to solving the overarching mystery. Viewers could also interact with the avatars of the main characters of the show inside Entropia. This partnership was a breakthrough for television and the Internet in terms of creating real value for the viewers, and engaging them in multiple platforms through one program. Christian Bjorkman, Director of Special Projects for Mindark, explains, "Television and broadcasting companies all over the world are currently discussing new revenue models, how to capture viewers' attention and how to create enhanced value and stickiness to their shows, not just during airtime, but before and after as well. The collaboration with Swedish Television and The Company P was extremely successful, especially as a preliminary project, and Mindark is excited to form relationships with other forward-thinking media partners to push the limits of entertainment to the next level." "We are beyond thrilled to be part of this Emmy Award and are extremely thankful to Swedish Television and The Company P for allowing us to be part of this momentous partnership," says Mindark Chief Information Officer Marco Behrmann. "We look forward to more integration of entertainment outlets as technology and viewer demand calls for it." For more information on "The Truth About Marika" and how Entropia Universe was integrated into the viewer experience, see http://www.thecompanyp.com/portfolio/the-truth-about-marika/. ABOUT ENTROPIA UNIVERSE Entropia Universe was launched in January 2003 and has grown to over 700,000 registered accounts from over 200 countries. Its business model is entirely unique as the client software is free to download from the internet and there are no monthly subscription fees. As the only virtual universe with a real cash economy whose currency, the PED, has a fixed exchange rate of 10:1 with the US Dollar, Entropia Universe provides a means for new players to immediately start exploring and earning real cash without having to deposit money. A key feature is that the funds acquired in Entropia Universe can easily be withdrawn into real-life cash. Entropia Universe is a registered trademark of Mindark PE AB. Mindark supports and monitors the services and maintenance of the Entropia Universe platform. The real cash economy business model has been very successful and Mindark PE AB has been profitable since 2004. The 2007 turnover of Entropia Universe was over 400,000,000 US Dollars. For more information, please visit www.entropiauniverse.com. For more information about Entropia's developer, Mindark PE AB, please visit www.mindark.com /news-1/archive/entropia-universe-contrib/index.xml?mod=2008-04-15 17:34:55Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:34:55 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/cry-engine/index.xml Entropia Universe Selects CryENGINE2® to Create the Future | 25 July 2007 | GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN and FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- July 25, 2007-- Entropia Universe, the safest virtual world utilizing a real cash economy, has signed a license agreement to use the stunning high-tech game engine CryENGINE 2®, from German developer Crytek, creators of "Far Cry®" and upcoming "Crysis®." This will make Entropia Universe the closest-to-reality looking massively multiplayer online game ever seen. The transition to an Entropia Universe platform built around this new technology is expected to be finished by mid-2008, and will be available to all Entropia Universe partners. Creator MindArk PE AB's CEO Jan Welter Timkrans explains, "The upgrade of Entropia Universe will be built around the spectacular features supplied by CryENGINE 2®, offering a complete and immersive experience to Entropia participants. It will create synergies between the proven and safe Real Cash Economy backbone, the Entropia storyline with colonists fighting to establish a new world, and the very life-like visuals supplied from CryENGINE 2®." He continues, "When we saw what the engine was capable of, we immediately understood that it would be perfect for Entropia, as both MindArk and Crytek are pioneers in their respective fields."Avni Yerli, Crytek's Managing Director, says, "We are thrilled to have been chosen by such a well regarded and successful industry leader as MindArk to be their future engine provider for Entropia Universe. We think the combination of our CryENGINE 2® technology and their extremely popular virtual playground will result in a new kind of rich and immersive experience that has not been possible until now. It will also expose a wide new audience to the stunningly realistic graphics, environmental physics and believable animations which are made possible by the award winning CryENGINE 2® together with some of the most recent advances in PC hardware and operating systems."About CryENGINE 2® Real time editing, bump mapping, dynamic lights, network system, integrated physics system, shaders, shadows and a dynamic music system are just some of the state-of-theart features the CryENGINE 2® offers. The engine supports all video and hardware currently on the market. New hardware support is constantly added as it becomes available. Some of the features available: Real Time Lighting and Dynamic Soft Shadows: CryENGINE™ 2 features natural looking light sources, and creates soft shadows that dynamically respond to natural movements. It includes highresolution,perspective correct and volumetric smooth-shadow implementations.Volumetric, Layer and View Distance Fogging: Create clouds or fog banks which can hug the ground and realistically reduce both visibility and contrast, and properly interact with both dynamic lights and shadows, add depth and dimension to a landscape by reducing scene contrast and clarity for distant landmarks. All images courtesy of Crytek. All screenshots made with CryENGINE 2®. Note: View the CryENGINE2 trailer at top right. 1 NEWS 2007 25 July Virtual World Entropia Universe Selects State-of-the-Art CryENGINE2(R) to Create the Future View Trailer » #000000 comp:000047873274:000000097f:162e /news-1/archive/cry-engine/index.xml?mod=2007-07-25 09:40:00Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:40:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/creative-kingdom-to-craft/index.xml CREATIVE KINGDOM INC. TO CRAFT PLANET WITHIN MINDARK’S ENTROPIA UNIVERSE | With offices in Los Angeles, Dubai, Beijing, Chiang Mai and Pasig City, Philippines, CKI has achieved international renown (and coverage by such bellwether media outlets as 60 Minutes and The Discovery Channel) as the designer of such lavish destinations as The Palm Island, World Island, and the Madinat Jumeirah Resort in Dubai, UAE. Having brought an element of the fantastic to such real-world locales, CKI will for the first time endeavor to bring the specificity and rigor of its architectural practice to a purely fantastic destination. The maiden project for the new complex will be CKI’s collaboration with the Swedish company Mindark, makers of Entropia Universe, an enormously successful Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORG) with a real cash economy that is already positioned to challenge the dominance of market leader World of Warcraft. CKI, the first high-profile architectural firm to be enlisted for such an undertaking, will design an entire planet within Entropia Universe. "The technology introduced by this project will enable other companies within the media, film, music and gaming industries, among other content providers, to efficiently acquire their own planet within Entropia Universe," declared CKI CEO Robles. "In turn, this will provide a diverse, entertaining and interesting virtual universe of vast proportions for participants to explore." "This long term partnership with CKI is perfect match for Mindark. It further proves the viability of the Entropia Universe platform as the foundation of creating entertaining and exciting online virtual experiences, as well as giving our partners access to a very secure, proven and stable system for handling real cash transactions within a MMORG," Mindark CIO Marco Behrmann informs. Read the entire Press Release here. /news-1/archive/creative-kingdom-to-craft/index.xml?mod=2008-02-19 12:24:29Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:24:29 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/mindark-intends-to-go-pub/index.xml Mindark intends to go public | December 04, 2007 | MindArk PE (“MindArk”), owner of the Entropia Universe online game (“Entropia”), plans an initial public offering (IPO). MindArk is in the process of preparing for its upcoming IPO, which will likely include an offering of newly issued registered shares as well as existing shares. MindArk intends to use the proceeds from the newly issued shares to implement its growth strategy, in particular the expansion of its market position and pursuit of potential acquisition opportunities. Jan Welter, CEO of MindArk, said: “As a publicly traded company MindArk will be able to acquire intellectual property and make strategic acquisitions that will enhance and expand Entropia Universe as the leading Virtual platform for Entertainment, Commerce, Education and Avatar Development. The IPO will also give us an opportunity to substantially expand our development team and to further develop our many current virtual systems and user tools employed by users to engage in commerce, as well as to develop new ones”. MindArk has appointed Credit Suisse to help the company evaluate its strategic alternatives including planning for the IPO. /news-1/archive/mindark-intends-to-go-pub/index.xml?mod=2007-12-04 00:40:00Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:40:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/guinness-world-records-bo/index.xml Entropia Universe Enters 2008 Guinness World Records Book for "Most Expensive Virtual World Object" | 19 Sept 2007 | Entropia's Real Cash Economy Model Proves Its Commercial Viability by Attracting Largest Real Cash Investments in Virtual Items (Gothenburg, Sweden) September 18, 2007 - Entropia Universe, the leading virtual worlds platform for interactive entertainment, community building and e-commerce using a real cash economy, boasts the Most Valuable Virtual Items and Real Estate of all the virtual worlds. The new 2008 Guinness World Records book features Club NEVERDIE, an asteroid space resort bought for $100,000 USD by famous gamer Jon NEVERDIE Jacobs as "The Most Expensive Virtual Object." Read the entire Press Release here. /news-1/archive/guinness-world-records-bo/index.xml?mod=2007-09-19 10:46:00Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:46:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/entropia-universe-in-bras/index.xml Virtual World Entropia Universe and GNN Launch Entropia Universe in Brasil | 10 Oct 2007 | MindArk and GNN announce a cooperation to promote the Entropia Universe in Brasil. GNN publishes and services highly engaging online games and cultivates dynamic player environments. The company puts gamers first by giving them free access to its compelling titles, supporting its amazing communities, offering creative pricing models and updating its games based on community feedback. GNN currently has 2 million registered users and offers Eudemons, Risk Your Life, MU, Lineage 2 and Rose. GNN has an operational presence in Brasil. More information can be found at www.gnn.com.br /news-1/archive/entropia-universe-in-bras/index.xml?mod=2007-10-10 10:40:00Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:40:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/entropia-universe-enters-/index.xml Entropia Universe Enters China to Create the Largest Virtual World Ever | 30 May 2007 | One of the World's Largest Virtual Economies Partners With Chinese Cyber-Giant to Create a New Network Capable of Handling 7 Million Concurrent Users and $1 Billion in Commerce Annually GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN -- May 30, 2007 -- Entropia Universe, the safest virtual world utilizing a real cash economy, has been chosen by the Beijing Municipal People's Government supported online entertainment company Cyber Recreation Development Corp. (CRD) to create a cash-based virtual economy for China. Pressrelease >> /news-1/archive/entropia-universe-enters-/index.xml?mod=2007-05-30 10:49:00Wed, 30 May 2007 08:49:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/entropia-universe-and-glo/index.xml Virtual World Entropia Universe and Global Gaming Factory X AB Launch Digital Distribution of Entropia to Gaming Centers | 22 May 2007 | GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN -- May 22, 2007 -- MindArk and Global Gaming Factory X AB announced the launch of Entropia Universe as the first virtual universe and software to use the Smartlaunch Direct digital distribution platform to reach millions of gamers at thousands of internet cafes and gaming centers all over the world. Read the entire Press Release here. /news-1/archive/entropia-universe-and-glo/index.xml?mod=2007-05-22 12:11:00Tue, 22 May 2007 10:11:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/the-goteborg-company-awar/index.xml The Goteborg Company Award | 18 Apr 2007 | MindArk PE AB is today proud to accept the Goteborg Company Award. The Company Award was introduced by the Trade and Industry Group in January 1994, and has so far been won by over 40 companies. The award is aimed at supporting industrial development in the Goteborg region and rewarding positive enterprise. Positive enterprise benefits customers, employees, business owners and society. MindArk's CEO Jan Welter, Marketing Director Carl Uggla and Business Development Director David Simmonds will be attending the prize ceremony this evening to accept the award. /news-1/archive/the-goteborg-company-awar/index.xml?mod=2007-04-18 11:04:00Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:04:00 GMThttp://www.mindark.se//news-1/archive/banking-licenses-sold/index.xml Banking Licenses Sold! | 3 May 2007 | The most exciting auction on Calypso to date has just finished. Five Bank Licenses were up for public auction. The auction houses were packed, NeverDie was commentating live from Club NeverDie, while real banks, investors and Entropia entrepreneurs vied for the lucrative licenses. An amazing total of over $400,000 was finally paid for the five licenses. More information will be made available in the coming days. In the meanwhile, head up to Club NeverDie where many of the new bankers and other Calypsian profiles will be celebrating tonight. /news-1/archive/banking-licenses-sold/index.xml?mod=2007-05-03 11:02:00Thu, 03 May 2007 09:02:00 GMT