The virtual world is a combination of a social network, video games, and a complex inventory system. Boys can design their own virtual cars online just like they can in the store. Electric Sheep took CAD files of all the body designs and measured all the parts with micrometers to render how each car looks. Then they converted that into Flash using 3D Studio Max and Papervision3D. There are 649 million different combinations, and each one can be made into a real car and bought, so Electric Sheep had to figure out a way to make sure that only parts that really fit together could be created virtually. Depending on what parts a boy picks, it will affect the performance of his ride.

Read the entire article here.

Showtime has inked a deal with virtual world technology company The Electric Sheep Company to create a standalone Web-based virtual world for drama series “The L Word.” The L Word virtual world, which begins testing next month and formally launches with the debut of the series’ new season in early 2009, will be the first to use Electric Sheep’s new WebFlock, a Flash-based solution that eliminates the lengthy downloads and other technological barriers that have prevented some virtual worlds from attracting the mass market. “We’ll also have celebrity guests as well as speed dating events and birthday party kits,” he said.

Hollywood Reporter subscribers can read the full article here.

WebFlock worlds are private-label virtual environments targeted at big brands who want to have a 3D presence online that is more accessible than worlds like Second Life, which require a separate software download. Although we’ve seen $345 million invested in virtual-world startups so far this year, there is a definite trend of those worlds moving into the browser.

Read the full article here.

At its more developed, WebFlock is much more customizable. Spaces can be placed on a single brand homepage or distributed through MySpace or Facebook. It can come with not only customized avatars and spaces, but games, more interactive objects, and integration with brands’ existing Web content, like streaming media or social networks. In fact, that’s one of the main points.

Read the entire article here.

Read the full article here.

Among the findings was that Pepsi’s positive brand image traits increased dramatically among fans who not only watch the show but browse The Hills content online, where Pepsi runs 30-second spots and banners. Positive brand image increased even more among fans who played in The Hills virtual world as well. (The average time spent there, according to MTV, is about 28 minutes per encounter.)

The numbers show that among the 240 fans who watched only the on-air version of the show, about half said Pepsi promotes music events and supports music artists, while less than 30 percent said the brand was in touch with youth culture. About 15 percent of the TV-only watchers consider Pepsi “cool” or “hip” while about 1 percent indicated that Pepsi exposed them to the latest trends, styles and fashion.

But those numbers skyrocket among fans who watch the TV show, go online and enter The Hills virtual world. Upwards of 90 percent of those viewers said Pepsi promotes music and recording artists, while almost 70 percent considered the brand to be both in touch with youth culture and cool or hip.

And Pepsi’s products were a hit with participating consumers in MTV’s virtual world. The soft drink was the top-selling product in 2007, moving more than 110,000 cans that were virtually recycled and used more than 650,000 times. The cans were also seen in use over 2.4 million times by 85 percent of the user base, according to the study. “Those are very high numbers,” said Pepsi’s Vail. “To have people in-world using their virtual MTV bucks to buy Pepsi at those rates was amazing to us.

Read the article here.

Virtual worlds, mobile coupons and bar-code readers on cell phones are the next technology wave that U.S. chain stores must ride if they hope to stay competitive in the fast-changing world of global retail.

Read the full article here.