Just a few days after raising $502 million from SoftBank, Improbable has announced an alliance to develop big online game worlds with Jagex, the maker of fantasy role-playing online game RuneScape.
Jagex will use Improbable’s SpatialOS, an operating system built for the era of cloud computing and big data, for future development projects.
London-based Improbable has stirred a lot of conversation about technology and open worlds since the news from SoftBank. Improbable’s SpatialOS technology is a computation platform that allows developers to build virtual worlds that offer permanent, persistent and engaging experiences.
“Jagex has already made RuneScape an iconic brand in online gaming, and it’s great to be partnering with them to bring new levels of depth and scale to Jagex’s future creations by providing SpatialOS as a platform,” said Herman Narula, Improbable’s cofounder and CEO, in a statement. “From catching the first fish on Tutorial Island in 2001 to hunting for loot in the Wilderness, RuneScape and the world of Gielinor have given millions of players great stories to tell. We’re excited to see what such an experienced team with this established and well-loved IP will be able to do with our platform, which enables greater player density, larger and more detailed worlds and new forms of emergent gameplay.”
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Jagex didn’t say what it would build. Improbable tries to handle the infrastructure for online games, offloading that task so developers can focus on building worlds.
Phil Mansell, chief operating officer and acting CEO of Jagex, said in a statement, “As a studio, we have online gaming at heart and we’ve always looked for technology that can help to deliver the best possible experience for our players. We’re looking forward to working with Improbable and discovering the advancements the SpatialOS platform can bring to multiplayer gaming.”
Others using SpatialOS include Bossa Studios (Worlds Adrift), Spilt Milk Studios (Lazarus), HelloVR (MetaWorld), Entrada Interactive (Rebel Horizons) and Soulbound Studios (Chronicles of Elyria).
Established in 2001, Jagex has had more than 250 million people register to play RuneScape. It has 320 employees in Cambridge, England.
