There.com Provides Development Support for MTV Networks' New Virtual World, 'Virtual Laguna Beach'

There.com Provides Development Support for MTV Networks' New Virtual World, 'Virtual Laguna Beach'

World Represents First Use of Social Virtual World Experience to Extend MTV Networks' Engagement with Fans of the Hit MTV Series Laguna Beach

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- There.com parent company Makena Technologies announced today that it is serving as the lead developer for MTV Networks' "Virtual Laguna Beach," the new 3D social virtual world based on the hit MTV reality show Laguna Beach. The online spinoff, now live at http://www.vlb.there.com/ , is the first large-scale social virtual world for the entertainment company.

MTV Networks' selection of Makena reflects the advanced technology platform and user-friendly interactive experience developed for There.com, the largest 3D social virtual world on the Internet with 500,000 registered users. Exclusive There.com features such as highly expressive and lifelike 3D avatars, multi-person voice chat and an in-world event management system were used in Virtual Laguna Beach, as well as new technology that Makena built specifically in conjunction with MTV Networks for the project.

Virtual Laguna Beach is the first in a string of new social-networking platforms from MTV Networks, resulting in interactive experiences that let viewers personally experience -- and 'live' for themselves -- the content they see on-air.

"Virtual Laguna Beach is a new milestone in the use of online worlds to deeply engage users with the content they see on-air and marketers' messages," said Michael Wilson, CEO of Makena Technologies. "Partnering with MTV Networks on this project has enabled us to break new ground in the online branding experience and create new technologies that will allow the broader There.com community to live richer virtual lives than in any other social network on the Internet."

Virtual Laguna Beach enables fans of the show to create online alter egos who can interact with each other in a virtual environment featuring many of the show's landmarks, from the beach itself to the cast members' high school, favorite restaurants, shops and other hangouts.

Users can meet fellow Laguna Beach devotees, converse in groups by text or voice chat, attend parties, listen to music and watch streaming videos supplied by MTV Networks, and create and run their own events. Many site- sponsored events will parallel third-season episodes to maximize the link between the real and online universes.

The underlying server infrastructure for Virtual Laguna Beach is being provided by iXsystems, a provider of high-performance computing clusters, blade servers, rackmount servers, and storage solutions. "We are excited to provide the underlying server infrastructure for Makena and MTV Networks' groundbreaking technology and look forward to continuing our successful partnership with them in the future," said Michael Lauth, CEO of iXsystems.

About Makena Technologies, Inc.

Makena Technologies is the parent company of There.com, a fully interactive 3D online social network where members can hang out with friends, get involved in There.com-sponsored events ranging from paintball to fashion shows, create their own events, build and decorate a virtual home, and participate in building the community. The site offers sophisticated integration of multi-person voice chat, avatars who communicate with a full range of emotions, and a virtual economy enabling users to buy and sell items using a currency called Therebucks, and a PG-13 environment suitable for ages 13 and up. The company has offices in San Mateo, CA and Laguna Beach, CA. For more information, visit http://www.there.com/ .

Source: There.com

CONTACT: Belinda Banks of S&S Public Relations, +1-908-685-2300,
belinda@sspr.com

Web site: http://www.vlb.there.com/
http://www.there.com/

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