Idea Fabrik Announces Social Game Development, Business Platform

HeroEngine developer Idea Fabrik announced Idea System, a new development and business package for 3D social game development, which launches later this spring. The Idea System package includes an in-browser 3D social game engine for creating games online and in real-time. It also offers an integrated server with hosting in worldwide data centers, as well as global billing and marketing support. The platform is based on Idea Fabrik's recently acquired HeroEngine (originally created by Simutronics), which has been licensed for large-scale MMOs like Hero's Journey, Faxion Online, and EA's upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic. Idea Fabrik says it expanded HeroEngine's engineering team to develop these new social game-specific tools that include browser plug-ins and a "massively scalable server architecture". Idea System is available to developers for no licensing cost, though it features a revenue sharing model that gives a 30 percent cut of net revenue to Idea Fabrik as payment for providing the suite of business services. "During our early work on Idea System, we realized that the needs of social game developers went well beyond new game engine technology," says Idea Fabrik COO and U.S. operations president Neil Harris. Harris continues, "Developers keep telling us that they want to focus on building games, and Idea System provides them with everything they need to turn a great social game into a great business."