Best Of WorldsInMotion: From Habbo to Sugar Rush

Every week, we'll be featuring the top stories from the surging online/virtual world space from Gamasutra sister site WorldsInMotion.biz. This week's notable items in the space include Habbo reaching 100 million registered avatars, Nexon announcing Sugar Rush, our in-depth tour of embeddable virtual world Fresbo World. Habbo Reaches 100 Million Registered Avatars "Online game operator Sulake Corporation has announced that its teen social network site and virtual world, Habbo, formerly Habbo Hotel, has registered its 100 millionth user-created avatar since the service's launch in 2000." Nexon Reveals First Western-Developed Title "Nexon America has begun a closed beta for Sugar Rush, its first MMOG developed by a western studio and targeted specifically for North American audiences... The development team working on Sugar Rush is based in Vancouver, Canada and includes former Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios Group vice president and creative director Steve Rechtschaffner, as well as studio Klei Entertainment." Worlds In Motion's Online World Atlas: Fresbo World "Fresbo World is a socially orientated online world like most others, offering a customizable avatar, a home to decorate and areas in which players can meet and socialize. Players can also arrange events and auction unwanted items, and games are available to play. The world has also been designed to allow users the ability to embed the client on social network pages." Q&A: IMVU's Cary Rosenzweig On "Building From The Avatar Up" "Along with announcing that its avatar and 3D virtual spaces platform had reached over 20 million registered users, IMVU officially made its public debut earlier this week after spending four years in stealth mode." Human Pets Expands From Facebook To Standalone Site "Targeted at both teens and young adults, Human Pets offers a virtual world based on the concept of having humans as pets, their nicknames determined by their owners. All users are animals who can be fed, groomed, nicknamed, and even sold and bought as pets." Gartner: Three Steps For Encouraging Corporate Investment In Virtual Worlds "In advance of its report on "How to Justify Enterprise Investment in Virtual Worlds," information and technology research and advisory firm Gartner has outlined a three-step, incremental approach that it believes will constrain costs and emphasize benefits for virtual worlds, helping companies gain needed funding and approvals." Report: Disney Overhauling Site, Adding Mobile Component To Pixie Hollows "Disney hopes to encourage more interaction with games that connect with user cellphones, such as a newly announced mobile component for Pixie Hollow, a forthcoming virtual world based on Disney's Tinker Bell fairy character. The mobile application allows users to create and care for a butterfly pet for their Pixie Hollow avatars, a feature not available in the online release." Interested parties can read daily news on the online/virtual worlds space at the WorldsInMotion.biz weblog, with a second Worlds In Motion Summit planned for September's Austin GDC event.