Bigpoint U.S. Developing Universal Monsters MMO

Bigpoint Inc., the U.S. based subsidiary of German browser-based games publisher Bigpoint, announced that it is working with Universal Pictures on an MMO based on Universal Monsters. Unlike SEE Virtual Worlds' upcoming online world also using the Universal Monsters license, this project will be a third-person, multiplayer action RPG in which players fight against famous film monsters from Universal's catalog like Dracula and The Wolf Man. Bigpoint's San Francisco studio, which has been working on the project since early February, says it "aspires to capture the integrity of each property and include some of the early film techniques used in bringing the original monster characters to the silver screen." The San Francisco outfit also began working on another licensed MMO with Universal Pictures last month, The Mummy Online, which will be a third-person isometric action adventure game based on the Mummy trilogy's second installment and allow players to experience adventures in 1930s Egypt. Both titles are built on the Unity 3D platform and are being produced with access to Universal Pictures' image library. "We see tremendous opportunity in translating Hollywood titles into browser-based games," says Bigpoint CEO and founder Heiko Hubertz. "Battlestar Galactica Online was our first attempt in working with such significant properties, the games recent launch has already surpassed our expectations Hubertz continues, "We're excited to begin these new projects in San Francisco inspired by great films that bring a built-in appeal from legions of fans around the world."