Perpetual Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Perpetual Entertainment, founded in March 2002, was an American developer
, publisher
and operator
of networked multiplayer games and MMORPG
s. Their headquarters
were in San Francisco, California
, USA. From October 2007 to February 2008 (following a transfer of assets) the company was known as P2 Entertainment. The company was best known for its development of two MMOs: Star Trek Online
and Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
.
Perpetual was also developing the Perpetual Entertainment Platform (PEP), a complete solution for developing, hosting
, monitoring, and operating any networked online game. The PEP would have enabled games to simultaneously function on a wide variety of consumer game devices, including PCs
, videogame consoles, cell phones, and hand-held computers. One notable licensee of this platform was Bioware
.
The Perpetual Game Engine
, a suite of reusable game tools and libraries for high-quality and stable development of networked games of all genres, was also being developed.
Subsequent to this announcement on October 10, 2007, Perpetual Entertainment Inc. transferred ownership of all its assets including Star Trek Online to Perpetual LLC, for liquidation and distribution of liquidation proceeds to creditors of Perpetual.
Shortly thereafter, Perpetual Entertainment's IP was "picked up" by P2 Entertainment, though the management remained unchanged. On January 14, 2008, it was announced that the company was no longer developing Star Trek Online
, and that the Intellectual Property license, as well as game content, but not the game code, had been transferred to a Bay Area game developer. It was later confirmed that the new owner was Cryptic Studios
.
In December 2007, a well-publicized lawsuit was bought by PR Firm Kohnke Communications against Perpetual. On January 24, 2008 it was announced that the suit had been dismissed following a mutual resolution by both parties.
On February 25, 2008, it was announced by several sources that P2 was closing its doors entirely. The company's websites have been shut down.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
, publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
and operator
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
of networked multiplayer games and MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s. Their headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
were in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, USA. From October 2007 to February 2008 (following a transfer of assets) the company was known as P2 Entertainment. The company was best known for its development of two MMOs: Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online, often abbreviated as STO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios based on the popular Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis...
and Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is the title of an MMORPG made by Heatwave Interactive. The game is set in the world of Ancient Rome, and combines historical elements and enemies with mythological ones...
.
Products
As Perpetual Entertainment, the company had previously developed to beta status Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, which was put on indefinite hold in October 2007 after several rounds of layoffs. At that time, the company announced an intent to focus exclusively on Star Trek Online. However, as of 14 January 2008 it was reported that the company had ceased development of the Star Trek license, which was transferred to Cryptic Studios.Perpetual was also developing the Perpetual Entertainment Platform (PEP), a complete solution for developing, hosting
Internet hosting service
An Internet hosting service is a service that runs Internet servers, allowing organizations and individuals to serve content to the Internet. There are various levels of service and various kinds of services offered....
, monitoring, and operating any networked online game. The PEP would have enabled games to simultaneously function on a wide variety of consumer game devices, including PCs
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, videogame consoles, cell phones, and hand-held computers. One notable licensee of this platform was Bioware
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
.
The Perpetual Game Engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, a suite of reusable game tools and libraries for high-quality and stable development of networked games of all genres, was also being developed.
Company liquidation
After a previous round of layoffs in December 2006, Perpetual underwent several further rounds of layoffs and staff defections in September and October 2007, before finally announcing the indefinite suspension of Gods & Heroes to allow the company to focus its efforts on Star Trek Online.Subsequent to this announcement on October 10, 2007, Perpetual Entertainment Inc. transferred ownership of all its assets including Star Trek Online to Perpetual LLC, for liquidation and distribution of liquidation proceeds to creditors of Perpetual.
Shortly thereafter, Perpetual Entertainment's IP was "picked up" by P2 Entertainment, though the management remained unchanged. On January 14, 2008, it was announced that the company was no longer developing Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online, often abbreviated as STO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios based on the popular Star Trek series created by Gene Roddenberry. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis...
, and that the Intellectual Property license, as well as game content, but not the game code, had been transferred to a Bay Area game developer. It was later confirmed that the new owner was Cryptic Studios
Cryptic Studios
Cryptic Studios, a wholly owned Perfect World subsidiary, is a small American massively multiplayer online role-playing game developer headquartered in Los Gatos, California.-History:...
.
In December 2007, a well-publicized lawsuit was bought by PR Firm Kohnke Communications against Perpetual. On January 24, 2008 it was announced that the suit had been dismissed following a mutual resolution by both parties.
On February 25, 2008, it was announced by several sources that P2 was closing its doors entirely. The company's websites have been shut down.
External links
- Official website for Star Trek: Online, now run by Cryptic Studios
- Official website for Gods and Heroes, now run by Heatwave Entertainment