Vivox
Encyclopedia
Vivox, Inc.
specifically provides managed communication services in the form of integrated voice chat, Instant Messaging (IM) and presence to online games, virtual worlds and other online communities. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts
, United States
, its most publicized customers include Second Life
made by Linden Lab
, EVE Online
made by CCP Games
, and Combat Arms made by Nexon Corporation
. All three have integrated voice into their products.
in the Fall of 2005. On September 19, 2005 Vivox announced that they had received $6 million in venture capital funding from Canaan Partners
and GrandBanks Capital.
On November 13, 2007 Vivox announced that they had secured $7.8 million in series B financing. The B round financing was led by Benchmark Capital
and supported by existing investors Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. With the support of Benchmark Capital, former CEO of JAMDAT Mobile
, Mitch Lasky was added to the Vivox board of directors.
On February 2, 2010 Vivox announced that they had raised $6.8 Million in funding for their C round. The round was led by IDG Ventures
and included follow on investment from existing investors, Benchmark Capital, Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. In addition IDG Ventures, Managing Director, Phil Sanderson joined the Vivox Board.
February 27, 2007 Vivox announced a partnership with Linden Labs and that they would provide integrated voice communications to the Second Life Grid. This included spatial audio that allows residents to hear each other based on their positions. This technology was licensed from DiamondWare Technologies.
During the 2008 Game Developers Conference
in San Francisco, California, Vivox announced a partnership with Sony Online Entertainment
. The agreement between the two companies brought integrated voice chat into all existing and planned SOE products including SOE's out of game communication application, Station Launcher. At this point the SOE
games that include Vivox Voice are: Everquest
, APB, Everquest 2, and Star Wars Galaxies
On May 13, 2008 Vivox and NCsoft
announced a partnership that would bring voice to the NCsoft player community.
September 16, 2008 it was announced that Vivox would provide voice technology for 38 Studios upcoming MMO.
March 24, 2009 Vivox and Real Time Worlds declared that Vivox would provide voice for Real Time Worlds' MMO, APB. To be included in this integration is use of Vivox's spatial 3D voice capabilities.
s and virtual world
s.
integrations of Vivox's communications platform.
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
specifically provides managed communication services in the form of integrated voice chat, Instant Messaging (IM) and presence to online games, virtual worlds and other online communities. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, its most publicized customers include Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
made by Linden Lab
Linden Lab
Linden Research, Inc., d/b/a Linden Lab, is a privately held American Internet company that is best known as the creator of Second Life....
, EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
made by CCP Games
CCP hf
CCP hf or CCP Games is an Icelandic video game developer and publisher, majority owned by the company's staff and founders, Novator Partners and the American investment fund General Catalyst Partners...
, and Combat Arms made by Nexon Corporation
Nexon Corporation
Nexon Co. Ltd. is a South Korean video game developer and publisher of online games and MMORPGs. Founded in Seoul in 1994, Nexon's headquarters is currently based in Tokyo. Nexon provides over 30 games which are serviced in 72 countries globally, reaching 1.14 billion players...
. All three have integrated voice into their products.
History
Vivox was founded by Jeff PulverJeff Pulver
Jeffrey L. Pulver is an American Internet entrepreneur known for his work as founder and chief executive of pulver.com. He has written extensively on the need to develop an alternative to government regulation of the applications layer of Voice over Internet Protocol telephony.-Biography:Jeff...
in the Fall of 2005. On September 19, 2005 Vivox announced that they had received $6 million in venture capital funding from Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners is a multi-billion dollar global venture capital firm focusing on investments in early stage companies in the technology and healthcare sectors....
and GrandBanks Capital.
On November 13, 2007 Vivox announced that they had secured $7.8 million in series B financing. The B round financing was led by Benchmark Capital
Benchmark Capital
Benchmark Capital is a venture capital firm responsible for the early stage funding of some very successful startups. In 1997, the firm invested $6.7 million in eBay, which became worth more than $5 billion by the spring of 1999. Other high-profile investments include Ariba, Juniper Networks, Red...
and supported by existing investors Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. With the support of Benchmark Capital, former CEO of JAMDAT Mobile
JAMDAT Mobile
EA Mobile is an American video game development studio of the publisher Electronic Arts .The studio's primary business is producing games for mobile phones. It has also produced other entertainment-related software such as ringtone applications, as well as games for other platforms such as PDAs and...
, Mitch Lasky was added to the Vivox board of directors.
On February 2, 2010 Vivox announced that they had raised $6.8 Million in funding for their C round. The round was led by IDG Ventures
IDG Ventures
IDG Ventures is a global family of venture funds with approximately $6.8 billion under management. All of the funds were originally sole-source-funded by International Data Group.The first fund was created by IDG in 1996 and was located in San Francisco...
and included follow on investment from existing investors, Benchmark Capital, Canaan Partners and GrandBanks Capital. In addition IDG Ventures, Managing Director, Phil Sanderson joined the Vivox Board.
Major Announcements
On May 10, 2006 CCP Games and Vivox announced that EVE Online players would have real-time, in-game voice communication as the result of an agreement between the two companies. Vivox provided CCP with an integrated solution that allows players to speak with each other in-game, create audio conference channels for their gang, corporation or alliance.February 27, 2007 Vivox announced a partnership with Linden Labs and that they would provide integrated voice communications to the Second Life Grid. This included spatial audio that allows residents to hear each other based on their positions. This technology was licensed from DiamondWare Technologies.
During the 2008 Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
in San Francisco, California, Vivox announced a partnership with Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, DC Universe...
. The agreement between the two companies brought integrated voice chat into all existing and planned SOE products including SOE's out of game communication application, Station Launcher. At this point the SOE
Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, DC Universe...
games that include Vivox Voice are: Everquest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
, APB, Everquest 2, and Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.-History:...
On May 13, 2008 Vivox and NCsoft
NCsoft
NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:...
announced a partnership that would bring voice to the NCsoft player community.
September 16, 2008 it was announced that Vivox would provide voice technology for 38 Studios upcoming MMO.
March 24, 2009 Vivox and Real Time Worlds declared that Vivox would provide voice for Real Time Worlds' MMO, APB. To be included in this integration is use of Vivox's spatial 3D voice capabilities.
Online Games and Virtual Worlds
Known integrations of Vivox's communications platform in online gameOnline game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
s and virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
s.
| Company | Product | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CCP Games CCP hf CCP hf or CCP Games is an Icelandic video game developer and publisher, majority owned by the company's staff and founders, Novator Partners and the American investment fund General Catalyst Partners... |
EVE Online EVE Online Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates... |
Live |
| Nexon Corporation Nexon Corporation Nexon Co. Ltd. is a South Korean video game developer and publisher of online games and MMORPGs. Founded in Seoul in 1994, Nexon's headquarters is currently based in Tokyo. Nexon provides over 30 games which are serviced in 72 countries globally, reaching 1.14 billion players... |
Combat Arms Combat Arms Combat Arms is a multiplayer game, free-to-play modern first-person shooter developed by the South Korea-based developer Doobic Studios, and published by Nexon. The game uses the Lithtech game engine to produce its graphics.- Gameplay :... |
Live |
| Linden Lab | Second Life | Live |
| Sony Online Entertainment Sony Online Entertainment Sony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, DC Universe... |
EverQuest EverQuest EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost... |
Live |
| Sony Online Entertainment | EverQuest II EverQuest II EverQuest II is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment , based on EverQuest, and shipped on 8 November 2004... |
Live |
| Sony Online Entertainment | Star Wars Galaxies Star Wars Galaxies Star Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.-History:... |
Live |
| Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers... |
Command & Conquer 4 | Live |
| IMVU IMVU IMVU, Inc. is an online social entertainment destination in which members use 3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create, and play games created by Fydor Guthenschlag. IMVU has over 50 million registered users, 10 million unique visitors per month and three million monthly active users... |
IMVU IMVU IMVU, Inc. is an online social entertainment destination in which members use 3D avatars to meet new people, chat, create, and play games created by Fydor Guthenschlag. IMVU has over 50 million registered users, 10 million unique visitors per month and three million monthly active users... |
Live |
| Runewaker Entertainment Runewaker Entertainment Runewaker Entertainment is a Taiwanese video game company. It was established on August 13, 2004 in Taichung, Taiwan. Runewaker's core values are the pursuit of "Knowledge", "Innovation", and "Standardized Work Flow Process"... |
Runes of Magic Runes of Magic Not to be confused with RuneScape.Runes of Magic is a free massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by the Taiwanese developer Runewaker Entertainment and adapted for the English and German-speaking market by German company Frogster Interactive... |
Live |
| Hi-Rez Studios Hi-Rez Studios Hi-Rez Studios is an independent, privately held video game developer based in Alpharetta, Georgia. It was founded in 2005 by Erez Goren, and released their first game, Global Agenda, in February 2010.... |
Global Agenda Global Agenda Global Agenda is an online team-based game by Hi-Rez Studios developed using Unreal Engine 3. The game went live on February 1, 2010. April, 2011, Global Agenda was re-released as a free-to-play game, introducing Elite and Free Agents in addition to an in-game cash shop featuring Agenda... |
Live |
| Gaia Online Gaia Online Gaia Online is an English-language, anime-themed social networking and forums-based website. Gaiaonline was founded in 2003. but the name was changed to GaiaOnline.com in 2003 from go-gaia by its owner, Gaia Interactive... |
zOMG! | Live |
| CyberSports | Football Superstars Football Superstars Football Superstars is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online football game Developed by Monumental Games and published by CyberSports.-Development:... |
Live |
| Icarus Studios | Fallen Earth Fallen Earth Fallen Earth is a free-to-play MMO developed by Reloaded Productions . The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland located around the American Grand Canyon... |
Live |
| Metaversum | Twinity Twinity Twinity is the first 3D online virtual world to build true-to-scale replicas of large cities from all over the world. Twinity is developed by Metaversum GmbH, a company based in Berlin, Germany. It offers its population, called Twinizens, to navigate around virtual versions of real-world cities,... |
Live |
| Realtime Worlds Realtime Worlds Realtime Worlds Ltd was a video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland from 2002 until its closure in September 2010. Realtime Worlds was the largest independent game developer in Scotland with over 200 employees as well as a small Boulder, Colorado office.... |
APB | Early Release |
| Bigpoint Games Bigpoint Games Bigpoint GmbH is a German video game developer that has specializes in browser-based games. Bigpoint runs a gaming portal website with a number of browser-based massively multiplayer online role playing games it has produced and has over 200 million registered users... |
BigPoint | N/A (TBD) |
| NCsoft NCsoft NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:... |
TBD | N/A (TBD) |
| Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games... |
Dungeons & Dragons Insider Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997... |
N/A (TBD) |
| Gamersfirst K2 network K2 Network, Inc. is a computer game service company in Irvine, California. K2 Network brings games from Asia and services them for North American, South American, and European markets. In addition to providing localized game versions, its other services include community management and customer... |
War Rock War Rock War Rock is a multiplayer first-person shooter made by the South Korean company, Dream Execution. The game is distributed as a free-to-play, a common form of freeware EULA and available through online downloading. Outside of the Far East, the game is hosted by K2 Network, who service the game for... |
Removed |
Middleware Platforms
Known middlewareMiddleware
Middleware is computer software that connects software components or people and their applications. The software consists of a set of services that allows multiple processes running on one or more machines to interact...
integrations of Vivox's communications platform.
| Company | Product |
|---|---|
| BigWorld Technology Bigworld Technology BigWorld Technology is a middleware platform for the development of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games and virtual worlds... |
BigWorld Technology Suite |
| Icarus Studios | Icarus Developer Tools Suite |
| Monumental Games Monumental games Monumental Games is an independent UK video game developer. It was founded by industry veterans Rik Alexander and Rocco Loscalzo in 2005... |
Monumental Technology Suite |
| Multiverse Network Multiverse Network The Multiverse Network, Inc. is an American startup company creating a network and platform for Massively Multiplayer Online Games and 3D virtual worlds... |
Multiverse Platform |
| Simutronics Simutronics Simutronics is an American online games company whose products include GemStone IV and DragonRealms. It was founded in 1987 by David Whatley, with husband and wife Tom & Susan Zelinski... |
HeroEngine HeroEngine HeroEngine is a 3D game engine and server technology platform originally developed by Simutronics Corporation specifically for building MMO-style games... |
Board of directors
| Title | Name | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Jeff Pulver Jeff Pulver Jeffrey L. Pulver is an American Internet entrepreneur known for his work as founder and chief executive of pulver.com. He has written extensively on the need to develop an alternative to government regulation of the applications layer of Voice over Internet Protocol telephony.-Biography:Jeff... |
pulver.com |
| Member | Mike Baxter | DataXu |
| Member | Ryan Moore | GrandBanks Capital |
| Member | Mitch Lasky | Benchmark Capital Benchmark Capital Benchmark Capital is a venture capital firm responsible for the early stage funding of some very successful startups. In 1997, the firm invested $6.7 million in eBay, which became worth more than $5 billion by the spring of 1999. Other high-profile investments include Ariba, Juniper Networks, Red... |
| Member | Warren Lee | Canaan Partners Canaan Partners Canaan Partners is a multi-billion dollar global venture capital firm focusing on investments in early stage companies in the technology and healthcare sectors.... |
| Member | Phil Sanderson | IDG Ventures SF |
Awards and Commendations
- 2010 Hottest Boston Company Award – Lead411
- Top 20 Most Influential People in Massively Multiplayer Online Video Games – 2008 and 2009 – Beckett MediaBeckett MediaBeckett Media is a privately held company. Founded in 1984 by James Beckett as Beckett Publications, the company focuses on the collectible industries, especially in the area of sports collectibles.-History:...
- 100 Top Companies in Northeast – 2008 – AlwaysOn
- Front Line Award – 2007 – Game Developer MagazineGame Developer MagazineGame Developer magazine is the premier publication for working video game creators, and reaches over 35,000 industry professionals monthly. Each month, industry leaders and experts share technical solutions, review new game development tools, and discuss strategies for creating innovative,...
- 100 Top Companies – 2007 and 2008 – AlwaysOn
- Pulver 100 – 2007 – PulverMedia
- 100 North America – 2006 – Red HerringRed Herring (magazine)Red Herring was a technology business magazine, which flourished during the dot com boom, with global distribution and bureaus in Bangalore, Beijing, and Paris. It also sponsored conferences designed to bring venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and technologists together. But the magazine went into...
- Next Net 25 – 2006 – Business 2.0Business 2.0Business 2.0 was a monthly magazine publication founded by magazine entrepreneur Chris Anderson, Mark Gross, and journalist James Daly in order to chronicle the rise of the "New Economy"...
- Fierce 15 – 2006 – FierceMarkets
See also
- VentriloVentriloVentrilo is a proprietary VoIP software which includes text chat.The Ventrilo client and server are both available as freeware for use with fewer than 8 people on the same server . The server software is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, or Unix variants such as Linux, Kopi, Solaris,...
- TeamspeakTeamSpeakTeamSpeak is a proprietary Voice over IP software that allows users to speak on a chat channel with other users, much like a telephone conference call. A TeamSpeak user will often wear a headset with an integrated microphone...
- Roger WilcoRoger Wilco (software)Roger Wilco is a Voice over IP application used by multiplayer video game players, usually in combination with a headset. The name is derived from a common voice procedure in two-way radio. Roger stands for "I understand what you just said" and wilco is short for "will comply"...
- Mumble