Kaneva
Encyclopedia
Kaneva, LLC is a privately owned Atlanta-based company founded in 2004 by Christopher Klaus and Greg Frame. Kaneva is a 3D Virtual World
that supports 2D web browsing, social networking and shared media.
In 2004 Kaneva worked with Georgia
’s Department of Economic Development to draft a new law that would promote video game development in Georgia. It passed in 2004.
Kaneva later decided to use its own technology to develop a virtual world that combined video sharing, social networking and 3D environments. In 2005, Kaneva started development on the Virtual World of Kaneva, the company’s flagship product. The Virtual World of Kaneva was released into beta in mid 2006.
A new site was created in April 2006 to allow the community of game developers to collaborate on their Kaneva Game Platform projects. This site was named the Kaneva Elite Developers Site.
The Elite Developers program was later discontinued with their source code release in November 2009. The source code is hidden but still available to everyone on the resources page at in their developer web site.
In the first quarter of 2010 Kaneva released their Kaneva 3D Applications and their 3D App Game Developer Program. Kaneva shifted from featured MMO development to smaller scale 3D application development which closely mirrors the very popular Facebook
applications.
, Entropia Universe
, IMVU
, Active Worlds
, Second Life
and Twinity
.
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...
that supports 2D web browsing, social networking and shared media.
In 2004 Kaneva worked with Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
’s Department of Economic Development to draft a new law that would promote video game development in Georgia. It passed in 2004.
Background
Kaneva was originally founded to develop a massively multi-player online game (MMOG). In late 2004, Kaneva released the first version of the Kaneva Game Platform.Kaneva later decided to use its own technology to develop a virtual world that combined video sharing, social networking and 3D environments. In 2005, Kaneva started development on the Virtual World of Kaneva, the company’s flagship product. The Virtual World of Kaneva was released into beta in mid 2006.
A new site was created in April 2006 to allow the community of game developers to collaborate on their Kaneva Game Platform projects. This site was named the Kaneva Elite Developers Site.
The Elite Developers program was later discontinued with their source code release in November 2009. The source code is hidden but still available to everyone on the resources page at in their developer web site.
In the first quarter of 2010 Kaneva released their Kaneva 3D Applications and their 3D App Game Developer Program. Kaneva shifted from featured MMO development to smaller scale 3D application development which closely mirrors the very popular Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
applications.
Status
As of June 2010, Kaneva has over five million members but has not disclosed how many 3D Applications are in development.Competitors
Kaneva has several competitors, including SmallworldsSmallworlds
SmallWorlds is a virtual world. It has over 6,000,000 registered users. It is commonly also known as 'SW'. The website is owned and operated by Outsmart 2005 Ltd, a privately owned company based in Auckland, New Zealand. The virtual world runs inside a web browser, without the need to download or...
, Entropia Universe
Entropia Universe
Entropia Universe is a massively multiplayer online virtual universe designed by the Swedish software company MindArk, based in Gothenburg. Entropia uses a micropayment business model, in which players may buy in-game currency with real money that can be redeemed back into real world funds at a...
, 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...
, Active Worlds
Active Worlds
Active Worlds is a 3D virtual reality platform. The Active Worlds client runs on Windows. Users assign themselves a name, log into the Active Worlds universe, and explore 3D virtual worlds and environments that other users have built. Users can chat with one another or build structures and areas...
, 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...
and 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,...
.