Jump to content

Jolt Online Gaming: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Procariot (talk | contribs)
48 edits
Utopia Kingdoms closure
→Playboy Manager: No longer there, replaced by Playboy Party
Line 69: Line 69:
| url = http://forums.joltonline.com/announcement.php?f=1570&a=146}}</ref>
| url = http://forums.joltonline.com/announcement.php?f=1570&a=146}}</ref>
===Playboy Manager===
===Playboy Manager===
''Playboy Manager'' is a yet unpublished game in conjunction with [[Playboy]]<ref>{{cite web
''Playboy Manager'' was an unpublished game in conjunction with [[Playboy]]<ref>{{cite web
| last = Jolt
| last = Jolt
| title = Jolt Online Gaming and Playboy Enterprises Inc. Announce Playboy Manager: The Massively Casual Online Game!
| title = Jolt Online Gaming and Playboy Enterprises Inc. Announce Playboy Manager: The Massively Casual Online Game!
| date = 2009-05-06
| date = 2009-05-06
| url = http://www.playboymanager.com/press_release.htm}}</ref> in which the player will control a talent agent managing supermodels in an attempt to beat out other agents to a prized spot as a [[Playboy]] supermodel.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kee |first=Tameka |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051102633.html|title=Yes, You, Too, Can Manage A Playboy Playmate (Virtually, At Least) |publisher=Washingtonpost.com |date=2009-05-11 |accessdate=2009-10-05}}</ref> It was announced in May of 2009 and garnered media coverage from well-known publications such as [[The Wall Street Journal]] and [[Forbes]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kennedy |first=John |url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/13095/new-media/playing-the-game-irish-playboy-builds-a-global-online-empire/|title=Playing the Game: Irish Playboy Builds a Global Online Empire |publisher=Siliconrepublic.com |date=2009-06-04 |accessdate=2009-11-09}}</ref> The website contains the options to pre-register and subscribe to updates, as well as promotional content.
| url = http://www.playboymanager.com/press_release.htm}}</ref> in which the player would control a talent agent managing supermodels in an attempt to beat out other agents to a prized spot as a [[Playboy]] supermodel.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kee |first=Tameka |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051102633.html|title=Yes, You, Too, Can Manage A Playboy Playmate (Virtually, At Least) |publisher=Washingtonpost.com |date=2009-05-11 |accessdate=2009-10-05}}</ref> It was announced in May of 2009 and garnered media coverage from well-known publications such as [[The Wall Street Journal]] and [[Forbes]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kennedy |first=John |url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/13095/new-media/playing-the-game-irish-playboy-builds-a-global-online-empire/|title=Playing the Game: Irish Playboy Builds a Global Online Empire |publisher=Siliconrepublic.com |date=2009-06-04 |accessdate=2009-11-09}}</ref> The website contained the options to pre-register and subscribe to updates, as well as promotional content. As of December 14, 2010, all references to ''Playboy Manager'' have been deleted, and http://www.playboymanager.com now points to a Jolt-developed [[Facebook]] game called ''Playboy Party''.


===NationStates 2===
===NationStates 2===

Revision as of 04:42, 15 December 2010

Jolt Online Gaming
Company typeOnline gaming network
Founded1999
Headquarters
Dublin
,
Ireland
Key people
Dylan Collins, CEO

Jolt Online Gaming is an online gaming company hosted in the UK. Its main site provides news, reviews, and interviews concerning upcoming games on consoles and computers, while its gaming network Jolt Online Gaming Network hosts and publishes free-to-play browser based games. Notable works include Utopia, Utopia Kingdoms, Legends of Zork, and NationStates 2.

History

Founded in 1999, Jolt Online Gaming is based in Europe, with servers across the USA. Jolt is known as one of the pioneers of the supply of rentable servers to online gaming clans. Jolt was acquired by OMAC Industries, a company based in Dublin, Ireland in June 2008.[1] On November 8, 2009 the website Silicon Republic confirmed that Gamestop had acquired a stake in Jolt, making a major, undisclosed investment.[2]

The Jolt Online Gaming Network has been noted for releasing browser-based games using the names and fictional worlds of older games or franchises. Their business models often employ micropayment systems, as well as basic banner advertisements.

Hosted Games

Earth:2025

Earth:2025 is a browser based massive multiplayer internet-based strategy game, originally created and run by Swirve.com. It was first officially brought online in 1997 and acquired by Jolt through the 2008 sale of Swirve.com to Omac Industries.

In 2008 Jolt acquired this game along with Swirve's Utopia. On November 4th, 2009, Jolt announced that they would no longer be continuing the game when the current rounds end in December, citing an over abundance of technical problems which allegedly made continuing support untenable.[3]

Utopia

Utopia is a browser based massive multiplayer internet-based strategy game, originally created and run by Swirve.com. It was first officially brought online in 1998 and acquired by Jolt through the 2008 sale of Swirve.com to Omac Industries.

In 2009 Jolt recoded the game in an effort to remedy gameplay issues that Jolt reported as being a result of hacker attacks.[4] The new code was brought online as beta version of the game, the first since 1996. There have been continued issues with the gameplay and extended periods of downtime which Jolt partly blamed on hacker attacks.[5] A later announcement stated that the downtime was caused by a bug.[6]

Utopia Kingdoms

Utopia Kingdoms is an online strategy game related to the universe of Utopia which was released in early 2009 and originally promoted as a kind of sequel.[7] Utopia Kingdoms allows players to pick a race from the original game and build a kingdom, juggling buildings, resource manufacturing, and high-risk combat. It was made in conjunction with XS Software and is based on their game, Khan Wars. On 16th November 2010 Jolt announced that Utopia Kingdoms would be discontinued after the 31st of January 2011, citing lack of development resources.[8]

Legends of Zork

Main article: Legends of Zork

Legends of Zork is a casual adventure game that was released in April 2009[9] that takes place in the Zork universe, a text-based adventure game created in the 1980s for the PC. It was released on April Fool's Day, 2009, to mixed reviews, with some saying that it had little to do with the original Zork.[10] Other, more recent reviews of the game were more positive, describing later features added to the game "with puzzles that would make the original Zork developers proud." [11]

Hattrick

Main article: Hattrick

Hattrick, a Swedish-based sports game, agreed to allow Jolt to host their game and make it available to more countries including the U.S., U.K., Ireland, and Australia.[12]

Trukz

Trukz is a text-based game that allows the player to create a truck driver and simulates the multitude of struggles cargo truck drivers endure on the road, the goal being upgrading their vehicle with commissions earned from the shipping and earning achievements for playing. The game uses Google Maps to point out cities they visit or pass on their drives. On 16th November 2010 Jolt announced that Trukz would be discontinued after the 31st of January 2011, citing lack of development resources.[13]

Playboy Manager

Playboy Manager was an unpublished game in conjunction with Playboy[14] in which the player would control a talent agent managing supermodels in an attempt to beat out other agents to a prized spot as a Playboy supermodel.[15] It was announced in May of 2009 and garnered media coverage from well-known publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Forbes.[16] The website contained the options to pre-register and subscribe to updates, as well as promotional content. As of December 14, 2010, all references to Playboy Manager have been deleted, and http://www.playboymanager.com now points to a Jolt-developed Facebook game called Playboy Party.

NationStates 2

NationStates 2 was an unauthorized[17] sequel to the popular society simulation game Jennifer Government: NationStates. NationStates 2 was unpopular next to its predecessor, suffering from technical issues and was later discontinued. After it was taken down, the owner of NationStates, author Max Barry reclaimed the domain and encouraged users to return or try the original version which was "now proudly Jolt-free".[18]

References

  1. ^ Elliott, Phil (2008-06-18). "OMAC Industries acquires Jolt Online Gaming".
  2. ^ Kennedy, John (2009-11-08). "GameStop Acquires Stake in Jolt Online". Siliconrepublic.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  3. ^ "Earth Announcement - Jolt Forums". Forums.joltonline.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  4. ^ "Utopia Announcement - Jolt Forums". Forums.joltonline.com. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  5. ^ "Attempted Denial of Service Attack- Jolt Forums". Forums.joltonline.com. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
  6. ^ "Game Stable - What next? - Jolt Forums". Forums.joltonline.com. Retrieved 2010-1-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ Guttridge, Luke (2009-02-26). "Jolt Online confirms Utopia sequel".
  8. ^ Utopia Kingdoms Forums (2010-11-16). "Utopia Kingdoms: Closure Announcement".
  9. ^ Graft, Kris (2009-01-14). "Zork MMO Announced".
  10. ^ Biggs, John (2009-04-03). "Legends of Zork: This is not the Zork you're looking for". Crunchgear.com. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  11. ^ Washburne, Robert (2009-09-30). "Legends of Zork: Just Adventure". Justadventure.com. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  12. ^ Jolt (2009-09-23). "Jolt and Hattrick Announce International Team-Up".
  13. ^ Trukz Forums (2010-11-16). "Trukz Forum and Game Closure".
  14. ^ Jolt (2009-05-06). "Jolt Online Gaming and Playboy Enterprises Inc. Announce Playboy Manager: The Massively Casual Online Game!".
  15. ^ Kee, Tameka (2009-05-11). "Yes, You, Too, Can Manage A Playboy Playmate (Virtually, At Least)". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  16. ^ Kennedy, John (2009-06-04). "Playing the Game: Irish Playboy Builds a Global Online Empire". Siliconrepublic.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  17. ^ Barry, Max. ["http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/05/20/index.html "Max's post about closing NationStates2"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  18. ^ Barry, Max. "NationStates2". Retrieved 2009-11-09.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jolt_Online_Gaming&oldid=402463670"