Entropia Universe Planet Partner Concept

Planet Partner Concept

Entropia Universe features a concept that allows companies to become so-called "Planet Partners" and create their own planet in Entropia Universe using the Entropia Platform and the Planet Development Kit provided by MindArk.

Business Model

Planet Partner inequality controversy

• Calypso Affiliate Egg auctioned last in a single auction while all other affiliate eggs were auctioned in 2 auctions running at the same time
• Newly introduced systems, like instances for example, are regularly only available for Planet Calypso for a period of time before they become available for other planets too
• The availability of many systems/feature for planets is depending on the number of players they manage to attract to the game which leads to the effect that the players they manage to bring in need to go to other planets to find those features, mainly to Planet Calypso who as the first and 'oldest' planet has all the features available. As a result of this policy new planets cannot really compete with the established MindArk owned Planet Calypso.
• NEVERDIE Studios, developer of ROCKtropia, claimed that they first were not able to fully develop their planet due to not having access to system for creating features and content that has been seen on Planet Calypso long before already <original quote, link>
• Arkadia Studios, developer of Planet Arkadia, CEO David Dobson mention in an interview on Atlas Haven Radio that Planet Calypso can do things Planet Arkadia cannot do and that is something that needs to be addressed <original quote, link>
• In the same interview Arkadia Studios CEO David Dobson also mentioned that the potential high values of loot are somehow affiliated to the number of players of a Planet. That fact would lead to the issue that in a competion for Motherships the people competing on Calypso had a bigger chanve to win <original quote, links>
• Planet Arkadia is a planet focussed on "Treasure Hunting" as a distinctive feature and according to the marketing prior to release was supposed to have that feature on launch or shortly after. Unfortunately that feature did not arrive yet and probably will not arrive within the first year after launch. Since the development of features are the domain of MindArk one can only conclude that MindArk is responsible for the delay which deliberately or not leaves one of the planets that were believed to have a chance to contest Calypso's domination without its distinctive feature for more than the first year after its launch
• The Planet Partner concept features a number of shared assets available for all Planet Partner but due to the fact that these are first and extensively used by Planet Calypso are being regarded as Calypso content by many players and therefore can not be used by other Planet Partner without perceived negative connotation despite the Planet Partner have paid for them
• MindArk's 'own' Planet Calypso is placed in Space with a smaller distance to the planets considered most attractive (ROCKtropia and Planet Arkadia) and with a bigger distance to the considered less attractive Next Island while ROCKtropia and Planet Arkadia are placed with a smaller distance to Calypso and Next Island but with a bigger distance between ROCKtropia and Planet Arkadia themselves
• MindArk favourising entropiaforum.com which to a large extent is focussed on Planet Calypso and not "all-universe". More information at Entropiaforum.com#Mindark_favouritism.
• MindArk employee's releasing platform relevant or "all-universe" relevant information solely on entropiaforum.com and/or PlanetCalypsoForum but not on Planet Partner websites or the offical Entropia Universe website
• The main page of the official Entropia Universe website featuring a banner link to information regarding Calypso Land Deeds but no banner link to information regarding any other specific planet
• The so-called "Citizenship program" is in fact tailored to compensate for MindArk's previously failed efforts to sell their shares of Planet Calypso. Like many other features the use Citizenship program has requirements set by MindArk that in this case are only met by 'their own' Planet Calyso
• Additionally the Citizenship program has obviously not been discussed with other Planet Partners and obviously has not even been communicated to Planet Partners in another way than the announcements of MindArk employees on two privately owned commercial websites (entropiaforum.com and PlanetCalypsoForum) <original quote, links>
• Kim Welter, the person heading Planet Calypso development, is at the same time the son of Jan Welter-Timkrans, MindArk majority shareholder and long-term CEO <original quote, links>
• In the "State of the Universe address 2012" chairman of the board of directors of MindArk and major shareholder Jan-Welter Timkrans covered the Calypso Land Deed program filling his very own pockets extensively in a whole paragraph while mentioning all the other planets just in a subordinate clause.
• The Entropia facebook app of the [Entropia Emissary Program] features a "Planet Calypso History" Mission but lacks any other planet- specific features.
• Survey issue -> MindArk taking advantage of their posittion again ??!!
• The Developer Notes #2 explicitly and in that context unnecessarily mentioning the privately owned "planetcalypsoforum.com" as an example for "community forums".
• In a mail to probably all players active in 2012 about the results of an "all universe" survey Jan Welter Timkrans blatantlay advertises Planet Calypso without mentioning any other planet
• MindArk CEO David Simmonds personally posted critical information regarding an issue with player's deposits not arriving in the game solely on planetcalypsoforum.com and entropiaforum.com, both owned by Jason Peterson and focussed on Planet Calypso, while other community sites, planet partners forums, the official Entropia Universe website or the Client Loader didn't get this information. http://www.entropiaplanets.com/threads/dibs-payment-issues-statement-by-mindark-ceo-david-simmonds.8317/
• In State of the Universe Address 2013 by MindArk CEO David Simmonds you can find a whole paragraph about Calypso Land Deeds but not a single word about any other planet-specific content
• The official Entropia Universe Facebook page contains only references to Planet Calypso content
  
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Planet Partners

Current planets

• Planet Calypso AB (Planet Calypso)
• NEVERDIE (ROCKtropia)
• Next Island LLC (Next Island)
• Arkadia Studios (Planet Arkadia)
• Creative Kingdom Internationl / Digital Scryers (Planet Cyrene)

Future planets

• Beladcom (Planet Toulan)
• Pyxel Arts/Spaniard Blend (Theryon Wars)

Abandoned planets/partnerships

• SEE Global Entertainment/SEE Virtual Worlds
  • (Planet Calypso)
  • (Planet Michael)
  • (Universal Monsters Planet)
• CRD (Chinese Planet)

Links and references

• Are all planet partners equal?, article on entropiaplanets.com, 26 January 2012