Smokin’ Aces assassin game within Second Life
By Adam Reuters
An eagle-eyed Reuters tipster has pointed out a banner ad on the Second Life Herald which leads to a new website, VirtualNBC.com, currently running an in-world promotion for the Universal Studios action movie “Smokin’ Aces.”
“Win your share of L$1,000,000 by becoming Second Life’s ultimate hired assassin,” the website states. “Beginning January 12th, players can join Smokin’ Aces: Second Life® Assassin by visiting the Nomad Hotel in Second Life® to pick up game instructions, a hitlist, and weaponry.”
More details and the usual legalese can be found in the game’s official rules here.
The Smokin’ Aces assassin-fest is not only notable as an early game-within-a-game in Second Life. It also shows that NBC is interested in more than lighting virtual Christmas trees, using Second Life as a marketing platform for its corporate sibling in Hollywood (NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi).
Stay tuned to find out how CBS plans to monetize its recently announced Star Trek Second Life project.
One more thing: Electric Sheep Company is working on both the Smokin’ Aces and Star Trek projects, opening up a potentially huge revenue stream in adapting Hollywood content for the virtual world.
