AOL leaves Second Life
By Eric Reuters
SECOND LIFE, Dec 11 (Reuters) - America Online said on Tuesday it has shuttered its AOL Pointe island in Second Life to focus on virtual worlds that use AIM instant-messaging software for communication between avatars.
AOL spokeswoman Jaymelina Esmele said America Online’s only virtual world presence at the moment is at vSide, an offering of Doppelganger. Unlike Second Life, vSide uses AIM for interaction between avatars. “We’re looking to focus on AIM right now,” Esmele told Reuters. “When we got into Second Life, it was purely for research.”
The company first announced its departure on the AOL Pointe blog.
America Online’s withdrawal from Second Life marks the latest shift in an increasingly competitive virtual worlds market. Last week Coca-Cola told VirtualWorldsNews.com it was relocating its virtual hub to Second Life competitor There.com.
