Kwari Marks Birth of Anti-Social Networking
Here’s a novel approach to online gaming: Instead of getting players to buy software or pay monthly subscription fees, make them pay for their ammo. That’s the idea behind Kwari, a UK-based first-person shooter coming to the PC later this year.
The publisher, Kwari Ltd., also promises to throw gambling into the online gaming mix. “All money paid in to the game by players is won out of the game by players,” the company said in a statement.
Doesn’t the house take a cut? Assuming Kwari doesn’t use in-game advertising, we’re not sure how this boat will float. Executing one emerging business model is hard enough, but Kwari’s going to have to deliver on three new ideas: pay-for-ammo, real-time shooter gambling, and in-game advertising.
To play, gamers allegedly set up anonymous profiles linked their respective checking accounts. For reasons unbeknownst to us, the company claims anonymity is necessary once money enters the gaming equation. As a result, Kwari is said to represent “the birth of anti-social networking” — whatever that means.
Players are matched by skill level. They then select an agreed-upon game stake, ranging from a penny to a dollar per hit. “Every time a player hits another, money is decremented from the target’s stake and added to the shooter’s,” explains the publisher in a press release. “In a way, the player’s money stake mirrors their in-game health, except it’s exchanged from one player to another.”
It should be interesting to see how Kwari develops over the coming months, though their commercial ambiguity has us doubting an actual launch.
Kwari officials were not immediately available for comment. In fact, their PR firm, Kohnke Communications, was hired just yesterday and were unable to disclose those details by press time was hired just yesterday and without knowing themselves how their client plans on turning a profit, spokesman Eric Gonzalez said in a phone interview.
A public beta sign-up is currently available at the game’s official Web site.
Update, 9/19: Clarified Kohnke’s position during post publication date.
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The birth of Anti-Social Networking? Wow. Now we know the Internet has a hold on you when . . .
V
Like you, I’m not quite following “the birth of anti-social networking” proclamation here…
Something like NoSo can lay much greater claim to that “accolade,” and other sites/start-ups that I don’t know about probably can, too!
That idea, pay-for-ammo is great! Also killing another player will give you their money? That’s hilarious!
I wouldn’t think the gambling aspect would fly in the US thanks to that legislation from last year. Look at the chunk it took out of online poker.
i don’t even game at all myself – but that is a totally disruptive, innovative, and dare i say it, rad, idea.
nice work kwari!
Om, can these guys get some love? It sounds like they are trying a number of novel and potentially compelling ideas. Lets give some props to the innovators cause broke old EA ain’t exactly re-inventing the wheel with . . . . wait for it . . . Madden 2007.
I’m guessing the business model is charging for the ammo. If bullets cost a cent but you get $1 every time you hit someone else you’re going to stock up on the hard stuff.
Mind you, I could see this getting quite…nasty.
On anonymitiy, it could have something to do with trying to prevent money laundering. I don’t know whether it would work.
I think the OP either works for a rival company or they woke out of bed with a shoe in their mouth.
Why do you immediately hate it? Have you actually tried the game? I haven’t and would try before posting my shunning opnion about a game, especially when I worked as a reviewer for gameshadow.
The money issue is what im interested in tbh, its partpoker with a fps! i hate cards anyway..
“On anonymitiy, it could have something to do with trying to prevent money laundering. I don’t know whether it would work.”
I agree totally, this has the potential for clans to become Triad like online!!!!!
This idea, although seemingly cool, does not look feasable due to the issues with online gambling. Since the game would be directly linked to a bank account I don’t think many of the large banks in the United States would even allow their customers to affiliate their accounts with the company. The whole issue that online poker was trying to promote was the fact that poker is a skill game. Although online video games require skill I feel like it would be a very uphill battle trying to prove that point.