CHIANG MAI, THAILAND -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/19/08 -- Creative Kingdom, Inc. (CKI), the
world's most celebrated thematic architectural design firm, has begun
developing a state-of-the-art film/television studio and IT production
complex in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This massive project, dubbed Cyber City --
underwritten by the Thai government and a consortium of entrepreneurs
including CKI CEO Eduardo Robles and President Thanu Boonyawatana, as well
as Robles LLC -- is being constructed and outfitted on a nine-kilometer
stretch of the northern Thai city at a cost of 7 billion Thai baht ($250
million).
The development, which will also house deluxe accommodations and resort
facilities for visiting executives, creatives, financiers and other
dignitaries, represents a landmark opportunity for international production
entities and online companies to establish a cutting-edge base of
operations in the burgeoning Asia market. Later phases of the project are
slated to include soundstages, top-tier editing facilities, a theme park, a
3D animation education center and much more.
With Cyber City as the jewel in its crown, Thailand will undoubtedly
continue its surge in the technology sector. Thanks to CKA, its robust
animation division (which has notched such successful series as "Bubble
Warriors," "Magic Panda and the Kool Kidz," "Muey Tiger" and "La-La World,"
among others), and 3D CGI design prowess, Creative Kingdom will prove
instrumental in the global expansion of Thai animation, gaming and
new-media development.
With offices in Los Angeles, Dubai, Beijing, Chiang Mai and Pasig City,
Philippines, CKI has achieved international renown (and coverage by such
bellwether media outlets as "60 Minutes" and The Discovery Channel) as the
designer of such lavish destinations as The Palm Island, World Island, and
the Madinat Jumeirah Resort in Dubai, UAE. Having brought an element of the
fantastic to such real-world locales, CKI will for the first time endeavor
to bring the specificity and rigor of its architectural practice to a
purely fantastic destination.
The maiden project for the new complex will be CKI's collaboration with the
Swedish company Mindark, makers of Entropia Universe, an
enormously successful Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORG)
with a real cash economy that is already positioned to challenge the
dominance of market leader World of Warcraft. CKI, the first high-profile
architectural firm to be enlisted for such an undertaking, will design an
entire planet within Entropia Universe.
Robles LLC, meanwhile, will bring its considerable consulting expertise in
the animation and gaming worlds to the table, and its partnership with CKA
will undoubtedly yield unprecedented new developments in the online world.
Having developed several CKA cartoon properties, the firm -- which is based
at the Los Angeles Center Studio Complex -- is preparing to develop a
motion picture project based on the new Entropia Universe planet. This
ambitious co-production with CKA Starlight Studios Beijing, and Dabok
Entertainment Co., Ltd. Korea, is slated for release in 2010.
"The technology introduced by this project will enable other companies
within the media, film, music and gaming industries, among other content
providers, to efficiently acquire their own planet within Entropia
Universe," declared CKI CEO Robles. "In turn, this will provide a diverse,
entertaining and interesting virtual universe of vast proportions for
participants to explore."
"This is a historic development in the world of online gaming," added
company President Boonyawatana. "Our 30 years of experience in creating top
iconic resorts around the world was a key factor in our being selected by
Mindark to create its next planet, and we relish the opportunity to achieve
this unique fusion of physical and virtual worlds."
"This long-term partnership with CKI is the perfect match for Mindark. It
further proves the viability of the Entropia Universe platform as the
foundation of creating entertaining and exciting online virtual
experiences, as well as giving our partners access to a very secure, proven
and stable system for handling real cash transactions within a MMORG,"
Mindark CIO Marco Behrmann informs.
Users of Entropia Universe and other MMORGs spend considerable sums of real
money on virtual goods and services. This confluence of hard currency and
frictionless production and distribution has created a unique opportunity
for entrepreneurs worldwide. Thanks to its sophisticated technology
infrastructure, Cyber City will enable Thai workers to generate income from
remote locations -- thus revitalizing the economies of rural communities
and stemming the crush of migration to urban centers.
The developers of Cyber City Chiang Mai believe it will prove a benchmark
in the ongoing evolution of the new global economy.
About Entropia Universe
Entropia Universe was launched in January 2003 and has grown to 700,000
registered accounts from over 200 countries. Its business model is entirely
unique as the client software is free to download from the internet and
there are no monthly subscription fees. As the only virtual universe with a
real cash economy whose currency, the PED, has a fixed exchange rate of
10:1 with the US Dollar, Entropia Universe provides a means for new players
to immediately start exploring and earning real cash without having to
deposit money. A key feature is that the funds acquired in Entropia
Universe can easily be withdrawn into real-life cash.
Entropia Universe is a registered trademark of Mindark PE AB. Mindark
supports and monitors the services and maintenance of the Entropia Universe
platform. The real cash economy business model has been very successful and
Mindark PE AB has been profitable since 2004. The 2006 turnover of Entropia
Universe was 365,000,000 US Dollars.
For more information, please visit www.entropiauniverse.com. For more
information about Entropia Universe's developer, Mindark PE AB, please
visit www.mindark.com.
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