Sansar
Developer(s)Linden Lab
Sansar Inc. (2020–present)
Initial releaseJuly 31, 2017 (2017-07-31)
PlatformWindows
Websitesansar.com

Sansar is a social virtual reality platform, for Microsoft Windows only, developed by the San Francisco-based firm Linden Lab, and now owned by Sansar Inc. It launched in "creator beta" to the general public on July 31, 2017.[1] The platform enables user-created 3D spaces where people can create and share interactive social experiences, such as playing games, watching videos, and having conversations in VR. Each participant is represented by a detailed avatar that is the graphical representation of the user, including speech-driven facial animations and motion-driven body animations.

Sansar supports both virtual reality headsets (including the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive) and Windows computers, and is free to use, with advanced features available for paying subscribers.

History

In 2014, Linden Lab announced its intent to develop a "next-generation virtual world" in the spirit of its popular virtual world Second Life.[2]

In 2015, more details about the project became public including its positioning as a social virtual reality platform. While the product name had not yet been made public, media reports initially referred to the initiative by its internal development codename Project Sansar.[3] By the end of the same year, a small number of 3D content creators were invited to participate in an early alpha version.[4]

As development progressed in 2016, more invitations were extended to a larger pool of creators for access to the "creator preview" version of what would soon be officially branded Sansar.[5] The word "sansar" (संसार) is Sanskrit for "world".

Availability to the general public began in 2017 with the debut of the "creator beta".[6]

In 2019, Sansar partnered with electronic music record label Monstercat to bring live entertainment to a virtual reality setting, as part of the latter's eight year anniversary.[7]

In February 2020, Linden Lab announced that they will no longer be supporting Sansar and are looking for a new owner for the project.[8] Wookey Project Corp. purchased all of the assets under the Sansar name to animate the contents of the web under the direction of its chief executive officer Jonathan Fried.[9] Instead, Linden Lab will concentrate on its legacy virtual world platform Second Life.

On March 23, 2020, Linden Labs announced the sale of Sansar to San Francisco-based technology company Wookey Project Corp,[10] to continue Sansar's current event based strategy.[11] Despite successful event launches and events up to 4.2M concurrent users, Wookey ultimately suffered from lack of funding and infighting among CEO and ownership.[12]

Economy

Like Second Life, Sansar has its own virtual economy and unit of trade. Sansar users can buy and sell virtual creations using the "Sansar dollar" (S$). Sansar dollars can be purchased online via the Sansar Dollar Exchange (SandeX) or earned by selling items in the Sansar Store. While the virtual economy of Sansar is still in its infancy, many observers compare its eventual potential to Second Life's robust economy which in 2016 saw $500 million in user-to-user transactions and about $60 million taken home by creators.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Fink, Charlie (July 31, 2017). "Sansar Ignites Content Boom". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  2. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (November 17, 2014). "Linden Lab Explores VR for its Next-Generation Virtual World". VentureBeat. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ Kelly, Heather (September 15, 2015). "Company Behind Second Life Building Virtual Reality Universe". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  4. ↑ Robertson, Adi (August 18, 2015). "The VR Successor to Second Life is Inviting its First Testers". The Verge. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (August 31, 2016). "Second Life Maker Starts Inviting Creators to Project Sansar Virtual Reality World". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  6. ↑ Summers, Nick (July 31, 2017). "The VR Successor to 'Second Life' is Now in Public Beta". Engadget. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Linden Lab's Sansar partners with Monstercat to bring live music into VR". VentureBeat. July 1, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Linden Lab CEO Announces Sansar Now Up For Sale; Company to Instead Focus "Entirely on Second Life and Tilia"; Philip Rosedale Not Among Returning "Heavy Hitters"". New World Notes. February 21, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  9. ↑ Pey, Inara (March 21, 2020). "Sansar: looking at the new owner – Wookey Projects Inc". Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Wookey Project Corp acquires Sansar". March 23, 2020.
  11. ↑ "This Week In XR: Googling Sansar's New Owner, Nreal Builds A Factory, Day 12 Of Captivity". March 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ Pey, Inara (December 29, 2021). "Sansar: the Wookey in ex-CEO lawsuit". Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ Carbotte, Kevin (January 4, 2017). "Linden Lab Introduces Sansar Monetization System, Reveals First Video Footage". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
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