EA buys WoW social networking site Rupture
by Mike Schramm 
May 9th 2008 at 12:45AM
Social networking around MMOs just hit the big time. Shawn Fanning, creator of Napster way back when, created a site called Rupture a while back that purported to be a social networking site based around World of Warcraft. Since then, the site seemingly hasn't done anything all that interesting -- they've added a few games and a few new features, but they haven't yet made it out of beta, and it wasn't apparent that anyone was real interested in Rupture.Until now -- EA (yes, that EA) has ponied up a whopping $30 million to buy Rupture and all of its potential up. A move to put some social networking into play on their upcoming Warhammer Online title? Taking competition away from an upcoming official site covering all their games? Whatever EA is planning to do with Rupture, they're paying through the nose for it -- this makes the $1 million Wowhead buyout look like chump change.
Then again, if Rupture turns out to be the "Facebook for gamer"s that they hope to be, $30 million will look like a bargain. Either way, EA just put their money where their mouth is in the social networking MMO game.
Thanks, Brooke!
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, News items, Making money
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
niko May 9th 2008 1:07AM
god, i hate EA.
they are srsly the black hole of gaming.
Jordrah May 9th 2008 1:40AM
yes. yes they are.
Heilig May 9th 2008 1:21AM
Aren't MMO's social networking vehicles anyway? Why would I be on some "gamer's facebook" when I can actually be IN GAME with my friends?
Snafzg May 9th 2008 7:42AM
I think the draw to this is that you can keep in touch when you're NOT in game. If you're familiar with CamelotHerald.com, a Dark Age of Camelot community site, you'll know that they serve up a bunch of in game info for people to browse while at work, on vacation, etc. via Web browser.
Since EA now owns Mythic, I have a feeling this Rupture aquisition will work its way deeply into the WarhammerHerald.com community site.
Baluki May 9th 2008 1:46AM
Rupture is a pretty well-done site, but they're no replacement for Facebook with a character-display app installed (I use one called "I Play WoW"). I get all the social networking I want through Facebook and just playing the game.
Honestly, I don't think people care that much about what gear all your alts have, or whether they can make 10-slot bags. We've got communication in-game, we've got the Armory, we've got Facebook and its apps.
Rupture is, unfortunately, just one of hundreds of other social networking sites that have failed to take off.
G May 9th 2008 1:56AM
I tried Rupture early on, and the addon caused massive lag in-game. Then I tried it again months later, but there was not a single other person who had been added on my realm in all that time. If no one uses it, a social network it is not. Rupture is crap in a handbasket. Unfortunately my characters are still on there. This will teach me to get into anything which Shawn Fanning "invents" again. He's not in it to accomplish anything except a buyout and a payoff. Users? Used. See also: Napster, SnoCap, etc.
Betrams May 9th 2008 2:16AM
Well since EA bought it, look forward to a half assed social networking site for games that is filled with nothing but fluff.
I've never been remotely interested in Rupture ever since I heard about it.
MicB May 9th 2008 7:56AM
Yeah, I tried it, the app was crappy and their releases were slow and far between. EA should have bought something like raptr or titanstrike, but then again ... they have endless flow
Naix May 9th 2008 10:59AM
Uhhh. All I have to say is...wtf! Why ANYONE would want to be part of ANOTHER socail networking site is beyond me. Sure we have facebook, myspace, and now rupture. Great another place I can talk and post poorly written blogs starting out "Ok world here I come..." bad pictures, and music that just plain sucks. I used myspace to find all my old friends. You know what we caught up and still don't talk to each other.
Why EA would plop down $30 million for another crappy SNS is beyond me.