BigWorld Selects GNi as a Preferred Global Hosting Vendor; Strategic Partnership Will Accelerate Solutions for Multiplayer Online Games

October 26, 2007; 01:05 AM

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global Netoptex Inc. and BigWorld Pty Ltd, a leading MMO and virtual world technology provider, have formed a strategic partnership under which GNi will provide BigWorld clients with hosting and management services tailored for multiplayer online games. This agreement reaffirms BigWorld’s leadership position in building leading-edge solutions for MMO and virtual world developers, while providing a custom-tailored delivery solution for a global marketplace.

The partnership with GNi also will allow BigWorld licensees the opportunity to access state-of-the-art hosting facilities, the first of which will be housed at GNi’s Oakland, California facility. The focused environment will provide licensees cost-effective and efficient hosting and management services with an organization that has a solid technical foundation including specialized expertise in the online gaming environment.

“BigWorld is clearly a world leader in the MMOG development space, and partnering enables GNi Games and Digital Media and BigWorld to jointly offer world-class, global hosting facilities and service to BigWorld licensee companies,” said James Hursthouse, president of GNi’s Games and Digital Media Division.

“By extending GNi’s philosophy of customization where necessary, standardization where appropriate, we’ll see increased advantages for BigWorld clients in terms of economies of scale and a centralized technical knowledge base as we build out BigWorld-specific dedicated hosting sites. As with all GNi clients, the BigWorld offering is based around our ‘pay-as-you-grow’ approach. We aim to have BigWorld clients utilizing the basis of what will become their production environment from as early in the production cycle as possible.”

Gavin Longhurst, vice president of business development for BigWorld, commented, “Hosting a game or virtual world up to a global user base can be a massive, complex undertaking – a huge responsibility. GNi is the recognized leading provider in this space, with solid technical foundations and a successful portfolio of hosted content already deployed. GNi has proven themselves as a highly focused, reliable and proactive player in the online industry and I am happy to welcome GNi as a preferred services partner.”

About BigWorld Technology Suite

Comprised of the BigWorld Server Software, Content Creation Pipeline, 3D Client Engine Package, Live Management Tools & Instrumentation, BigWorld Technology Suite is the only complete MMOG solution, providing all of the difficult technology required to produce an engaging next-generation MMOG and Virtual Worlds.

About BigWorld Pty Ltd

BigWorld Pty Ltd was formed in 2002 to commercialize years of intense R&D, which started in 1999 and continues to this day. BigWorld Pty Ltd is a privately held company based in Australia that licenses its BigWorld Technology Suite middleware platform to game studios and publishers around the world that are looking to produce successful next generation Massively Multiplayer Online Games and Virtual Worlds. For further information: http://www.bigworldtech.com.

About GNi

GNi is a leading provider of customer-centric managed services that extend customers’ infrastructure while dramatically reducing their TCO. GNi provides the expertise, resources and solutions to meet and exceed customers’ unique onsite and off-site requirements. Services include wired and wireless connectivity, world-class network security, disaster recovery, comprehensive server management and hosting, networking operations and management, and network consulting.

The company’s Games and Digital Media division was formed from the recent acquisition of Online Game Services, Inc. and allows GNi to strengthen its game service provider business model with industry-leading, fully-managed dedicated games hosting environments and Internet transit around the world. For further information: http://www.gni.com.