Month: March 2020

UPDATED! Linden Lab Has Sold Sansar to Wookey Project Corp.

Not a lot is known about Wookey, the company that purchased Sansar

Although some virtual worlds bloggers have already reported on the news (notably Daniel Voyager and Inara Pey), I decided to wait until Linden Lab made an official announcement, which was released this afternoon:

A lot of you might be wondering what we’ve been up to these past few weeks. Where we’ve been, what we’ve been working on, what’s next for this platform and its extraordinary community. Today, we finally have answers to share, and we can’t thank you guys enough for your patience and support in the meantime. None of this would be possible without you!

Meet the new Sansar. Recently we were presented with an exciting opportunity: strike out on our own as a new entity, under new management with a focus on premier virtual events. We knew we needed to keep together our team and our vision, and the incredible community we’d built over the years.

Lucky for us, there was a company out there just as ambitious and passionate about virtual events as we were – a team that is nurturing and expanding our platform to new heights, deploying capital and expertise in a time full of opportunities for virtual communities around the globe. This week, we’re thrilled to join their family officially. Join us in saying hello to our new owners, Wookey Project Corp.! 

Wookey is bringing together some of the world’s most exciting technology verticals out there at the intersection of music and entertainment, AR, VR, and mobile.

Together, we’re turning a page on Sansar’s most dynamic chapter yet, and we’re excited to take you with us. We’re also grateful to Linden Lab for their many years of support, and we look forward to building on the work we started there.

What does this mean for you? More of the amazing events you know and love! More cosplay karaoke, more zero-gravity game nights, more of the massive interstellar shows that Sansar’s known for – thousands joining from anywhere in the world for one-of-a-kind live performances. You can also expect more features for meeting, socializing and hanging out with friends from around the world. Possibly even more ways to experience Sansar across different devices (more on this in weeks to come!). Nothing will change in your day-to-day.

In these challenging times, we know just how important it is to stay connected. That’s why we’ll be working hard these next few weeks to bring people together with new shows and surprises. Meet-and-greets and live performances from some of music’s biggest names. Virtual versions of the festivals you thought were canceled or postponed. It’ll be the most fun you ever had staying home!

Thanks to you, the future looks bright. We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: Sansar wouldn’t be what it is today without its dedicated community. Big, big thanks to all of you still throwing parties, creating, exploring with friends and staying connected through Sansar. We’re ecstatic to be embarking on this journey with Wookey, and we couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come!

On March 21st, Inara Pey posted some early hints of the takeover:

  • Sansar was removed from the footer links of Linden Lab properties earlier this week.
  • The Sansar web pages have all been updated to assign Sansar as “©2020 Wookey” in the footer areas.
  • The Sansar Terms of Service  and Privacy Policy (which broadly remain the same as previous Terms of Service for the platform, have been revised to reference “Wookey Projects Inc (Wookey)”.

Meanwhile, Daniel Voyager noticed that Sansar no longer appears on the Linden Lab website. So it would appear that the deal is now truly done.

What will this mean for Sansar? There has been much discussion on the official Sansar Discord channels about this change. It has been pointed out by someone on the SL Community forums (and NOT Chic Aeon as I had originally reported! Sorry, Chic!), that Wookey is a company that tends to specialize in buying up distressed businesses.

I responded with my own thoughts and concerns as follows:

Also: Wookey is a company that buys up distressed companies. Often, these sorts of companies impose wrenching changes to the companies they buy, in order to turn them around and generate a profit as quickly as possible. It is possible that we will see several unwelcome attempts to earn MORE income from the users, including increases (not decreases) in fees, perhaps even new fees and charges. I also hope that Wookey will spend more time and money MARKETING Sansar. Also, they will likely shake up Sansar staffing. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to let some senior management go.

While it would seem that Sansar is safe (for now), We still don’t have a very clear idea of why Wookey decided to purchase the platform, and what they intend to use it for. Their website gives us very little information.

(source image from the Wookey website)

(In fast, the web site template they are using is so new, that none of the social media buttons listed along the bottom of their About Us page even work yet.) So we will all have to be patient and see in what direction the new owners take the social VR platform, and what changes are in store.

The Wookey Logo

UPDATE March 25th, 2020: Linden Lab has also posted a press release to their official website, which answers a few more questions about the acquisition:

Why did Linden Lab sell Sansar?

Linden Lab chose to streamline its focus to continue the development and operations of the leading virtual world Second Life and licensed money services provider Tilia.

Is Second Life also being sold to Wookey Project Corp.?

No. Second Life and Tilia both remain under the independent ownership of Linden Lab.

Who is Wookey Project Corp.?

Wookey Project Corp. continues to create a new generation of online AR/VR experiences that allow users the power of collaborative interaction through knowledge immersion.

Will my Sansar account and personal information be safe?

Yes! Your Sansar account information remains secure and safe during this transition. Please refer to the revised Privacy and Terms and Conditions on Sansar.com to learn more. If you have comments or questions about the privacy policy, feel free to email legal@wookey.com.

Will Linden Lab retain any ownership or management with Sansar after the transition?

No. Effective immediately, Wookey Project Corp. assumes all operations and management of Sansar. Wookey Project Corp. has contracted with Tilia Inc. as a third party service provider to perform certain back office functions for Sansar, including the issuance and redemption of Sansar’s in-game virtual tokens.

What will be the focus of Sansar under the new ownership?

Sansar will continue to evolve as the premier platform for live events and entertainment including (but not limited to) support for VR, while Second Life is positioned as the Internet’s leading user-created virtual world platform. Both Linden Lab and Wookey Project Corp. will continue to develop our respective platforms independently.

What does this mean for Second Life and Linden Lab?

Operations at Second Life are not impacted at all. The Second Life community will continue to be able to login and enjoy SL without any interruption. As for Linden Lab, many members of the Sansar team formerly employed by Linden Lab are staying with Sansar as employees under its new ownership.

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: L$300 Free Store Credit from Gaall, Vaxer, Sweet Temptations, and Chic & Shoes

“We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming…”  If you are looking for my blogposts about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, please click here. I have returned to the original purpose of this blog—covering “news and views on social VR, virtual worlds, and the metaverse”.

Yesterday I received a message from Moonshine Allerhand, the co-owner and designer for four different Second Life stores:

Hey!

We know most of you will stay at home, so I want to gift all my loyal subscribers with L$300 store credit. You can choose your favorite store (Gaall, Vaxer, Sweet Temptations or Chic & Shoes).

You can get the credit only once (March 21-25th) and it will be available for you to use until the end of the month (March 31st).

Here are the landmarks of the stores:
– Gaall
– Vaxer
– Sweet Temptations
– Chic & Shoes

At each store, there is a large sign advertising the free credit:

Just click on the sign, and on the blue pop-up window that appears, select which one of the four stores for which you want the L$300 credit:

(You might want to visit each of the four store using the SLURLs posted above before you click the Free Credit sign and choose the store; each store has different merchandise.)

Once you have received your credit, just click on the vendor for the item you want (in this example, the Edna sweater and skirt set from Sweet Temptations), In the blue pop-up window, click on the Store Credit button:

You will then be asked to confirm that you want to use your allocated store credit, and the item is delivered to you!

The Edna sweater and skirt set from Sweet Temptations comes in a size specifically to fit Altamura mesh bodies (which this avatar is wearing), as well as Maitreya, Belleza, Slink, and Tonic mesh bodies. The included HUD gives you ten colour and pattern options.

Free fashion feels good! Happy shopping!

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Get the Eva Female Bento Mesh Head From Genesis Lab for Only L$20!

The FabFree blog was first to break the news: this weekend, you can purchase version 3.8 of the Eva female Bento mesh head for only L$20 from the Genesis Lab store, a 99% saving! You will need to join the GenesisLab group for L$99 to pick up this group gift from the wall, as shown here by the red arrow (SLURL):

Just join the group, right click on the small black bag to the left of the Eva sign, select Pay, click on the L$20 button, and the package is yours! As you can expect, the Genesis Lab store is jam-packed, so you will probably have to rely on something like the Teleport Hammer to force your way in.

Once again, there is not a lot of documentation to guide you through the set-up process, something I always find irritating. The Eva 3.8 package consists of two folders: one for the Eva Omega Bento Bakes on Mesh head, and another folder for the Eva 3.1 Bento head. (Note that you will need to purchase the separate Omega system kit for Genesis to be able to use Omega appliers for skins and makeup.)

In this blogpost, I am going to focus on the Bakes on Mesh version of the Eva head. I used an old Adam & Eve system skin from my inventory, and this is the result (the hairbase and lipstick seem to be included with the head, but I assume that you can remove them using one of the free Omega makeup-removal HUDs available on the SL Marketplace (such as this free NEFA Clear All Layers Omega HUD):

I had to use an eyeball alpha to remove the eyes (such as this free set from the SL Marketplace), as the system eyes poked through the head in spots, and looked really ugly. Instead, I used the Bakes on Mesh split eyes that were in the Bento Omega BoM folder along with the head; you can retexture those eyes as you like using any Bakes on Mesh eye textures. The package also includes two types of eyelashes.

Most of my alts were already members of the GenesisLab group, to get precious group gifts, so my total cost per head per alt is only L$20. But even if you do have to pay L$99 to join the group, you’re only paying L$119 total for a fully-adjustable Bento mesh head that supports both Omega appliers and Bakes on Mesh—a significant saving over full-priced Bento heads!

I do not know how long this promotion will last in the store, so I would encourage you to hurry down there as soon as possible! Use the Teleport Hammer and be patient; you will eventually get in!

UPDATE March 23rd, 2020: Cat Pink SL has posted a video review of the Eva head here:

VRChat’s Popular Endgame Talk Show Will Focus on Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic

On this blog, I have often written about Endgame, the popular, long-running talk show based in VRChat (here, here, here, and here).

Well. this coming Saturday, March 21st, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Endgame is hosting a special episode, titled Coping with COVID-19: Dealing with the Stress of a Pandemic:

In a tweet sent out yesterday to promote the event, the organizers said:

Join us for a special Endgame episode in VRChat on Saturday: we’ll facilitate a support group to discuss how we can cope with COVID-19. It’s stressful to be isolated, but we can come together in social VR to navigate this pandemic. Saturday 3/21 at 11:00 a.m. PST @PsychNoah

PsychNoah is, of course, Noah Robinson (a.k.a. Psych; Twitter; LinkedIn), a clinical psychology doctoral student at Vanderbilt University and the founder and CEO of Very Real Help, and one of the three regular hosts of the Endgame talk show in VRChat, along with Nomono and Poplopo.

Given how I have been struggling with both anxiety and depression during the coronavirus pandemic, I do intend to be in the studio audience for what promises to be a fascinating, wide-ranging, and educational discussion. Although users are urged to ask questions, you can also just sit back, watch, and listen, and enjoy something that is becoming ever rarer in the real world—being part of a crowd!

Endgame now has its own website, with and you are welcome to join their “Deep Thoughts” Discord server. You can also find all their previous weekly episodes on YouTube. See you on Saturday!