BigWorld

BigWorld (also known as Wargaming Sydney) is an Australian company formed in 2002 by John De Margheriti that develops and licenses a middleware development tool suite for the creation of massively multiplayer online games (MMO) and virtual worlds. It was the first company that developed such a middleware platform for the MMO market. In 2007, BigWorld was recognized as the industry leader in UK's Develop magazine.[1] On 7 August 2012, Wargaming acquired BigWorld middleware firm for $45M.[2]

BigWorld
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedSydney, Australia (2002)
HeadquartersSydney, Australia
Key people
Steve Wang (CEO)
Simon Hayes (CTO)
Number of employees
~65 (2013)
ParentWargaming
Websitewww.bigworldtech.com

Technical overview

BigWorld Technology provides an underlying software architecture needed for game developers to build MMO's and online games. The 3D client technology is built for Windows PC and browser, and is available on iOS, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 via network API. The back-end server solution is implemented under Linux, with a Python API scripting environment. The tool suite includes content creation tools, server monitoring tools and support. BigWorld Technology also integrates various third party plugins such as Umbra (occlusion culling), Scaleform (user interface creation), Speedtree (foliage ), and Vivox (VOIP).

Games

Published games using BigWorld Technology include World of Tanks (Wargaming), World of Warplanes (Wargaming), World of Warships (Wargaming), Realm of the Titans (Aeria Games), VIE: Virtual Island of Entertainment (enVie Interactive LLC), Hokuto no ken ONLINE (GungHo Online Entertainment), (Meteor Games),[3] Moego (Userjoy), Tian Xia III (Netease) and Secret Kingdoms Online (Globex Studios).

List of games made with BigWorld technology

Server load balancing

BigWorld Server supports dynamic load balancing, a feature that automatically and dynamically spreads user load across multiple cell apps on the same game server, allowing for large numbers of concurrent users to inhabit the same game space. In 1999, BigWorld ran a test, simulating 900 entities on the same server.[22] In 2005, large scale tests were carried out at the IBM Deep Computing facility in Poughkeepsie, NY. BigWorld successfully demonstrated the linear scalability of its load balancing technology by dynamically balancing 100,000 entities across various cell apps on a single server.[23]

Licenses

BigWorld Technology is offered in the following licenses:

  • BigWorld Technology: Commercial Edition
  • BigWorld Technology: Indie Edition (Development, Support) Sales were stopped after the company was acquired.

Guinness Record

World of Tanks is built on BigWorld Technology. On 23 January 2011, Guinness stated that the World of Tanks Russian server broke the previous record for Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server when they reached 91,311 concurrent users.[24] In November 2011 World of Tanks reached a new concurrency level of 250,000 players.[25]

Awards

BigWorld Technology has received a number of business and technology innovation related awards:

  • Winner 2008 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific Awards (ranked 93)[26]
  • Winner 2008 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia Award (ranked 7 - 526% growth)[27]
  • Deloitte Technology Fast 500[28]
  • Asia Pacific 2008 Winner - (Ranked 93)[28]
  • Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia 2008 Program - (7th Fastest growing technology company in Australia)[28]
  • 2007 Australian Export Awards - Austrade Arts, Entertainment & Design Award Finalist[28]
  • 2007 Finalist of Australian Technology Showcase Patrons Awards[28]
  • 2006 Cool Company Awards[28][29]
  • 2006 Finalist of the Secrets of Australian IT Innovation competition, Arts and Entertainment category[28][30]
  • 2005 Winner ACT Chief Minister's Export Award in Art and Entertainment Award[28][31]
  • Red Herring 100 Private Companies of Asia (2005)[28][32]
  • 2005 Australian Game Developer Awards – Award for Outstanding Innovation[28][33][34]
  • 2005 Sumea Awards for Best Engine Technology[28]
  • Secrets of Australian IT Innovation 2005 Winner – 2nd Prize in Entertainment Category[28]
  • 2003 Winner ACT Chief Ministers Export Award in the Arts and Entertainment[28]
  • 2003 Winner of the Secrets of Australian IT Innovation competition in the Arts and entertainment category[28]
  • 2003 Australian Game Developers Awards – Award for Outstanding Innovation[28]
  • 2003 National Finalist of the Austrade Australian Export Award – Arts and Entertainment[28]
  • 2003 Territory Winner in the Panasonic Australia Business Award Category of the Telstra and ACT Government Small Business Awards[28]
  • 2003 National Winner in the Panasonic Australia Business Award Category of the Telstra and Australian Government Small Business Awards[28]
  • 2002 National Finalist of the Austrade Australian Export Award – Arts and Entertainment[28]
  • 2002 Winner ACT Chief Ministers Export Award in the Arts and Entertainment[28]
  • 2002 Australian Winner of The Asia Pacific ICT Award (APICTA), Creative Digital Industries category[28]

References
  1. "MMO Engine Round-Up". Develop Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  2. "Wargaming acquires BigWorld middleware firm for $45M (exclusive)". 7 August 2012.
  3. "Meteor Games Licenses BigWorld Technology Suite For MMOG".
  4. ({cite web|url=https://wotblitz.eu%7Ctitle=World%5B%5D of Tanks: Blitz|publisher=Wargaming})
  5. "World of Tanks". Wargaming.
  6. "World of Warplanes". Wargaming.
  7. "Realm of the Titans". Aeria Games.
  8. "Moego". Userjoy. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  9. "Aeria Acquires 2 new MMOS". MMOCulture.com.
  10. "Tian Xia II". Netease.
  11. "Tian Xia III". Netease.
  12. "Gung Ho Licenses BigWorld for Grandia Online". Gamesindustry.biz.
  13. "Secret Kingdoms Online Game Details Revealed". MMOCulture.com.
  14. "States at War". Sunhome Entertainment. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  15. "Kai Xun". Zhejiang Kai Xun Technology Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  16. "Twinity". Metaversum.
  17. "Genesis: Journey to the West". Netease. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  18. "Legendary Champions Gameplay - First Look HD - YouTube". MMOHut.
  19. "Hokuto no ken Online / 北斗の拳ONLINE HEROES - 2009 - YouTube". MMOHut.
  20. "Interzone Futebol". Interzone. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  21. "CTS-Games". Cybertime System Company.
  22. "[1999] BigWorld Server 900 Entity Concurrency on Vimeo". BigWorld Pty Ltd.
  23. "BigWorld and IBM: Large-scale testing for online games". IBM. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013.
  24. "World of Tanks sets Guinness World Record". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  25. "World of Tanks Sets a New Guinness World Record". MMOSite.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  26. "2008 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific Awards" (PDF). Deloitte.
  27. "2008 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia Awards" (PDF). Deloitte.
  28. "Australia Training & Simulation Industry Capability Directory: BigWorld Pty Ltd". Australian Government/Simulation Australia. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  29. "Cool Company Awards 2006". Australian Anthill Magazine. August–September 2006. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  30. "IT Secrets Competition Winners 2002-2005" (PDF). Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  31. "2007 Australian Export Awards". Austrade.
  32. "Red Herring's Top 100 Private Firms in Asia". Red Herring Magazine. September 2005. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  33. "Australian Game Developers Award Winners Announced". Gamasutra. 9 December 2005.
  34. "Australian Game Developers Conference 2005 Award winners". AGDC. 2005.
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