Today's Wacky Rumor: Microsoft In Talks To Acquire Linden Lab, Corner Vital "People Who Wear Cat Heads" Market

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Scott Jennings| 25 Comments

It all started, as most Second Life things do, with Woodbury University.

Specifically, with the dethroned Czarina of Woodbury, Jordan Bellino/”Tizzers Foxchase”, tweeting the following:

A little birdie told me that Microsoft may have silently offered to buy Linden Lab this week. #secondlife

At which point, the proper response is to shake your head and think “Oh, you kids!”

Then Tateru Nino weighed in. Ms. Nino, who recently was the Second Life reporter for Massively (but no longer no doubt to MASSIVE DRAMA or possibly a total lack of interest in Second Life drama amongst people looking for updates on the latest Free2Play title from Asia) posted the following on her blog:

People are talking about a rumour that Microsoft has made an offer on Linden Lab.

Funny as that might seem on the face of it, a small number of Linden Lab staff are today spreading the story that Linden Lab is now entertaining offers for sale, and that Microsoft has actually presented one.

For Microsoft’s part, I doubt that it could care less about Linden Lab, but might be willing to make an offer to stop certain competitors making that purchase.

As yet, there isn’t any confirmation from Linden Lab as to whether the information being given by its staff is correct.

Update: Linden Lab responded to my query, and has declined to proffer any confirmation or denial.

So, you know, given that Tateru Nino is actually something approaching a real reporter who asks people things, this could actually be happening, and we could have been told this first from someone whose chief claim to fame is stencilling “BAN PROK” in chalk on the walls of Linden Lab’s office. So, um, yeah. The only way this could get any weirder is if Derek Smart decides to toss in a bid. Which, you know, could still happen.

Update: ZDnet follows up on the Microsoft side (h/t Raevhen) with this nugget:

Microsoft isn’t commenting on the Linden Lab report, but I’ve been asking around and hear from my sources that Microsoft may have made overtures not only toward Linden Lab, but other social-gaming vendors lately. The word from my sources is the Softies are not simply talking partnerships; they’re talking outright purchase.

Well, then. Strange days.

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  • http://idempot.net/blog/ Matthew Weigel

    As he keeps reminding us, Derek Smart might just have the money to do it!

  • LabRat001

    Derek Smart making a bid for Microsoft, now that would be news :)

  • http://Website Zuzax

    Attempting to cast “Summon Prokofy Neva” again?

  • http://Website Wanderer

    Advertising cheap gil? I’m disappointed in you, Lum.

  • http://Website Raevhen
  • http://Website Arkazon

    “Nom nom nom social media nom nom.” – Unofficial Microsoft press release

  • http://secondthoughts.typepad.com Prokofy Neva

    I can’t wait!

    Worlds for Windows!

  • http://tagn.wordpress.com/ wilhelm2451


    Prokofy Neva:

    I can’t wait!
    Worlds for Windows!

    Wow! Short, to the point, humorous, and nobody got called a commie.

    Are you sure you are the real Prokofy Neva?

  • http://geldonsgaming.blogspot.com/ geldonyetich

    Something tells me that Microsoft isn’t going to be particularly interested in having massive amounts of pornography (much of it appropriated) sold through them. So, in the event this purchase goes through, it could very well be that the STD-ridden core of Second Life will be firmly gutted.

    It’d pretty clear what’d happen next: a 360 port. The PS3 has Playstation Home and, whether or not that was a particularly good move, if the XBox 360 has wholly-already-established Second Life, then that’s going to to neatly trump the competition.

  • http://Website CmdrSlack

    Glad to see, that even in a world of brief, semi-funny comments from Prok, Geldon can still make a SL porn reference.

  • http://geldonsgaming.blogspot.com/ geldonyetich

    I work with what they give me. But, come on, are you really telling me that it’s a bad observation that Microsoft would have to deal with the amount of smut in Second Life if they decide to buy it?

    Second Life proponents like to underplay the pornographic influencs in light of the fascinating ideological advances Linden Labs attempted, but it’s pretty damn prolific when they refuse to take up challenge to go to the 50 most popular places during prime time and tell me how many of those places have no porn or people selling pornographic services (e.g. escorts).

  • http://Website VPellen

    NO LUM OH SHIT WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING

    YOU’VE MENTIONED BOTH PROKOFY AND DEREK IN THE SAME POST

    WHAT IF THEY COME IN HERE AND MEET OH GOD EVERYBODY HIT THE FUCKING DECK

  • http://Website IntLibber Brautigan

    Actually it wasn’t Tiz that chalked “BAN PROK” on LL’s building, it was one of our guests on our party bus at the SL Community Convention. Of course, like everything else in SL, we at WU got blamed for it. Given that some of our guests were actual Linden employees, there are finite odds that it was an actual Linden who wrote that on the wall.

  • http://Website Gx1080

    @geldon

    Why would anybody want to compete with Playstation Home? That thing is more sterile than a geriatric hospital for women.

    That out, I don’t see any company keeping the legal liability that is SL Red District. But, the SL engine is actually functional, so it could be used. Although LL must be getting a huge amount of money if they are going to kill the goose of the golden eggs.

    In the OT, I wouldn’t discard a Linden writing BAN PROK. They seem to hate her.

  • http://Website Bdon

    the Second Life myths again.
    is easy to confuse Red Light Center with Second Life, after all, they are both 3D worlds.
    Second Life is a 3D world that allows its users to do whatever they want to do, like the internet itself, there are some companies websites, some porn websites (that you need to certify that you are 18+ to log in (Second Life requires confirmation that you are 18+ to visit those places)), some universities and government websites, and everything else a mind can create.

  • http://Website bonedead

    lol at people who wear cat heads

  • Pingback: Microsoft Second Life Buy Rumor « Nalates' Things & Stuff Blog

  • http://Website JuJutsu

    lol at people who think SL smut is a myth

  • http://Website ethereal.wolf

    tateru’s writing was probably too good for massively tbh. it was unusually objective and professional for that site. lol.

  • http://marx.inworld.sl/ Marx Dudek

    Following a hiatus, Tateru decided she needed to choose between getting paid to write about Second Life for someone else on their schedule, or writing for pleasure on her own. She chose the latter.

    And if Microsoft guts the smut from SL, they gut the profit as well. As with any other technology, it’s the rumpy-pumpy that pays for everything else.

  • http://marx.inworld.sl/ Marx Dudek

    Reference for Tateru’s decision: http://www.plurk.com/p/7coq1u

  • http://Website Peter S.

    Are people here forgetting what BUILT the Internet?!

    Do I have to link to Avenue Q?

    (Which is to say, SL’s proportion of “smut” to otherwise is neither unexpected nor out of the ordinary for the fledgling alternate realspace. As for kind of smut, keep in mind that the most strongly motivated new colonizers are those with the strongest need or desire for a new space, those farthest outside the mainstream of existing ubiquities. For example, the earliest MMOs were largely D&D-esque fantasy because it was that crowd that was most in need of that kind of new space and thus most motivated to colonize.

    To invest now in the “smut” phase of the space’s life is to get in while it’s still cheap, extremely so compared to its potential. SL has an unimaginably huge first-mover advantage in providing a profitable and self-sustaining enterprise creating pure, unlimited, unrestricted virtual space. It is the closest thing currently to the Gibson vision of a post-HTML internet, where we see places rather than pages [insert moment of silence for Metaplace here].

    To strip the adult content from SL would be analogous to (attempting to) strip it from the internet. Google with Safe Search seems to be a high enough and opaque enough wall, and some similar could doubtless be done. I don’t see more than that happening regardless of buyer.

    Irrespective, Microsoft would be foolish not to buy, not to do whatever it takes to be the winning bid. SL is the future of the internet, admitting that it is in that respect a 3D Geocities or Tripod.)

  • http://Website Boanerges

    If MS bought SL, I doubt SL itself would change much, if at all. Linden would certainly have whomever bought them agree to honor the existing TOS and MS will probably ban the MS name or logo from appearing in SL anywhere.

    So why buy Linden? I think they will reuse the engine in some fashion and try to build their own Facebook.

    @Bdon
    The Internet has more content besides porn (like this website). And, yes, you can make your own worlds in SL (some of which includes social drama instead of porn). But what do you think SL is famous for? SL has nothing in the game (if it can be called that) that it is known for besides that. So even if it’s only 5% of everything, it’s the loudest segment. If Linden would, you know, market something else to do in SL then it would be more like the rest of the Internet. Until then, in most everyone’s eyes, it’s an online 3D brothel.

  • http://Website ToeJob

    I have to open with my general disclaimer that I’ve never tried SL. But EVERY post I see on it either turns to porn and or drama!

  • http://Website Ashendarei


    ToeJob:

    I have to open with my general disclaimer that I’ve never tried SL. But EVERY post I see on it either turns to porn and or drama!

    Strangely enough this is my experience as well!