The Michael Jackson video game legacy added a new dance game, "Michael Jackson: The Experience" to its ranks when the game was announced earlier this year, but for some Jackson fans an experience isn't going to be enough they're going to want a whole planet. While such a thing could require expensive flights and centuries of terraforming using today's technology, a new MMO called "Planet Michael" might make such a thing possible on a virtual level. Whatever it does, SEE Virtual Worlds plans on opening their planet up for business next year.
"When we first approached the [Michael Jackson] Estate and talked about creating 'Planet Michael,' one of our primary goals was to build an interactive environment where fans from all over the world come together to affirm Michael’s life-long dedication to fostering global friendships," SEE CEO Martin Biallas said in a press release. "In building a space worthy of those global connections, we envisioned a magical, enjoyable place that will capture that zest for fun and life that was at Michael’s very core. Throughout his extensive career, the King of Pop was well-known for his visionary contributions to music, dance, fashion, entertainment and philanthropy, and it was critical that we somehow incorporate all of those elements into the game.”
SEE plans on making the game free and profiting off of micro-transactions in 2011. As a social gaming experience, their announcement says it will become an "immersive virtual space themed after iconic visuals drawn from Michael’s music, his life, and the global issues that concerned him."
So think more "Second Life" than "World of WarCraft," but I don't know how they plan on integrating the global issues thing. If it involved walking on pianos, transforming into robots and/or tossing fairy dust on your enemies while Bubbles the Chimp rides your shoulders and points toward bosses, though, I'll give it a whirl.
Are you interested in signing up for a Michael Jackson MMO? What would you like to see in such a game if so? Share your proposals with us in the comment section below.