The end of Wireplay again... or is it?

[Munro]

I think most of you probably don't have a clue what Wireplay is or was. It used to be a huge GSP (gaming service provider) providing public gaming servers and community sites and events online.

It had a huge community following and had hundreds of servers for every game you could think of. It was used by a large community of gamers who had their own busy forums and community sites where they could chat and organise leagues and ladders and such. It was very popular and I had been part of it since around 1998. I remember being an admin for several game communities under Wireplay and running community websites for them. It was the best time I've ever had in my gaming life.

Sadly, the service eventually was losing too much money and was closed. Everyone moved on to a new GSP created by blueyonder ISP called bygames which also died a couple of years later. The wireplay name was brought out by another company and the site was returned, but the community was dead and nothing like it was before. Since then Wireplays been owned by a few different companies all passing it off to another. This week I’ve discovered in a thread that it’s been sold off yet again and the new company is asking what they can do to make money.

As you may have noticed Wireplay has changed hands again, we're now owned by Webfusion (http://www.webfusion.co.uk). This gives us a real opportunity to turn WP around and make it shine. There's money available to invest to improve servers, network etc. However in order to grow WP needs to become commercial. There's bucket loads of potential but we need to form a plan of action to determine what WP should be, what direction it goes in, what kind of services it should offer, should we keep the brand name or should we change it etc.

Keeping in the spirit of Wireplay by having the community at the heart of it, I'd like to create a task force or think tank, I'd like these people to come and visit us at the Webfusion office to bounce of some ideas and help shape the future.

The alternative is that we call it quits and shut it down, which after all this time and hard work would be a real shame, I still believe in WP, I still believe it has potential to be a kickass platform, it just needs a bit of faith and a bit of vision to make this happen.

If you're interested in taking part, please let me know.

Obviously, Wireplay will end up dying again or will be passed to another company, especially since this one looks as if they have no plan of action what so ever. I think its sad and I would love to be a part of a new Wireplay again but I don’t think any company would want to keep Wireplay going. Even with selling subscriptions, gaming servers and such I don’t think any company is going to make a large enough profit to think it’s worth the effort to run it. I think the only way a community like Wireplay will survive is if it’s brought by the community and run by the community with their own money.

GSPs wont survive as businesses anymore unless they bring something new and unique to the table. Simply throwing out public servers for people to play on and doing nothing isn't going to bring any money in. Barrysworld, NGUK, Game.net, Bygames, Onetelgaming and more have died trying.

Do you have any ideas how Wireplay can return to its glory days and make some money? Sadly it doesn't look good.

 

[jverne]

first



edit: no...wait... emm...fill it up with ads?

 

[PimpinPenguin]

That's a real shame. I've made quite a lot of friends and had some very good games on the Wireplay TF2 servers.

 

[StardogChampion]

I played on bygames all the time. That was around the time I first got broadband.

No idea how they can make money.

 

[Lobster]

I remember playing Team Fortress Classic for ages using wireplay, they used to run ladders all the time and had an great lobby system, the current wireplay isnt the same, but its a shame to see the name in trouble again.

 

[Hot Soup]

Wireplay back in the day was fantastic. Running around flf and dod servers with Starmonkey and Munneh and many many others hours of fun, great leagues and tourneys etc.

I honestly dont think its something that they can make a lot of money in when there is so many free servers out there to play on. Advertising will get them some , but they'd need to really nail a community side of things , have "professional" gaming stuff etc

 

[Hectic Glenn]

I'd like to see it return to its glory days too, unfortunately changes like this during the current economic climate are going to make turning WP into a profittable business very tricky.

I really hope, they can get through the storm, and have the opportunity to rise again on the other side. Especially since I admin on their Team Fortress 2 servers and love the community the servers bring in.

edit: Jolt are struggling too now I heard last, is that true Munro?

 

[mortiz-Redux]

I remember Wireplay, in fact, the first time I ever played online was on a Wireplay Half-Life Deathmatch server back in '98.

 

[Barnz]

Can't wait to see HL2.net dying.

 

[Munro]

edit: Jolt are struggling too now I heard last, is that true Munro?

Jolt appear to have been purchased by Ferrago. They've relaunched the site as a general news site and stopped selling clan servers. They still have a few community sites running, their forums and some public servers but there's no mention to them on the site anymore. I think it's only a matter of time before they get rid of them for good.

 

[Krynn72]

I think the only way a community like Wireplay will survive is if it’s brought by the community and run by the community with their own money.

Is there a prize for finding a typo made by Almighty Munro? If there is, and its death/ban then nevermind, I dont want it.

 

[Reflex]

Typo? Where?

 

[DEATHMASTER]

the b word. But damn Jolt? I play UT on those servers!