Mindark takes over the operations of Planet Rocktropia to be Run by New Entropia Universe AI President

Mindark PE AB, the Swedish developer of Entropia Universe, which launched in January 2003 and stands as one of the world's longest-running MMOs and the only MMO/metaverse featuring a real cash economy with in-game currency pegged to the USD, is pleased to announce the takeover of Planet Rocktropia, a pop culture-themed virtual world that has been live on the Entropia Universe platform since 2010. This change is part of Mindark's pioneering initiative to utilize an AI President to manage and operate its universe.

Founded by celebrity avatar Jon "NEVERDIE" Jacobs, Rocktropia is designed as a pop culture-themed portal into the Entropia Universe. Through a partnership with Universal Licensing and Partnerships, Rocktropia has hosted movie-inspired events and destinations, including "Hunt The Thing," which coincided with the 2011 remake and theatrical release of "The Thing," and an epic "King Kong" adventure. The planet also features iconic music destinations such as Lemmy's Castle, a medieval fortress guarded by demon spawn, designed by the late rock icon Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead and managed by his son, Paul Inder Kilmister.
The changed management of Rocktropia will give Mindark free reign to fully integrate powerful generative AI systems into the planet's backend, enhancing future development, optimizing game balance, and customizing the user experience to individual player preferences. This move will also simplify the ongoing graphical upgrade of all planets in Entropia Universe to the Unreal 5 Engine.

Jan Welter, founder of Entropia Universe, commented on the deal: "Fourteen years after its release, Rocktropia, the first independently developed and operated planet launched on the Entropia Universe platform, continues to have enormous potential as a primary pop culture destination in the evolution of the metaverse. It maintains a passionate and loyal user base. We are thrilled that recent advances in generative AI have provided the technology to enable the Entropia Universe to continue evolving into the metaverse the entire world hopes will emerge. With our takeover of Rocktropia and our integration of AI, we ensure that the planet will continue to be updated and upgraded with new systems and content, remaining an active destination in the unfolding history of the metaverse."

With Rocktropia's handoff to Mindark, Jon "NEVERDIE" Jacobs will terminate his status as an Entropia Universe Planet Partner and step down from his role as The President of Virtual Reality, a position he assumed in 2016 as a platform to champion real job creation in the metaverse amid potential worldwide job losses resulting from advances in AI.

Jon NEVERDIE Jacobs commented  "With handing over Rocktropia to Mindark and the AI President, I will finally after over a decade of planet development be able to enjoy all the fun and opportunities Entropia Universe has to offer purely from the standpoint of a player again, the first thing I will do is throw a big party at Club NEVERDIE to celebrate!"

Following the takeover of Rocktopia, Mindark plans to introduce new possibilities later in the year that will enable spaceships to blast and mine asteroids to unlock new technologies

For more information, please contact:

marketing@mindark.com
Tel: 031 607 260
MindArk PE AB (publ) 
Org. nr. 556640-4769
Masthamnsgatan 5
413 29 Gothenburg
www.mindark.com

About MindArk

MindArk PE AB (publ) (“the Company” or “MindArk”) develops and operates Entropia Universe, the world's first MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game) with a “Real-Cash-Economy”, and Entropia Platform. Entropia Universe is a virtual universe consisting of a number of planets with different themes and activities. The software is provided globally and free of charge with the possibility to spend money in the virtual universe for anyone with access to PC and the internet. Entropia Universe consists of a digital economy where resources, materials, land, and buildings are represented as digital assets with an underlying base value. Entropia Platform is the technology platform that powers Entropia Universe. The platform is shared with partners who develop their own unique game content for their planets in Entropia Universe.