There (virtual world)

History

Development and initial run (1998–2010)

There Inc. was founded in 1998; closed beta began in July 2001 and the world launched publicly in October 2003. Tom Melcher, formerly of CNET, served as chief executive officer until 2003.

Lagging growth led to major layoffs in August 2004 and a split into two entities: Forterra Systems - targeting government simulation - and Makena Technologies for the consumer product.

A US$14 million funding round followed in 2005., and partnerships with corporate advertisers like MTV Networks and Coca-Cola brought a new revenue stream and new content to the world. (see corporate partnerships)

On March 2, 2010 Makena announced that There.com would close; servers went offline at 11:59 p.m. PST on March 9, 2010.

Relaunch and 2025 revival (2012–present)

Founder Michael Wilson confirmed plans to reopen in May 2011, and the world returned on May 2, 2012 with a subscription model and two free-trial tiers.

Interest resurfaced in 2025 when YouTuber Globert posted a 30-day documentary that drew more than thirteen million views as of May 2025. Massively Overpowered reported a population surge and revived in-game events, crediting the video for the spike.

Gameplay and features

Avatars and social tools

Players create avatars with permanent names and genders and fully customizable appearance. Communication options include text chat, voice, emotes and avatar “body language.”

Makena released ThereIM, a stand-alone instant-messaging client, and ThereConnect, a Facebook plug-in that syndicated in-world events.

Economy

Currency

The in-game currency, Therebucks (T$), can be purchased on the website and are valued at 1800 T$ = US$1. They can also be earned via various other methods, including events, random drops, and designing content for the world via the Development Program.

Property

Members can buy or rent virtual real estate and furnish it as homes, clubs, game rooms or racetracks.

Property comes in two forms:

• Fixed-location zones - static houses, “fun zones” and “frontier zones” that charge a monthly rental fee.
• PortaZones (PAZs) - portable lots that can be dropped, picked up and moved at will; no rent is charged while a PAZ is undeployed.

Newer neighborhood lots expand on PAZs by letting multiple owners form planned communities.

User-generated content

Users create custom content with There’s developer toolkits, using third-party image editing and 3D modeling software to bring clothing, vehicles, buildings, furniture and other items into the game. Once peer-reviewed, items are listed in the virtual marketplace and sold for Therebucks or sold directly to other players.

Activities

Popular pursuits include player-run events, paintball, flying jetpacks, treasure hunts, card games and training virtual pets. As of March 2009, the main map featured 14 themed islands plus dozens of smaller atolls.

Corporate partnerships

• In 2006 Makena partnered with MTV Networks to build branded worlds including Virtual Laguna Beach, The Virtual Hills and the Virtual VMAs.
• Coca-Cola opened the branded district CC Metro in 2007, hosting minigames and promotions.
• CosmoGIRL! sponsored fashion-oriented quests and contests.
• A 2008 deal with Paramount Pictures sold movie sound clips as US$1 avatar emotes.
• Apparel collaborations with Nike and Levi’s offered branded clothing items.

References

References

1. "Mac Alpha Testing".
2. "Design Your Place".
3. "Developer FAQ – Software Requirements".
4. (March 2, 2010). "There.com is closing". Engadget.
5. (March 3, 2010). "Dead Media Beat: Was-Once-There.com".
6. (April 2005). "Online Game Gets Feeding Tube".
7. (August 2004). "There Turns Off Road to Nowhere".
8. (February 1, 2007). "A Second Life for MTV".
9. (September 3, 2008). "3-D Virtual Worlds Go IM".
10. (August 29, 2003). "Commerce Drives Virtual World".
11. Schroeder, Ralph. (2006-02-06). "Avatars at Work and Play". Springer Science & Business Media.
12. "Design Your Place – Using PAZ Lots".
13. (December 6, 2007). "Coca-Cola Builds 'CC Metro' in Virtual World There.com". The Hollywood Reporter.
14. (April 3, 2008). "Paramount to Monetize Movie Clips in Virtual Worlds".
15. Chris Neal. (April 28, 2025). "A YouTuber Chronicles His 30-Day Journey to Revive Dead Social MMO ''There''". Massively Overpowered.
16. Globert. (April 13, 2025). "I Spent 30 Days in a Dead Game".
17. (January 13, 2003). "New Economy: A Nerdy Entrepreneur Dreamed of a Better Place…". The New York Times.