GS New Media to Develop Virtual World Based on Children’s Series

TORONTO, August 6: Canada’s
GS New Media has tapped into the resources of Project Darkstar, an open source
online game platform invented by Sun Microsystems, to develop a virtual world
for tweens and teens based on the TV series The Saddle Club.

GS New Media and Sun
Microsystems will work together to develop a high-performance, broadly
functional solution architecture as a basis for The Saddle Club Virtual
World. This is the first Internet
and mobile licensed property GS New Media has developed using the open source
Project Darkstar platform.

The Saddle Club is a live-action children’s TV series based on the
bestselling books by Bonnie Bryant and is broadcast on public television
stations in the U.S. and on Discovery Kids. The series follows the adventures
of three young girls as they form the Saddle Club at Pine Hollow Stables.

The 26 half-hour episodes
for season three will premiere in more than a dozen countries this fall. The
series is a co-production of Crawford Productions and Protocol Entertainment
and was shot in high definition in Australia with a new cast and new characters.

Karl Harberl, the director
of the Project Darkstar initiative at Sun Microsystems, said: “We are very
pleased that GS New Media has decided to use Project Darkstar as the online
infrastructure for The Saddle Club Virtual World, and to work with the Project Darkstar community,
including Sun, to advance the project. With their collective expertise in
online entertainment and Project Darkstar technology to serve them, GS New
Media is well positioned to deliver an innovative virtual world experience, and
to capitalize successfully on the tremendous opportunity that The Saddle
Club property represents.”

“We are thrilled to
collaborate with Sun Microsystems, a company known for innovation, community
development and open source leadership,” said Shemi Levi, the CEO and co-founder
of GS New Media. “Their strength in enabling massive multiplayer online games
will allow us to push the limits to create a truly unique 3-D world that will
connect with millions of young fans of The Saddle Club TV series and horse lovers everywhere.”

—By Jackie Stewart