First Real-Time, Browser-Based 3D Flash Game Offers Kids Online Racing, Exploration and Achievement Facebook Application Extends Social Gaming Fun
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Oct 07, 2009 Vector Entertainment today announced the launch of Vector City Racers, an evolutionary online social game for kids ages 6 to 12. Vector City Racers is the first browser-based massively multiplayer online game (MMO) to offer real-time 3D action using Flash 10 technology. The game can be played for free - with no download required - at www.vectorcityracers.com. A complementary Facebook application is also available at http://apps.facebook.com/vcr_super_challenge, providing additional opportunities to experience social gaming where all roads lead to fun.
“As parents of young boys, we realized that most of the online games currently available were geared towards girls, focusing more on chatting and mini-games, than on achievement-based gaming,” said Chris Bergstresser, CEO, Vector Entertainment. “Vector City Racers fills this gap by providing boys with the competition, action, kinetic gameplay and social gaming aspects they crave. Vector City Racers offers instant access to an exciting 3D world that is easily accessible in a Web browser, yet remains a safe environment that parents can trust.”
Vector City Racers combines the excitement and fun of circuit track racing with the community aspects of social gaming and virtual worlds. Every child’s self-designed, one-of-a-kind racer vehicle is its avatar. The game environment is comprised of shapes and structures, all constructed in real-time 3D, running directly in one’s browser. Vector City Racers offers two game modes (single and multiplayer), 13 cities with varying landscapes to explore, a garage/personal page to store and showcase vehicles, stats and leaderboards, as well as kid-safe chat, races, friends lists and the Vector Zone Store where upgrades can be purchased to make the vehicle handle better and faster.
With more than 290,000 player registrations and 15,000 daily unique visitors, Vector City Racer’s players became involved in the product design and development process. As a result of the game’s early success, the company has formed partnerships with organizations that aim to better the lives of children, their families and the community. Such partners include the National Childhood Obesity Foundation® (N.C.O.F.®), which encourages children to make wise choices by playing and eating smartly.
To start playing, kids can go directly to www.vectorcityracers.com and register using a parent’s email address. Once assigned a username and password, kids can select a style of vehicle and a city to explore. They also can begin creating their avatar racer in the ModShop, an easy-to-use online creation workshop for building and modifying personalized, one-of-a-kind 3D racer vehicles. An in-game camera allows kids to see their creation from every angle. Every unique, custom car can be posted in the Vector City Racers Gallery, where it can be voted on, shared with friends and used for racing and exploring throughout the world.
Kids can play Vector City Racers for free, although paid memberships provide additional perks. These include access to an enhanced friend list and exclusive content areas and activities, the first digital issue of the Vector City Racers comic book created by the legendary Kyle Baker, and a monthly allowance of Vbucks (in-game currency). All players will have access to hundreds of micro-transaction items for purchase from the in-game store.
There are four Vector City Racers membership levels available: Monthly ($4.95); Annual ($49.95); Family Monthly: ($9.95), and Family Annual ($99.00).
