Fun trivia fact: The AOL blog that eventually became Massively actually started life as a Second Life blog back when Second Life was huge. So even though it’s not a traditional MMO, we’ve kept a bit of an eye on it over the years. And now it’s about to change in a big way, at least in terms of who owns it, as yesterday Linden Lab announced that it’s been acquired.
“Linden Research, Inc. announced today it signed an agreement to be acquired by an investment group led by Randy Waterfield and Brad Oberwager. Closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval by financial regulators in the U.S. related to Tilia Inc.’s status as a licensed money transmitter as well as other customary closing conditions. Upon closing, Mr. Waterfield and Mr. Oberwager will join the Board of Directors of Linden Research, Inc.”
Apparently the buyout will keep Linden Lab intact and isn’t expected to harm the actual game. “We see this as an opportunity to continue growth and expansion for Second Life and our money services business Tilia,” says Linden CEO Ebbe Altberg. But as always with these types of industry moves, time will be the judge.
