Game vets found Trion World Network: Former EA exec Lars Buttler, ex - New World prez Jon Van Caneghem form new California - based publisher/developer

By Tim Surette

With broadband Internet connections becoming more and more widespread, online gaming is connecting people for frantic fragfests, impromptu meet - and - greets, and online friendships. The success of massively multiplayer online role - playing game World of Warcraft has the industry's bigwigs scampering to be prepared for the online gaming rush, and today they got one more competitor.

Lars Buttler, former vice president of Global Online at Electronic Arts, and Jon Van Caneghem, founder and president of New World Computing (the Might & Magic franchise), have formed a new company named Trion World Network, the company announced today. TWN is being financially backed by Doll Capital Management and Trinity Ventures, and will be headquartered in Redwood City, California.

"Broadband has created a new frontier in game development, similar to the first explosion of game development in the 1980s," said Caneghem. "Designers are free to be creative and explore concepts and designs that were previously impossible or unheard of."

Though the company hasn't formally announced any projects, it has revealed its strategy going forward.

Though most videogames are still distributed on a physical disc, the industry has been moving increasingly online. All of the next - generation consoles have broadband connections for online play and downloadable content. Some publishers already have started using Microsoft's Xbox Live service to let gamers download additional levels or items for games they previously bought.

"We started Trion to leverage all the inherent capabilities of broadband, provide original entertainment, and define the future of media in the global broadband era," said Buttler.