Supporting future expansion at MindArk
About MindArk PE AB
MindArk has been successfully developing the Entropia universe since the late 1990s. Now they have seen technology catch up with the vision of what this metaverse is and can be in the near future. As a result, MindArk is now preparing to take the next step in development with the all-new Unreal Engine 5™ graphics engine. To achieve this requires a new investment in new storage hardware.
\ Challenge
Continued growth without disruptions
As a pioneer in 3D virtual environments, MindArk has been at the forefront of developing the Metaverse for more than 20 years. Their vision of what 3D Internet should be has always been ahead of its time, and it’s still true today. Project Entropia, as it was called in its initial phase, evolved into what the world knows today as Entropia Universe, a Sci-Fi Real Cash Economy Metaverse.
Building a persistent world that is accessible to everyone around the world for free has not been without its challenges. So with constant investment and development in the product, MindArk has continued on the path to the true Metaverse that so many believe in today.
With the demands of an ever-growing user base, MindArk needed a way to ensure that they could continue to grow without being constrained by any bottlenecks. Given that Entropia Universe is a so-called “free-to-play” online game, it is incredibly sensitive to disruptions. Therefore, MindArk was keen to find a high-volume storage solution that is expandable to enable them to offer high quality.
- In 2021, we have secured an agreement to continue the development of the Entropia Universe metaverse using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5™. To support this move into the future, we saw the need for a new infrastructure. Over the past year, we have also grown significantly as a company, which means we need to move our offices to a new location to facilitate the current as well as the future growth of MindArk.
Moving to a completely new office also requires us to upgrade the infrastructure in our work environment so that we are prepared for the future, says Mats Kling at MindArk.
\ Result
A small but flexible solution to grow in
To remedy their challenge, MindArk enlisted the help of Aixia. Initially, MindArk looked at several storage options. But eventually they came around to using IBM Flash Storage, instead of one of the big monster machines that many vendors recommend, where you don’t always know if they’re up to the task.
– This has led us to choose a relatively small, but incredibly flexible solution. In this case the IBM Flash System. There we choose to have high volume to get the quality we have and need. It’s very expandable and easy to grow in. We chose Aixia as our supplier because they offer good technical support, which is important to us. Aixia has an incredible amount of knowledge behind it, says Mats Kling
The collaboration between Aixia and MindArk has been successful and is long-term. According to MindArk, there are three reasons why the collaboration has worked so well. – The closeness to competence – it’s almost like calling Aixia a gang of friends. When we call them, it doesn’t matter who answers, they still know exactly who you are and who we should talk to for different problems. In addition, they are innovative. You can discuss with them, ask questions and share thoughts and ideas. They always have information about things that no one else in the industry knows about until a few years later. The third, for our part, is locality. We can meet our supplier, which is a reassurance. It feels like you’re talking to colleagues instead of a supplier. All this, combined with the fact that they are incredibly good at what they do, is the reason why they are our main supplier today,” concludes Mats Kling.
MindArk is an independent game development company
MindArk is dedicated to establishing the metaverse of the future through the convergence of online games, virtual worlds and social platforms. The company is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has approximately 60 employees.
More information about MindArk is available at:
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