On-line games can only survive under the auspices of a co- operative banner, according to British Telecommunications Plc – but then it would say that, having just completed the trial of its gaming network, Wireplay. After three soak-testing ‘free Sundays,’ intended to test the maximum capacity of the network, Wireplay goes national in the UK any day now, and will follow in the US via British Telecom’s partner MCI Communications Corp. In the UK, charging will be fixed at 2.5 pence per minute; US pricing is not yet announced. The company is also considering flat rates of around 20 British pounds per month for heavy users. Head of games at British Telecom’s multimedia services, Colin Duffy, said the most essential ingredient – other than a working infrastructure – was having a sufficient number of players to compete against. Virgin, 3DO or Ocean don’t have enough people to attract that critical mass [on their own], he said. You need an independent network to offer that. But reaction to the system is mixed and Duffy is aware that success will hang on acceptance from the rest of the games industry, which has got to believe in the new markets, – something that may be harder to achieve than simply placing an independent network before them.
