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Creators And Founders Of Neopets Launch Meteor Games

Adam Powell and Donna Williams, the original creators and founders of the online social networking and gaming phenomenon NEOPETS, have launched Meteor Games, a new independent game studio based in West Hollywood, California.

Meteor Games is an innovative game development studio committed to creating interactive experiences that bridge the gaps between the engaging nature and broad appeal of web-based gaming, the community-focused elements of today's exploding social networks, and the fun and depth of traditional massively multiplayer online games.

Powell will serve as Meteor Games CEO and creative director. Williams takes the role of COO and president. Meteor Games' first project will be based on an all-new intellectual property designed and created by Powell and Williams.

"Our experience developing the world and characters of NEOPETS provides us with a unique advantage as we create a more robust and in-depth experience with Meteor Games," said Powell. "Our goal is to create a game world that is immersive, technologically advanced and more accessible than the current slate of online games available today. We want gamers to play on their terms -- when, where and how they want."

"Massively multiplayer games, casual web-based games, and social networking are all areas of explosive growth and taken together, they are defining how the Internet generation communicates with one another and are entertained," said Williams. "Meteor Games is creating an online world that will blend these emerging elements into a single persistent experience that gamers of all ages can enjoy."

In 1999, Powell and Williams co-created NEOPETS, guiding the first-of-its-kind site from launch through an unprecedented period of growth, which today accounts for more than 45 million users worldwide and is translated into 11 languages. NEOPETS was sold to MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, in 2005 for $160 million and remains one of the largest and most popular destinations for kids and teens on the Internet.

Powell is an internationally renowned game developer with a proven track record of developing and building successful web-based communities and online games. Powell's first game creation was DARK HEART, a popular Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) released in 1996 and based on the DIKU MUD code that evolved into some of today's biggest MMORPGs. Powell's innovative concepts and cutting-edge business practices heavily influenced an entirely new, multi-billion dollar industry based around virtual communities, social networking and casual gaming.

Williams, who co-founded NEOPETS with Powell in 1999, was directly responsible for fostering and shepherding the NEOPETS community and brand for nearly a decade. Her role with NEOPETS included content planning, game design and production but also evolved to include management of product promotions and licensing, where her innovations extended the NEOPETS brand into new, previously untapped offline markets, including console games, soft toys, fast-food promotions and collectable card games.

Details about the upcoming project from Meteor Games will be released at a later date. For more information about Meteor Games, visit www.meteorgames.com.

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