Ok, well, that headline is a bit misleading, but two companies that were recently bought out, Mythic Entertainment and World’s Apart Productions, both got their start making text MUDs. EA bought Mythic, of course, and now comes the announcement that SOE has bought World’s Apart. Scott Martins, formerly CEO/founder of World’s Apart, is someone I count as an (admittedly distant) friend and Mark Jacobs (Mythic’s former CEO) is one of my top five most admired people in the games industry (though he and I strongly disagree on the subject of virtual asset sales).

Now, of course, they weren’t bought for their text MUDs. Mythic was bought on the success of DAoC and the promise of Warhammer Online, and World’s Apart was purchased on the strength of their online CCG (Collectible Card Game) properties, including Starchamber, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek, not its text MUD, The Eternal City. Still, I knew both these companies first as text MUD developers and feel an affinity to them as such. Way to go guys!