• May 12, 2008

Electronic Arts (EA) has reportedly dropped $30 million on Rupture, a social network devoted to the massively multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing game "World of Warcraft" (WOW), among others. WOW--which is owned by EA rival Activision Blizzard--is one of the world's most utilized MMOs, with monthly users topping 10 million worldwide as of January 2008.

California-based Rupture, which never moved out of beta phase, is the brainchild of Napster creator Shawn Fanning. Fanning and Rupture's other co-founder Jon Baudanza will join the EA team in as-yet undisclosed roles. Sources say that the deal is a technology play, as Rupture did not have a strong member base--but was built on a proprietary, MMO-friendly social networking platform.

--Tameka Kee