London - Mind Candy, a developer of social multiplayer online games that created the "Perplex City" alternate reality game, on Friday announced the launch of "Moshi Monsters," its new virtual world "for little kids and big kids alike." The game has players adopt their own monster, and keep it happy by solving the daily puzzles that are sent, with the monster developing its own unique personality depending on how well or badly it has been treated.

San Francisco - Linden Lab, the developer of 3D virtual world Second Life, has named Mark Kingdon as its new CEO, replacing company founder Philip Rosedale, who will remain chairman. Since 2001, Kingdon has served as the CEO of Organic Inc., a digital communications agency. Prior to that, he had been a partner with the consulting division of PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Our search for the leader of Linden Lab demanded both tremendous business skills and a deep understanding and passion for Second Life and where it is going," said Rosedale. Kingdon will officially assume the role on May 15.

Tokyo - Sony (NYSE: SNE) has once again delayed the launch of its "Home" 3D virtual community for the PlayStation 3 console, now saying the service will launch for users in the fall. The service had initially been slated to launch last fall, but pushed the debut until this spring.

Austin, Texas - There are now more than 100 virtual worlds operating or that are in development which target the 18-and-under youth market, according to a report from virtual worlds trade media company Virtual Worlds Management.

I'm on my soapbox again about the changing landscape for entertainment marketing and sales. I want to do a quick follow-up to my last article about the challenges that face Habbo Hotel, the popular virtual world for teens, when trying to cut a deal with the record labels to feature and sell their music. Today, the popular German teen rock sensation, Tokio Hotel, did an appearance in Habbo's Canadian Hotel and they are not alone. So far over 300 celebrity guests have visited Habbo to chat with fans and promote their projects. Clearly the artists as well as the record labels see the promotional value of following the fans to their online hang-outs. Habbo was subsequently the first virtual world to sign a deal with William Morris Agency. So why not set up a system to easily monetize music in this new media channel?

Los Angeles - Habbo, an online virtual community for teens, announced on Monday that in-game ad network Double Fusion is now the exclusive advertising sales agency for Habbo.com. Habbo, which claims 9.5 million unique monthly users, said Double Fusion will manage media sales and coordinate in-game, integrated marketing campaigns for advertisers.

New York - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group announced on Friday that it plans to launch a number of additional virtual worlds for kids, building on the success of its existing Neopets and Nicktropolis sites. The company said it will develop virtual worlds for "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Monkey World" and "World of Neopia."

New York - IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Linden Lab, creator of the "Second Life" online virtual world, announced on Thursday that they will collaborate on the development of "enterprise solutions for security-rich, custom virtual world creation and collaboration" on the Second Life Grid platform. The platform allows organizations to create a public or private virtual environment using Linden Lab's 3D online virtual world technology.

Washington - An information hearing on virtual worlds before a U.S. House subcommittee was attended by both "Second Life" founder Philip Rosedale and a number of avatars who appeared on a video screen in the hearing room, Reuters reported. "It is likely that virtual world activities are somewhat more policeable and the law somewhat more maintainable within virtual worlds," Rosedale said, asserting that government intervention is not needed. "The virtual world has a degree of accountability...and traceability, which actually in many ways is better than the real world."

Berlin - Metaversum, a developer of online virtual worlds and a social community platform, announced on Tuesday that it has received a "multi million Euro" investment from Balderton Capital.

The ‘virtual fashion game’ Miss Bimbo has picked up a lot of press - Google News UK was the second ranked site receiving up traffic from the search term ‘miss bimbo’ last week. The website allows users to create a virtual "bimbo" and compete against other players to earn “bimbo dollars” by making her as attractive and famous as possible. The controversy surrounds the activities the characters participate in, which range from partying and purchasing new clothes, to breast enlargement and weight loss using diet pills. The latter activity sparked so much outrage that the site has now removed the functionality from the game.

San Francisco - Linden Lab, maker of the online virtual world Second Life, is looking for someone to fill founder and chief executive Philip Rosedale’s shoes as he will step down, according to Reuters.

Waltham, Mass. - EveryScape, a developer of virtual worlds based on real-life cities, announced on Wednesday that it has secured $7 million in its second round of venture capital financing, led by new investor Dace Ventures.

North Hollywood, Calif. - Disney Online (NYSE: DIS), part of the company's Walt Disney Internet Group, has announced the formation of a new unit, Disney Online Studios, that will focus on creating and publishing games, virtual worlds and online social communities.

San Francisco - Vollee, the developer of an application that can stream console-quality video games to 3G mobile phones, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Linden Lab to offer a mobile version of its Second Life 3D virtual world. Beta trials for the Second Life Grid platform are now open for pre-registration, and are expected to commence in May. Vollee's other publisher partners include Activision and Codemasters.

San Francisco - Rocketon, the developer of a "parallel virtual world that spans the Web," announced on Tuesday that it has raised a $5 million second round of financing from the D.E. Shaw Group's venture capital unit.

San Francisco - Dizzywood announced on Friday that it has raised a $1 million first round of funding, which it will use to help launch its 3D virtual world and online game platform for kids ages 8-12.

Los Angeles - Habbo, a virtual world for teens that counts 8 million monthly users, announced on Wednesday that it has signed with the William Morris Agency, to facilitate potential cross-marketing and promotional partnerships in the film, sports, television and music industries. "As the Habbo community continues to increase, their audience will demand a mainstream in-game entertainment presence," said WMA chairman and CEO Jim A. Wiatt. "William Morris' Digital Group will be a key partner helping Habbo develop ideal business and marketing opportunities with the leaders of the entertainment industry."

Mountain View, Calif. - The Multiverse Network, a developer of 3D virtual worlds, on Wednesday announced the launch of Virtual Times Square, a true-to-life digital recreation of everything from 7th & Broadway to West 45th. The demo virtual world is viewable after users download the company's free Multiverse World Browser application.

Seattle - FlowPlay, the developer of a casual game-focused virtual world targeted at teenagers, has raised $3.7 million in its first round of venture capital financing, led by Intel Capital and Ambient Sound Investments.