After having encountered what it calls legal opposition from Blizzard-Vivendi over its use of a World of Warcraft-like theme for what was then a World of Warcraft-specific networking/matchmaking service, Datecraft has rebuilt its itself to play a role that it calls “video game agnostic.” It’s slated to re-launch this Monday.
The changes made from 2007’s venture appear major, and while the World of Warcraft has an ample number of subscribers to make even the original Datecraft concept a fairly popular place to go when out of game, the new facade is perhaps something that will net itself more users than it would otherwise.
A look at the homepage shows network members at the fore. In that sense, gaming is pushed to the sidelines. But the site touts plenty of features that enable users to talk that kind of talk if they so choose. Blogs can be created. Forums are open to input. Pictures, videos, real-time chat with fellow members. As Datecraft’s John Saddington states, “our mission is to provide a simple and intuitive website which assists and facilitates the building of relationships between...video game enthusiasts.”