MCI Launches Wireplay

MCI today announced the launch of its nationwide online gaming service, Wireplay. Available October 1, Wireplay will be accessible only to MCI Internet customers in 60 mostly Midwestern US cities. Wireplay will have a limited launch, being offered for free as part of the MCI Internet service package until the end of 1997.

The Wireplay service allows multiplayer gaming on MCI's custom network platform - players dial into the service, select a game, then Wireplay finds opponents for the customers. It's useful for all types of network-enabled games, including fast-action twitch titles. MCI is just the latest player in a burgeoning field expected to generate millions of dollars in future revenue. Wireplay, which MCI says is the first commercial service of its kind, is yet another grand experiment to discover the best way to get a piece of that pie.