Say good-bye to Kai's Power Tools tips on America Online. As soon as its private Web site is ready, MetaCreations will move its forums and chat rooms off of AOL, citing excessive fees and thoughtless behavior on AOL's part.
According to a MetaCreations spokesperson, America Online recently decided to begin charging MetaCreations to maintain chat rooms and support forums on the service. While AOL has similar relationships with other content providers, MetaCreations had been previously exempt from such fees. The spokesperson characterized the proposed fees as "heinous," and said that the two companies had entered negotiations.
Two weeks ago, America Online sent MetaCreations a "terse" letter stating that it was terminating MetaSquares, a popular online game developed by MetaCreations and available only on America Online. Then, yesterday, AOL abruptly posted a message stating that the game would be discontinued as of September 1. According to the MetaCreations spokesperson, MetaCreations had no plans to discontinue the game, nor did AOL give the company any warning that the game would be shut down.
In a press release today, MetaCreations CEO John Wilczak apologized to the MetaSquares gaming community and announced MetaCreations' intent to leave AOL. No date was given for the move.
"This is the thanks we get for helping to build their subscriber base?" asked a MetaCreations spokesperson. "We're sick of them."
America Online, 703/448-8700, www.aol.com.
MetaCreations, 805/566-6200, www.metacreations.com.
