Omerta (video game)

Development

Omerta was launched publicly on 26 September 2003 with the first version, now known as Omerta 1.0. This version was written by Moritz Daan in Groningen. During the 10 year run of Omerta, there have been about 4.7 million unique registrations. In January 2008 Omerta moved to a new service provider and currently has 20 servers running the FreeBSD operating system.

In July 2009 version 3.0 of Omerta was released. In the first month after the release more than 100,000 players registered.

Following several intermediate versions, in February 2013 version 4.0 was released with enhanced game-play and a modern graphical style replaced the original frame-based standard web layout.

Gameplay

Omerta is a strategic massively multiplayer online role playing game where players undertake criminal activities to earn money and experience. Players form Mafia families which engage in a constant power struggle to become the dominant force in the game. An important feature is the ability to permanently kill other players accounts - to gain money and a tactical advantage. Players hope to become the Don of a successful Mafia family. Team play and cooperation are essential and during Omerta's lifespan, many durable alliances have come into existence.

Set in 1930s gangster and Mafia world, the game is all about status, money and respect. Players get rank points by doing crimes, stealing cars and busting friends out of jail. You can even run your own organised crime ring, robbing local banks and holding up cars on quiet roads. As you delve deeper into the dark gangster world, many players find other business opportunities, such as gambling clubs, reselling booze and even drug dealing.

New game players choose to start in a city of either USA or Italy, where the Mafia has got a large influence even now. One of the more gambling cities, Las Vegas, allows gangsters to try their luck with a wide range of slot machines, black-jack games, and even roulette tables.

In a deadly and sometimes cruel world it helps to have allies, both for protection and shared wealth. Many game players have set up families, who will look out for each other until the very end. Families are rich, powerful and can run whole neighbourhoods of a city, so you may want to keep on their good side. As you would imagine, they aren't too happy if another player or rival family shoots one of their guys or takes one of their casinos.

For those more cautious game players there are other forms of protection, bodyguards, fast getaway vehicles and even bulletproof suits

Business model

Omerta is a pioneer of free-to-play games; it does not carry banner or other advertisements and there are no paid functions which would give paying-players advantages over those who do not pay. Instead, Omerta operates a 'click-limit' whereby players paying can view more pages of the game each minute.

Each player can request eleven webpages per minute, but players may purchase a code that raises the click-limit to 40 webpages a minute. A second code can also be activated allowing more storage in a player's inbox, a bigger profile and various other small non-advantageous perks. Codes can be purchased via phone and web-based micro-payments, including via PayPal or by using the game's own internal auction tool.

IP licensing deal with Kalypso Media

In the summer of 2012 a licensing partnership was agreed with Germany-based game developer Kalypso Media, in order for Kalypso to use Omerta's IP for the PC game Omerta, City of Gangsters. The PC game features a link to Omerta (the web-game) on its index page and on the games's promotional web site. A special flier from Omerta the RPG was carried in the box-edition of Omerta, City of Gangsters.