Project Rockstar: An Early MMORPG Success Story
Project RockStar
Created at Kerb
Worked on from 2001
An innovative MMORPG launched in 2001, Project Rockstar combined engaging gameplay with community features and in-game rewards, creating a unique, immersive experience for users that ran for nearly a decade.
Summary
Project Rockstar began as a game where players took on the role of a band manager. Users selected a musical act—rock band, pop artist, or alternative group—and managed everything from practice sessions to gigs, tours, and promotions, navigating challenging managerial decisions.
The game updated overnight, with users receiving daily progress updates via email, inviting them to address new challenges awaiting their bands. As users made decisions, they quickly turned to the game’s forums to discuss strategies and chat with fellow players, sparking the growth of a vibrant community that even led to real-world meet-ups.
Project Rockstar became a major success, running for over ten years and even winning the prestigious BT Digital Music Award for Best Web-Based Music Game in 2003.
The Journey
I joined Kerb straight out of university in 2001, thrilled to work at an innovative web development company known for its cutting-edge websites, games, and animations for top brands like Pepsi, Sunny Delight, Eidos, and Ubisoft.
When I joined, the team was finalizing the development of Project Rockstar, and negotiations were underway with Vodafone’s entertainment portal, Vizzavi, to license the game for their mobile platform. The game could be played online or via WAP, making it accessible to early mobile users.
Shortly after launching, Project Rockstar garnered 300,000 active users, and overnight, an in-game algorithm made my manager, “Jazzhands,” the top player at launch—a hilarious 15 minutes of fame! Messages poured in from other players asking for advice, and the buzz around the game grew.
The game’s community flourished, with users logging in daily, discussing strategies in the forums, and forming connections that went far beyond the gameplay. The game was so successful that it outgrew its original licensing deal, with Kerb eventually running the game independently.
Project Rockstar was a breakthrough MMORPG experience, connecting thousands of people globally through the shared fun of band management.
Goals & Outcomes
In 2001, the goal was simple: create an MMORPG that people would enjoy playing. The result was a resounding success, with thousands of players logging in daily to manage their bands and chat in the forums. In 2003, the game won the Best Web-Based Music Game category at the BT Digital Music Awards, cementing its place as a standout in the emerging online gaming scene.
The game was licensed to Vodafone’s Vizzavi for 12 months, bringing in significant revenue. Afterward, Kerb continued running Project Rockstar independently, and I took on the responsibility of generating new revenue streams. The game ran until 2010, when a legal dispute over the use of the word “Rockstar” in the title led to its closure.
Project Rockstar’s success was due to the passionate team behind it, who continuously improved the game and released new versions. Its community was one of its strongest assets—the forum pages often saw more traffic than the gameplay itself, showcasing the power of online communities in the early days of the internet.
My Roles
As the Product Manager for Sales and Promotions, I was responsible for engaging advertisers, sponsors, and partners to create new revenue streams for the game. I worked directly with the game developers to integrate these partnerships into Project Rockstar, tailoring custom in-game development updates and features that added value to both players and sponsors. This helped us build a strong, sponsor-friendly product while maintaining the game’s engaging core experience.
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Project Rockstar
MMORPG (2001–2011)
An immersive MMORPG that ran for a decade, bringing together a vibrant community of music-loving gamers. From its initial launch, it was clear this game would be a success, offering an enjoyable and engaging experience that resonated deeply with its players.