- Jon Jacobs (actor)
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Jon Jacobs Born September 10, 1966
Derbyshire, England, U.K.Occupation Actor, entrepreneur, director, producer, writer Website realityport.com Jon Jacobs (born 10 September 1966, Derbyshire, England) is an English actor,[1] entrepreneur, director, producer, writer and creator of the avatar Neverdie, which is frequently stylized NEVERDIE, from the virtual world Entropia Universe that Reuters described as “a legendary adventurer, celebrity, and fabulously wealthy entrepreneur in the online world of Entropia.”[2] The Associated Press described Neverdie as an “Internet icon.”[3][4][5][6][7][8]
In 2005 Jacobs mortgaged his home to buy a virtual asteroid for US$100,000, being the most valuable virtual item ever sold at that time.[9] The next day, he got an offer to sell the asteroid for US$200,000, but he refused. The asteroid space resort was named Club Neverdie after its owner's avatar name.[10] In 2010 Jon Jacobs sold the Asteroid Space Resort to various other Entropia Universe participants for a total of 635,000 US$.[11]
Jacobs' avatar subsequently appeared in The Discovery Channel documentaries Gamer Generation and I, Videogame,[12] it also appeared in the Canal+ documentary La Vraie vie des mondes virtuels.[13] ABC News did a video interview with Jacobs entitled A Portrait of the Avatar.[14] The Los Angeles Times described Jacobs avatar as “the world's first cyber-superstar.”[15]
Neverdie was included in the 2008 Guinness Book of Records as well as the 2010 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition for owning “the most expensive virtual item”, namely the Asteroid Space Resort called Club Neverdie. The club is also host to the Massive Multiplayer Online World Championships (MMOWC). Neverdie has appeared on 60 Minutes[16] and numerous other international and U.S. national media and publications.
As a film actor, director and producer Jacobs is best known for films such as Return to Oz, The Girl with the Hungry Eyes, Lucinda's Spell,[17] Charlotte Sometimes, Hey DJ[18] and Revoloution.[19]
Other than Club Neverdie, Jacobs also possesses other land areas at the Entropia Universe’s Calypso planet, the most notable being Bank, at starting location Port Atlantis, bought for US$90,000.
The Estate of his late father Adrian Jacobs attempted to sue J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Inc. for plagiarism of Adrian Jacobs's book Willy the Wizard. But the case was dismissed after security of costs were not paid to the court.[20][21][22]
Jacobs' founded NEVERDIE Studios in 2008 to create entertainment driven virtual worlds on the Entropia Platform. Planets produced by NEVERDIE Studios include Rocktropia and Next Island.[23][24]
In 2011 NEVERDIE Studios started working with Universal Pictures, the first title to launch was "Hunt The Thing" a movie length MMO inspired by both John Carpenters' 1982 version of The Thing and the 2011 prequel.[25][26]
References
- ^ The New York Times
- ^ Reuters article: “Real economy thrives in virtual world” (2007-06-21)
- ^ Asap.ap.org
- ^ Realityport.com
- ^ Miami New Times
- ^ Escapist Magazine
- ^ BBC News
- ^ ABC News
- ^ BBC News
- ^ Guardian.co.uk
- ^ And the Asteroid goes to article on entropiaplanets.com
- ^ Discovery Channel
- ^ Canal+
- ^ ABC News
- ^ The Los Angeles Times
- ^ 60 minutes – My second life video
- ^ The New York Times
- ^ The New York Times
- ^ The New York Times
- ^ Reuters.com
- ^ Telegraph.co.uk
- ^ Dailymail.co.uk
- ^ Venturebeat.com
- ^ Venturebeat.com
- ^ Mmosite.com
- ^ Tentonhammer.com
External links
- Official website
- Jon Jacobs (actor) at the Internet Movie Database
- Jon Jacobs (actor) at AllRovi
- Jon Jacobs (actor) on Facebook
Categories:- 1966 births
- 1960s births
- Living people
- Businesspeople in software
- English film producers
- English film actors
- English film directors
- English television actors
- English people
- Virtual avatars
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