← Back to Exhibits

Croquet Project

Sunset
2004
–
2009

The Croquet Project is a software project that was intended to promote the continued development of the Croquet open-source software development kit to create and deliver collaborative multi-user online applications. Croquet is implemented in Squeak Smalltalk. Croquet supports communication, collaboration, resource sharing, and synchronous computation among multiple users.

The original open-source Croquet Project virtual world platform never truly ended—instead, it evolved.

While the final version of the initial software development kit (v1.0) was released on December 24, 2009, its lifecycle shifted rather than shutting down:

  • Transition to Open Cobalt: Around the time the original open-source community platform wound down, the core technology was spun off and continued via Open Cobalt, another open-source virtual world application.
  • The Commercial Pivot (Croquet V): The original founders and architecture transitioned away from the old desktop-based system. They re-emerged with Croquet V (operating under Croquet.io), which officially launched a completely reimagined web-based platform on May 17, 2022. Rather than a singular standalone virtual world destination, it now functions as a browser-based, low-latency synchronizing engine used to build modern 3D spaces and metaverses.

History and Culture

The Croquet Project emphasized open, programmable virtual spaces that could run entirely in the browser. Its cultural impact lies in promoting the idea of the metaverse as a protocol, not a platform. It influenced developers working on interoperable, web‑native virtual worlds. The project helped seed the modern “open metaverse” movement.

External Links

https://croquet.io/

Thank you for visiting the Virtual Worlds Museum

Croquet Project

page! If you’re the platform owner and would like us to make updates to this page, please reach out to: info[at}virtualworlds.museum. If you’re a world builder who wants to help us create a museum hub on this platform, we’d be happy to hear from you as well. We welcome feedback and/or help and look forward to hearing from you.