What Second Life does

Second Life, operated by Linden Research, Inc., is a 3D virtual world platform headquartered in San Francisco that enables users to create digital avatars, explore user-generated environments, and participate in a virtual economy. The platform's underlying technology includes a proprietary real-time 3D rendering engine (OpenGL 3.2 minimum, 4.6 recommended), a Lua-based scripting system for interactive content creation, a customizable avatar system, and a virtual land ownership model spanning nearly 500,000 acres. The integrated Linden Dollar (L$) currency, powered by subsidiary Tilia, enables users to buy, sell, and monetize virtual goods and services with real-world currency conversion.

The platform monetizes through four revenue streams: tiered Premium Membership subscriptions (Basic free, Plus $5.50/month, Premium $8.25/month, Premium Plus $11.99/month); Private Region land sales with recurring maintenance fees (Full Regions $349/$199/month, Skill Gaming $600/$345/month, Homestead $149/$109/month); Marketplace transaction commissions on virtual goods; and Linden Dollar sales. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer and self-serve via desktop downloads and mobile apps, with a dedicated Enterprise/Education Connect offering for institutional clients.

Second Life serves individual virtual world enthusiasts, content creators/digital artists who monetize via the Marketplace, LGBTQ+ communities (since 2005), enterprise and education organizations, and skill gaming operators. Founded by Philip Rosedale, the platform has operated continuously for over 23 years and maintains an active global community with annual events like the SL23B birthday celebration. The company is privately held with 101-250 employees and no disclosed external funding.

Name

Second Life

Legal name

Linden Research, Inc.

Website

https://secondlife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Second Life is a 23-year-old virtual world platform operated by Linden Research, Inc., enabling users to create avatars, build 3D experiences via Lua scripting, and participate in a Linden Dollar-based virtual economy spanning nearly 500,000 acres of user-owned virtual land.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual World Platform

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Metaverse Virtual World Platforms (social worlds, land, UGC) (FSAPAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF), Gaming & Virtual World Social Platforms (MPACAJAG), Metaverse Commerce & Monetization (virtual goods storefronts, payments, ads) (FSAPAGAK)

Keywords

• Virtual world platform
• 3D social network
• Avatar-based experiences
• Virtual goods marketplace
• User-generated content

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Premium Membership Subscriptions: Tiered subscription model with four levels: Basic (free), Plus ($5.50/month), Premium ($8.25/month), and Premium Plus ($11.99/month when paid annually). Revenue generated from monthly/annual subscription fees with higher tiers offering Linden Dollar stipends, Linden Home access, expanded support, and reduced upload fees as incentives.
2. Private Region Sales: Sale of virtual land regions including Full Regions ($349), Skill Gaming Regions ($600), and Homestead Regions ($149). Recurring maintenance fees of $199, $345, and $109 per month respectively. One-time purchase with ongoing subscription requirement.
3. Marketplace Transactions: Commission-based revenue from the Second Life Marketplace where creators sell virtual goods including fashion, home decor, animations, scripts, and more. Creators earn Linden Dollars which can be converted to real currency via Tilia.
4. Linden Dollar Sales: Sale of Linden Dollars (L$) which users purchase with real currency to buy virtual goods, land, and services within the Second Life economy. Currency conversion handled by Tilia payment platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Second Life is a downloadable 3D virtual world platform where individual users create customizable avatars, build and script interactive experiences using Lua, own virtual land, and participate in a Linden Dollar-based economy. The platform monetizes via tiered Premium memberships (Basic free through Premium Plus at $11.99/month annually), one-time virtual land purchases with recurring maintenance fees, Linden Dollar sales, and Marketplace commissions on user-to-user virtual goods transactions.

Product overview

Second Life is a virtual world platform operated by Linden Lab featuring a core platform for 3D social experiences, virtual economies, and user-generated content. The product portfolio includes the main Second Life platform with companion mobile apps, the Second Life Marketplace for buying/selling virtual goods, Premium Membership subscriptions with tiered benefits (Basic, Plus, Premium, Premium Plus), and Linden Dollars for the virtual economy. Additional offerings encompass Private Regions (Full, Skill Gaming, and Homestead), Enterprise/Education Solutions, and a Creation Portal for developers. Third-party viewers like Firestorm and Speedlight extend platform accessibility. The ecosystem is powered by Tilia for payment processing and virtual currency management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Premium: Premium membership tier offering expanded support, weekly L$ stipend, private homes, and exclusive benefits.
• Premium Plus

Products and services

• Second Life (Core Virtual World Platform) A downloadable virtual world platform for Windows, macOS, and Linux that lets individual users create customizable 3D avatars, explore thousands of user-built destinations, socialize, attend events, roleplay, and build interactive experiences using Lua scripting. Includes access to virtual land, Linden Homes (for Premium members), and the Linden Dollar economy.
• Second Life Mobile Free mobile app available on Google Play and Apple App Store providing on-the-go access to the Second Life virtual world on iOS and Android devices. Premium Plus members gain additional extras including unlimited online time, advanced 3D world view, and prioritized support.
• Second Life Marketplace Online marketplace at marketplace.secondlife.com where user-creators list and sell virtual goods including virtual fashion, home decor, animations, scripts, vehicles, and other digital assets. Purchases are completed in Linden Dollars, and creators can convert earnings to real currency via Tilia payment processing.
• Premium Membership Tiered subscription service with Basic (free), Plus ($5.50/month), Premium ($8.25/month), and Premium Plus ($11.99/month when paid annually) tiers. Benefits include weekly Linden Dollar stipends, mainland parcel allotments, Linden Home selection, signup bonuses, reduced upload fees, expanded IM/group limits, and tiered support (Live Chat through Concierge Phone for Premium Plus).
• Linden Dollars (L$) Virtual currency of Second Life used to buy virtual land, goods, and services within the platform. Users purchase Linden Dollars with real money through the LindeX exchange, and creators cash out earnings to fiat currency via the Tilia payment platform.
• Private Regions (Virtual Land) Virtual land products for residents to own and operate: Full Regions ($349 one-time + $199/month, 65,536 m², highest avatar/script capacity), Skill Gaming Regions ($600 one-time + $345/month, permitting approved Skill Games per Skill Gaming Policy), and Homestead Regions ($149 one-time + $109/month, lower performance for residential or light commercial use; requires existing Full Region ownership).
• Enterprise and Education Solutions Dedicated Second Life offerings for organizations, accessed via connect.secondlife.com, supporting virtual meetings, conferences, remote collaboration, training simulations, and educational use cases through a business development contact ([email protected]).

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• High Fidelity: High Fidelity is a spatial computing/virtual world platform that shares founder overlap with Second Life (Philip Rosedale) and was even listed as a funding counterparty in 2022, making it a directly comparable emerging peer in the open virtual world space.

Direct peers

• VRChat: VRChat is a user-created 3D social virtual world with avatar customization, world creation, and community events, closely matching Second Life's core social-VR/3D experience loop.
• The Sandbox: The Sandbox is a user-generated virtual world with voxel-based land ownership, avatar system, and a creator marketplace using SAND token, paralleling Second Life's land and creator monetization mechanics.
• Roblox Corporation: Roblox operates a user-generated 3D virtual world platform where players create experiences and monetize through Robux, Second Life's most direct competitor in the UGC virtual world category and the dominant player by daily active users.
• Decentraland: Decentraland is a blockchain-based virtual world with land ownership (NFTs) and a creator economy using the MANA token, comparable to Second Life's land ownership and Linden Dollar economy.
• IMVU: IMVU is a 3D avatar-based social platform with a virtual goods marketplace and virtual currency, directly comparable to Second Life's avatar economy and Marketplace model.

Broad incumbents

• Meta Horizon Worlds: Meta's Horizon Worlds is a VR-first social virtual world operating inside Meta's broader metaverse strategy, comparable in product category but with vastly greater capital, scale, and distribution through Meta's hardware ecosystem.
• Fortnite (Epic Games): Epic's Fortnite has evolved into a persistent social/metaverse platform with user-generated experiences (Creative, UEFN) and live events, increasingly competing with Second Life for social 3D world time.
• Mojang Studios (Minecraft): Minecraft is a user-generated 3D sandbox world with avatar customization and a massive creator/marketplace ecosystem under Microsoft, comparable to Second Life in UGC 3D world-building but vastly larger in scale and audience.

Others

• Unity Software: Unity is a leading real-time 3D engine used to build virtual worlds and metaverse experiences; it is an enabling technology provider rather than a direct competitor, but powers a wave of Second Life alternatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/secondlife
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@secondlife
• Facebookfacebook.com/secondlife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linden-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/secondlife
• TikToktiktok.com/@secondlife
• Pinterestpinterest.com/secondlife

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Second Life