Optimising Recreation.
— WorldCraft's slogan[1]
WorldCraft operates in two major business areas: terraforming and tourism/entertainment. It owns tourist resorts and whole tourist resort planets throughout human space. It is behind a many smaller businesses and is classified as a mega corporation.
History[]
Previously known as the Cisco Corporation, WorldCraft is based in the Epsilon Eridani system and has been the Federation's favourite tourist resort for more then three hundred years.[2]
For centuries Woldcraft (then Cisco) was a major tourist corporation, running tourist resorts throughout human space. It was a big customer of Free World Ventures 'Worldcraft' atmospheric processing units as it began to create whole tourist resort planets in the early part of the 33rd century. To exclude its competitors from this market, it bought FMV in a hostile takeover in 3260 via a leveraged buyout - doubling the size of the corporation in one step, and renamed the whole corporation to 'WorldCraft' (with a capital 'C' in the middle) based on this operation, as at that point Cisco was associated with a broad range of holidays, including the seedier end of the market - something that had prevented Cisco from successfully entering the Imperial market. The 'Worldcraft' brand was highly respected, including in Imperial space, and the change was made in the hope of being more acceptable to the Empire.[2]
WorldCraft also operates behind a great many smaller businesses. It has always been very acquisitive, but has also been known to asset strip those businesses it takes over, often letting them fail without honouring customer contracts.[3]
The corporation does not operate in the Empire at all, as much of its business is seen as being unsavoury by Imperial patricians - both some of its 'holiday products' and also business practices.[3]
WorldCraft operate their own navy, owning a number of branded Federal Cruisers. It also runs a fleet of passenger ships, large and small on 'package tours' to WorldCraft worlds for holiday packages, which are occasionally escorted by their own naval vessels.[3]
Competition from Sirius[]
WorldCraft is a giant Corporation, but still has very high debt levels due to the acquisition, and has been seen to be quite unscrupulous in many of its dealings. This has since damaged the WorldCraft brand somewhat, and is not so warmly embraced by the Empire as a result (though some Imperial worlds still have Worldcraft atmospheric processors built by FMV, but now served by WorldCraft in an uneasy relationship). This made way for the creation of Sirius Atmospherics - that has since taken a big slice of the terraforming business from WorldCraft - which WorldCraft has been powerless to stop as they remain a big customer of Sirius as at the core of their terraforming units is a 100 GW Sirius power plant.[4]
WorldCraft operates two major business areas; terraforming and tourism/entertainment, making them a direct competitor to the Sirius in one and Rockforth Corporation in the other.[4]
WorldCraft Theme Park[]
Most come to Epsilon Eridani for the WorldCraft Theme Park which was set up with no expense spared and costs a small fortune to visit. It is well worth it though, because you can live in a world of almost any fantasy you wish (something that has given it a reputation for seediness). If you want a break from the lushness outside, you can elect to stay for a day at the Ancient London Earth World of 1960 (where every effort has been made to make it as authentic as possible, it even has the stench of pollution).[5]
Every fantasy theme has its own complex which is self contained, with actors to help tourists play a part in adventures and feel that it is real. [5]
There are more wholesome themes on offer too. The War Veterans Trust maintains offices at Oliverport and runs the famous Museum of Armour and Ballistics on New California.[5]
Notes[]
- WorldCraft has an associated independent minor faction that is based in the Grendel system.
References[]
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