<s>
Wireplay	B-Protocol
was	O
an	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
network	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
dial-up	O
service	O
that	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
match	O
up	O
and	O
play	O
PC	O
games	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
remotely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compatible	O
games	O
had	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
capability	O
built	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
online	O
service	O
being	O
launched	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
for	O
£5.5	O
million	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
but	O
following	O
the	O
sale	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
began	O
to	O
make	O
losses	O
and	O
in	O
August	O
2001	O
it	O
was	O
reduced	O
to	O
a	O
shell	O
company	O
and	O
was	O
looking	O
to	O
sell	O
off	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wireplay	B-Protocol
was	O
built	O
in	O
to	O
various	O
PC	O
games	O
to	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
play	O
via	O
a	O
closed	O
dial-up	O
network/service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
lag	O
of	O
105	O
milliseconds	O
was	O
achieved	O
assuming	O
players	O
met	O
the	O
minimum	O
requirements	O
of	O
a	O
BT	O
landline	B-Application
,	O
a	O
PC	O
with	O
an	O
Intel	O
Pentium	O
486	O
processor	O
and	O
a	O
9600bit/s	O
modem	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leagues	O
,	O
ladders	O
and	O
knockout	O
tournaments	O
were	O
all	O
possible	O
within	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
to	O
allow	O
for	O
a	O
more	O
competitive	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
casual	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1	O
of	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
could	O
support	O
500	O
concurrent	O
players	O
and	O
50,000	O
registered	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
3	O
was	O
released	O
after	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Gameplay	O
plc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
added	O
numerous	O
improvements	O
such	O
as	O
allowing	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Half-Life	B-Application
to	O
have	O
matches	O
separated	O
by	O
which	O
mods	O
were	O
active	O
,	O
improvements	O
for	O
Peer	O
2	O
Peer	O
and	O
server	O
based	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
GUI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BT	O
publicly	O
announced	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
at	O
the	O
Live	O
95	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
at	O
Earl	O
's	O
Court	O
in	O
London	O
in	O
September	O
1995	O
where	O
visitors	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
test	O
out	O
a	O
prototype	B-Application
of	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prototype	B-Application
featured	O
the	O
games	O
virtual	O
pool	O
and	O
Descent	B-Application
and	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
run	O
through	O
the	O
set-up	O
and	O
play	O
with	O
other	O
players	O
via	O
a	O
phone	O
line	O
and	O
server	O
located	O
in	O
York	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
1996	O
,	O
BT	O
opened	O
up	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
to	O
beta	O
testing	O
by	O
the	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
timing	O
,	O
Euro	O
96	O
was	O
among	O
the	O
first	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
compatible	O
games	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
Wireplay-ready	O
Internet	O
cafés	O
were	O
opened	O
inside	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
Blockbuster	O
Video	O
stores	O
across	O
the	O
UK	O
to	O
enable	O
those	O
without	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
from	O
home	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
home/personal	O
gaming	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
also	O
ventured	O
into	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
competitive	O
gaming	O
in	O
1998	O
when	O
they	O
hosted	O
Quakedelica	O
,	O
a	O
Quake	B-Application
II	I-Application
tournament	O
in	O
London	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
17	O
December	O
1998	O
,	O
Oscar	O
Clark	O
,	O
the	O
vision	O
lead	O
for	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
,	O
hired	O
Garry	O
Kasparov	O
to	O
promote	O
a	O
new	O
chess	B-Application
service	O
they	O
'd	O
released	O
by	O
playing	O
four	O
tables	O
at	O
once	O
in	O
an	O
event	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
BT	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
Challenge	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chess	B-Application
along	O
with	O
backgammon	B-Application
and	O
bridge	O
were	O
introduced	O
to	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
as	O
part	O
of	O
BT	O
's	O
"	O
Play	O
Games	O
Now	O
"	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
 '	O
official	O
governing	O
bodies	O
got	O
on	O
board	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
opportunities	O
of	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
and	O
allowed	O
official	O
tournament	O
play	O
to	O
be	O
carried	O
out	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BT	O
sold	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
to	O
Gameplay	O
plc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2001	O
,	O
the	O
staff	O
noted	O
that	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
was	O
about	O
to	O
lose	O
its	O
connection	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
and	O
so	O
they	O
were	O
to	O
move	O
on	O
to	O
other	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
sold	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
to	O
Arena	O
Technik	O
Limited	O
for	O
£132	O
,	O
500	O
,	O
mentioning	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
had	O
generated	O
losses	O
from	O
the	O
date	O
acquired	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
As	O
at	O
31st	O
July	O
2001	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
year	O
end	O
,	O
the	O
net	O
book	O
value	O
of	O
the	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
assets	O
was	O
nil.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Finally	O
,	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
shut	O
down	O
altogether	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
1998	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
68	O
compatible	O
games	O
including	O
Doom	B-Application
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Flight	I-Application
Simulator	I-Application
98	I-Application
and	O
Warcraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
August	O
2000	O
,	O
this	O
number	O
had	O
increased	O
further	O
to	O
125	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Colin	O
McRae	O
Rally	O
and	O
Half-Life	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
v3	O
client	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
compatible	O
games	O
dropped	O
to	O
100	O
as	O
of	O
June	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
