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3 projects that prove the metaverse isn’t dead
While the buzz surrounding the metaverse has definitely died down, some big brands are still launching exciting new virtual worlds.
In October 2021, Marco Zuckerberg made a big announcement: Facebook would be renamed as Half.
This was driven by his vision that the metaverse represented the tech giant’s future: virtual worlds where people would work and play.
But it’s been a turbulent journey for the social network, which is also its owner Instagram AND Whatsapp. Billions and billions of dollars have been invested in building its metaverse, with little to be gained. This aggressive investment continues. Reality Labs, the division of Meta responsible for bringing this technology to life, lost $3.8 billion in the first quarter of this year – and there has been much greater focus on artificial intelligence.
Countless other companies have also made big bets on the metaverse, with mixed success. Disney was particularly bullish, with former CEO Bob Chapek declaring it “the next great frontier in storytelling.” But last year, the entire department tasked with making it all happen was suddenly shuttered in a brutal round of layoffs.
The House of Mouse doesn’t seem to have completely given up on this dream. In February, Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games in an attempt to create a “new persistent universe”. Significantly, the word “metaverse” did not appear even once in the press release.
It could be argued that the buzz surrounding virtual worlds has been overshadowed by the rise of artificial intelligence. But reports of the death of the metaverse have been greatly exaggerated, and rather large projects continue to be announced regularly.
McMetaverse
Earlier this month, McDonald’s Singapore unveiled a brand new virtual world called My Happy Place, which sits directly in the fast food giant’s app. Users were promised the chance to win “exclusive prices and products”, as well as a year’s worth of free meals. Some of the games offered invite players to build a hamburger or design the restaurant of their dreams.
There are also benefits for lucky owners of NFTs based on the famous purple McDonald’s character Grimace, who was released last year. Why? Because they will be able to unlock special wearables available to no one else.
Source: IKEA
IKEA
During June, Swedish home furniture retailer IKEA will also launch a virtual universe on Roblox which was billed as “the brand’s first foray into traditional gaming”.
The Co-Worker Game will allow players to experience what it’s like to work at IKEA and move from one department to another. The levels were inspired by the real-life roles played by the staff and include reorganizing showrooms and serving meatballs. In a surreal twist, a small number of players will also be paid £13.15 an hour for being involved… equivalent to the living wage paid to workers in London.
Some of the questions on the application form are surreal to say the least, including how you would feel if you were transformed into pixels and what you would do if the store ran out of pixelated hot dogs in the bistro.
IKEA said its aim is to “attract a new generation of colleagues” and demonstrate that there are ample opportunities for career progression within its business.
Source: Visit Wales
Wales in the metaverse
Skeptics who consider virtual worlds a fad have also been proven wrong by the Welsh government in the United Kingdom, which has become the first European country to establish a presence in the metaverse. Hosted on Spatial and created by the National Tourism Board, it is hoped the platform will give visitors a taste of the destinations and attractions available if they decide to come in real life.
Players can wander around a historic castle in search of a hidden map, take a cable car ride from one side of the metaverse to the other, and marvel at an amphitheater where authentic Welsh music is performed. Crucially, you don’t need a VR headset to participate, as it’s also available on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Tourism Minister Hannah Blythyn said:
“The Wales metaverse was created to reach new audiences – wherever they are in the world – and inspire them to truly visit our amazing nation. By showcasing some of the best things Wales has to offer visitors in this incredibly innovative way, we are putting Wales into an online sphere where millions of people already meet every day.“
Hannah Blythyn
With each of these three projects announced in the last couple of months, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of excitement building in the metaverse. And as virtual reality headsets become cheaper and more efficient, there’s a good chance that curious consumers will be more enthusiastic about taking the plunge.