The Secret of Building Virtual Worlds for Top Brands

In this episode, we explore the strategies and insights of Michael Potts , who shares his expertise on pitching and creating immersive worlds for major brands like Mc Donald, Deloitte, Rockstar and more! We will also look at another platform that brings art, digital space and NFTs all in one place… and it is not Spatial ??

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Interview with Michael Potts

Can you tell us more about Polycount and what you do?

Michael Potts: Polycount is an agency that builds XR experiences, AR experiences, and games on various platforms. We have a small team of 16 talented artists, including architects, interior designers, industrial designers, animators, developers, and coders. We’re all creatives, and many of us have been working together for over 15 years. The company started as M2 Studio in 2000 and rebranded to Polycount in 2022 to modernize our image.

How do you make virtual spaces engaging and gamified for users?

Michael Potts: Engagement starts with using virtual reality as a tool to develop the environment itself. Just like an architect walks through a building, we iterate by experiencing our virtual worlds in VR, making changes, and experiencing them again. For gamification, we listen to the target audience, especially younger users on platforms like Roblox, and incorporate their preferences into our designs. We play and test the games ourselves to ensure they are fun and engaging.

How do you use VR as a tool in your workflow?

Michael Potts: We use tools like Spatial to quickly upload and view 3D files in VR, which allows for rapid iteration. We also use Unreal and other platforms. The key is to quickly visualize and make changes to the environment. This approach helps us understand how the experience will be perceived and allows for multiple iterations to refine the final product.

How do you pitch and win projects with big brands?

Michael Potts: The key is building relationships over time by attending events and making friends in the immersive space. When we do pitch, we focus on listening to what the client needs and using our experience to offer solutions that align with their goals. We also try our best to put people IN headsets and let them experience the worlds we create in 3D. That has dramatically increased our chance of winning the pitch.

How do you decide which platform to use for building virtual worlds for brands?

Michael Potts: It depends on whether the project is for internal use or external marketing. Internal applications often use platforms like Spatial, Arthur, or Engage for training or innovation centers. For external projects aimed at reaching a large audience, platforms like Roblox or Fortnite are certainly more suitable. The use case and target audience typically dictate the platform and the devices we focus on.

Can you share examples of successful projects, both internal and external?

Michael Potts: Internally, we’ve built innovation centers and virtual meeting spaces for various corporations on platforms like Spatial and Arthur. Externally, we’ve created custom worlds for brands on Spatial, especially during the early days of the platform. One notable project was for the Utah Jazz, where we built a basketball game on Spatial that engaged fans and allowed them to win prizes.

Visit the Utah Jazz space in Spatial

How do you launch and market virtual worlds for the public successfully?

Michael Potts: For large public launches, we work with marketing consultants and allocate budgets to ensure a successful launch. Platforms like Roblox require significant marketing efforts, but with proper support, we’ve seen our experiences grow quickly. The key metrics for success are the number of attendees and the duration of engagement. For example, our last Roblox experience had an average engagement time of 7-10 minutes per user.

What have you learned from building on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite?

Michael Potts: We’ve learned that marketing is crucial for success. Each platform has its audience and types of games that perform well. For instance, Fortnite games tend to be shooter-based, while Roblox has a wider variety of game types. We’ve also found that we can build environments that are interchangeable between platforms, allowing clients to use their virtual worlds in multiple contexts.

How do you use AI in your workflow?

Michael Potts: We use AI for generating textures, skyboxes, and assisting with scripts. AI tools like MidJourney help us quickly visualize concepts and get client feedback before actual development. This has sped up our iteration process and improved our pitches. For example, we recently used AI-generated imagery for a pitch, which helped us secure a project within 24 hours.

What are your thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro and its potential?

Michael Potts: The Apple Vision Pro has a lot of power and high resolution, making it excellent for both AR and VR experiences. However, it has some design issues, such as weight distribution. Despite these, it offers unique capabilities that can save companies millions of dollars in specific use cases. We are excited about its potential and are developing high-quality content specifically for this device.

Check out the full interview right here ??

Product Spotlight: Mona

Mona is a developer platform that allows creators to create digital worlds, galleries and d gamified experiences thanks to a Unity SDK . Unlike other similar platforms they have a strong focus on the 3D object marketplace and NFT integration.

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