The Gaming Metaverse is Here (Almost)
Ah, the metaverse. It's the buzzword you love to love, hate, or flat-out ignore...but not for long, because the gaming industry has poured billions into making this once sci-fi concept a reality.
Epic Games, purveyors of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, raised a whopping $2 billion to continue its metaverse efforts. Whether said efforts will be restricted to the colorful world of Fortnite remains to be seen, but the survival-game-turned-battle-royale-turned-concert-venue-turned-mega-marketing-destination has already become a hub for brands that would not typically appear in the same place.
Just yesterday, for example, I saw Master Chief (Halo), Rick Sanchez (Rick & Morty), and Harley Quinn (DC Comics) all on one Fortnite map.
Above: a view from Fortnite's 'Party Royale'
Who's Investing in the Gaming Metaverse
The investors behind Epic's franchise friendship venture are Sony Group Corporation, and KIRKBNI, forking out $1 billion each.
Meanwhile, esports conglomerate?ReKTGlobal is set to be acquired by metaverse entertainment and production company?Infinite Reality (iR) for a reported $470 million. The deal includes esports organizations Team?Rogue (League of Legends), and London Royal Ravens (Call of Duty).
ReKTGlobal‘s Cofounder and CEO Dave?Bialek?spoke on the deal, telling Esports Insider that the company “believes that the future of business, entertainment, socializing, and learning will be conducted in digital environments and that iR is the company that will bring it all to life.”
Zilliqa entered a sponsorship deal with MAD Lions just last month, announcing plans to create activations in a blockchain-based metaverse.
Who Benefits from a Gaming Metaverse?
To answer this question, we first have to understand what a metaverse is, exactly. First popularized in the 1992 novel?Snow Crash?by Neal Stephenson, a metaverse is an interconnected virtual world. Blending pop culture franchises in such an environment was further explored in the 2011 novel (and subsequent film),?Ready Player One.
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In sci-fi, we usually see the metaverse as a world explored in virtual reality. Recent investments show a tendency toward decentralization. Epic Games simply uses Fortnite as an entertainment venue and interactive marketplace.
YouGov surveyed parents to gauge their reception to metaverse-adjacent brands. The results show favorability toward Roblox and Epic Games.
This is good news for video game studio?Dubit who recently raised $8 million to launch the first esports league in the metaverse via Roblox.
Brands, obviously, stand to benefit from an interactive experience with audiences. Like any other medium, however, activations must be meaningful and useful if they hope to maintain brand affinity.
Wanna Work in the Metaverse?
We just might be up to something you won't want to miss. Check out these job postings for BoomTV!
What do YOU think of the metaverse? Let us know in the comments!
By?H.B. Duran
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BoomTV?partners with top developers, influencers, and brands to create unforgettable, life-changing experiences through the power of esports.?If you'd like to reach audiences in creative, meaningful ways, contact Stev Lawson: [email protected].