by The Metaverse: Everyone talks about it, but no one is sure what it really is. This makes it a bit difficult if we want to put together a list of platforms or experiences that represent the best of what could be.
Top 10 Metaverse Examples Everyone Should Know About
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But if we understand what is meant by persistent and connected digital environments that focus on providing immersive experiences for users, we can try to highlight some projects, existing and on the horizon, that stand out.
Not all of the projects highlighted here involve virtual reality, decentralization, or cryptocurrencies. While these are all technologies that likely have a place in the metaverse, it’s not strictly essential that they be a part of every metaverse.
So instead of focusing on examples that tick all the boxes, today’s best examples tend to be those that do one or more of the core elements particularly well. Not all of them are fully functional yet (and one of them isn’t even real!), but they all give us a glimpse of what the digital worlds of the future could look like.
ready player one
Ok, so this is a bit misleading because it doesn’t exist and it’s completely fictional, and if you’ve seen the movie or read the book, you’ll know that it’s not necessarily a completely bad thing. It does, however, serve as a great example of how the metaverse could end up being, though hopefully, we won’t be using it primarily as a means of escape from a terrible reality.
Ready Player One shows us what a fully immersive and interactive virtual reality world could look like in the near future. And while it’s pure science fiction, it’s not necessarily that far off: A 2020 survey by Ericsson found that seven in 10 people believe we’ll have VR worlds that will be indistinguishable from reality by 2030. And while we do, often referred to as dystopian, it’s not as dire a potential fate for humanity as some other fictional digital realities we might mention.
Second Life
Second Life was created by Linden Labs in 2003, before there was Facebook (let alone Meta). There is some debate as to whether it constitutes a metaverse as such. One of the reasons for this is that, as the name suggests, it is designed to allow users to participate in an alternate life as an alter ego instead of leading their current real life online. Other opinions, however, claim that it was indeed the first popular online metaverse setting. While it may not tick every box on the checklist, it does serve as a useful example of an online community populated by millions of users with an immersive, experiential user interface.
Meta Horizons (Facebook)
When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg changed his company name to Meta, it was a sign of how important he felt the metaverse concept would be to the future of digital communications, socializing, and life. So far, the result has been several projects, including Horizon Worlds (a virtual worlds platform), Horizon Venues (events platform) and Horizon Workrooms (virtual office). All of these platforms are interconnected and allow users to create avatars that represent them as they explore and interact with other users. One interesting aspect that comes out of Horizon’s existence is that it forces us to confront questions about whether we want a metaverse where ownership is centralized under a corporate owner or a more distributed and decentralized model of ownership and governance.
Fortnite
Fortnite is, of course, primarily known as one of the most successful online games ever created. But the creators of Epic Games quickly understood that once they brought together millions of tech-savvy gamers on their platform, it potentially became something more revolutionary. Two main lines being followed to turn the world of Fortnite into a proper metaverse are live music concerts from global superstars like Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and Billie Eilish. Brands like Telco 02, ITV broadcaster and Carrefour supermarket have all used creative mode to take their first steps into the metaverse.
Decentraland
Something of a cross between a game, a marketing channel, and an experiment in creating a decentralized, digital democracy, Decentraland is a true web3 platform. It is governed by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) and is the online home of some of the world’s biggest superstars and brands, including Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Samsung, and Snoop Dogg. It comes with its own cryptocurrency, known as MANA, and anyone interested in buying land there will currently need to put up at least $10,000, with the most expensive costing more than $1 million.
nvidia omniverse
Omniverse is Nvidia’s attempt to build a creative metaverse platform for 3D design professionals. It is based on technology developed by the Pixar animation studio, which created the Universal Scene Description (USD) language that allows 3D objects and environments to become portable through different toolsets. This allows, for example, characters to be designed in collaboration with facial animators, clothing designers, and other creatives, all using tools they are familiar with. As 3D environments become increasingly detailed and immersive and require more work to build, this type of creative framework will become an essential tool for studios creating metaverse content.
Roblox
Roblox is a gaming platform used daily by more than 50 million users. It allows anyone to create and even monetize their own game worlds, all of which exist within an interconnected metaverse and share things like avatars and currency. With a bias towards a younger audience than some of the other platforms mentioned here, companies like Nike, Forever 21, Gucci, Nascar, Ralph Lauren, and Vans have used the platform to set up virtual worlds where users can interact with their brands. While anyone can create their own game within Roblox, it is designed so that they all have a similar look and feel, which means that once a player has logged in and experienced one of them, they will feel comfortable in any of them.
the sandbox
This started out as a mobile game, which in 2018 was ported by its creators to the Ethereum blockchain, becoming one of the first truly decentralized metaverse platforms. It includes its own item creation tools that allow anyone to create 3D items, characters, vehicles, or anything else they can think of, which are then coined NFTs and can be imported into other Sandbox worlds. These NFTs can also be traded and sold through the platform’s integrated marketplace. Assets and land are created as NFTs, and like Decentraland, transactions are made in the platform’s own currency, known as SAND. Sandbox is another platform that has proven popular with brands looking to establish their presence in the metaverse: owners include HSBC, Warner Music, PwC, and Paris Hilton.
Other side
This one has just been announced, and not many details are known, but it’s a metaverse project put together by Yuga Labs, creators of the hugely successful NFT series Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). In April, the company raised $285 million from the sale of the first batch of “deeds” to land on the platform. Although details of what Otherside will look like when it opens to the public are scarce, the developers state, “Think of it as a metaRPG (role-playing game) where players own the world, your NFTs can become playable characters, and thousands can play together in real time.
pokemon go
Pokemon Go was released before the hype around the metaverse concept intensified. However, it is the “killer app” for augmented reality (AR), which is predicted to be one of the foundational technologies on which the metaverse will be built. As such, it’s one of the best examples of how the metaverse will involve the merging of the real and digital worlds. Its creator, Nintendo, further blurred the lines by allowing real-world companies to establish a digital presence within the poke-verse by launching advertising and promotional campaigns.
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