As Google and Epic reach a decision on how the new App Store policies will work (goodbye to the 30% fee), they’re also interested in doing business — business that’s all about creating even more virtual worlds for people that they don’t have to complain about one bit. As The Verge notes, a revised term sheet references something called “Metaverse Browsers,” which sounds suspiciously similar to Meta’s recently doomed efforts with Horizon Worlds — a VR-focused meeting space where you can get together at any time with up to four other people actually using it.
As The Verge also notes, the section on the Metaverse browser has been heavily revised, but it points out a few things, including the fact that they have the “primary purpose of allowing navigation and exploration of the Metaverse world” and “supporting virtual items and identities that are portable across different worlds in the Metaverse browser.”
Again, it’s really impossible to infer too much from the language in the term sheet due to the heavy redactions, but if one thing is clear, it’s that we haven’t heard about the metaverse yet, despite the fact that the meta has failed so miserably on that front. What’s even more surprising is that we’re hearing about a metaverse from Epic Games, which probably owns one of the only big-time functioning metaverses outside of this. roblox-I am talking Fortnite.
on the surface, Fortnite This might seem like an ideal reason for Epic Games to actively pursue ideas like the metaverse. The game is a hit, so why not open up a Metaverse factory and start churning out more verses? The thing is, Fortnite The only successful example of something like a metaverse working on a large scale. Epic didn’t necessarily set out to create a metaverse; they made a Video games. Well, that video game is fun (at least for a lot of people), and it also serves as a medium to sell to idiots like me simpsons skins, it’s not Now! a shopping mall. This is a shopping mall where you can drink alcohol with your friends.
Maybe that’s what Epic had in mind, but based on this language, I’m not getting that feeling. There are a lot of reasons why Horizon Worlds was a huge faceplant – the fact that it was owned by Meta, the fact that it was VR-first, the fact that the avatars looked as if the people who developed Nintendo’s Mii had a sudden cardiac event and never finished their life’s work. But a major reason in my humble opinion is that Meta wanted to create a metaverse, not just a source of entertainment.
Virtual meeting places are not something one can imagine and then expect people to join. You need a reason to care about people. Fortnite’s The reason for this was battle royale action that included some buildings, and wacky skins and blockbuster IP tie-ins followed. second LifePerhaps one of the first examples of a working virtual metaverse, anything close to the kind of virtual world that Meta and Epic seemed to be pursuing, but that was in 2003, when the concept was new and options for virtual escapism were slim. No longer will you enjoy being the only show in town.
The fact is, the Metaverse, while bright and shiny new a few years ago, feels somehow tired and thoroughly trodden on, and if you’re doing a pitch, you’d probably be better off not mentioning the word “Metaverse” at all – lest you find yourself comparing yourself to Horizon Worlds. So, as a counterproposal to Epic and Google’s Metaverse browser, I’m presenting my idea. Are you ready? Just let the metaverse go. I promise businesses, and the people who are actually populating the platforms built by businesses, will be better off for it.
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