Technology giants, start-ups, national alliances … there is a rush for “metawares”

“Metawares”, the acronym for the meta-universe, is a kind of digital lining of the physical world that is accessible via the Internet. Especially thanks to the virtual and magnified reality, which makes it possible to maximize human interactions, freeing them from physical control.

“There is a strong possibility of multiple metawares, multiple high-speed experiences in multiple locations.”, Says AFP Nicolas Reffait, Media Responsible Partner at BearingPoint. “The sense of the story is not that there is only one metawars carrying all the experiences, He adds. By nature, we never imagined we could have it. Review of existing forces.

Facebook, one of the leading American technology companies, has already started big maneuvers. Mark Zuckerberg’s team, renamed Meta, aims to establish itself as the creator of a global digital space such as the Apple App Store or Google’s search engine. To achieve this, it plans to invest tens of thousands of dollars each year and employ 10,000 people in Europe within five years.

But the other “Gafam” does not want to be on the sidelines like Microsoft and its “corporate metawares”. The company announced last Tuesday the introduction of the new feature “mesh” in the Teams software, which will appear in 2022 in the form of a customized avatar instead of implementing video.

In the same business center, processor champion Nvidia has already launched its “Omniverse” platform, which aims to implement international 3D design teams working on multiple software packages. “Collaborate in real time in shared virtual space”.

Rather than free online video games, Roblox, Minecraft or Fortnite became, thanks to epidemic, entertainment sites where players can lead parallel social lives. To the extent of shaking the dominance of social networks such as Instagram, Dictoc or Snapshot and strengthening their ambition to create their own “metawares”. Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, has indicated that a portion of the billion dollars raised this year from investors will be earmarked for its growth.

First definitive tastes: Virtual concerts by international stars such as American rapper Travis Scott or pop singer Zara Larson, which were followed by millions of players. “It’s an incredible opportunity to connect with a younger audience. It’s really the future.”, The Swedish singer pleaded at the web summit last week.

But must also multiply its sources of income. If a Zara Larson fan has the opportunity to buy a t-shirt with his figurine when leaving the body concerts, they can now spend their money to decorate their avatar with sunglasses at the singer’s virtual shop in Roblox.

In Decentraland, an online platform considered one of the pioneers of “metawares”, virtual lands can be purchased in the form of NFTs (digital certificates of authenticity for online content) through a corresponding cryptocurrency called MANA. Many start-ups, such as The Sandbox, which has raised $ 93 million from investor sums, are trying to follow in his footsteps.

In South Korea, a consortium of companies and public institutions was formed in May under the leadership of the Ministry of Science “Dependence on Transnational Actors” Foreigners, explains Nicholas Refite. Called the “Metaverse Alliance”, it merges more than 200 companies with local champions such as Samsung.

“We urgently need to create a French metawares”, Jean-Michel Jar, a musician interested in new technologies, pleads in an interview with AFP. The ambassador of the Russian start-up Censorium Galaxy, presented at the Web Summit in Lisbon last week, the singer-songwriter is one of the leaders in this digital universe. “Over the line” Such as exhibitions or virtual reality shows. The site, which will be taken over by billionaire Mikhail Prokorov, is set to launch later this year. Other artists such as DJs David Gutta, Armin van Buren or Eric Brights have already confirmed exclusive concerts.