Technology giants, start-ups, video games … rush for “metawares” …

Who will rule over the “Metavers”? From the giant Facebook, which has made it its strategic priority, to video game players like Roblox or Fortnight, with special launches, the parallel digital universe is provoking many appetites. But will everyone get the space?

“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.

Considered to be the next big leap in the evolution of the Internet, this “grail” has been imagined by science fiction for almost 30 years and has become a new horizon of development. But will there be room for all the requirements in relation to the enormous investments required for its creation?

AFP Nicolas Reffait, media manager at BearingPoint, said:

“It’s not the sense of the story that there is only one metawares that carry all the experiences, he adds. By nature, we never imagined we could possess him.” Review of existing forces.

– Facebook and “Corporate Metavers” –

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”.

During its annual conference dedicated to professionals, the company announced last Tuesday that “Mesh”, a new functionality in groups software, will enable the appearance in 2022 in the form of a custom avatar. Playing video.

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

– Video Games & Virtual Concerts –

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 younger audiences. 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.

– Startup and National Alliance –

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, Nicholas Refite explains that a coalition of companies and public companies led by the Ministry of Science was formed in May to avoid “relying on foreign actors overseas”.

Called the “Metaverse Alliance”, it merges more than 200 companies with local champions such as Samsung.

yk / mch / dch / roc

Facebook

Samsung Electronics

Apple INC.

Microsoft

Nvidia

Google

Sony