The world is stepping into the dynamic realm of metaverse games, where virtual worlds intertwine with blockchain technology, creating immersive and decentralized gaming experiences. These games redefine traditional gameplay by allowing players to own, trade, and customize in-game assets. From magical creature collections and economic simulations to cooperative building adventures and sci-fi exploration, metaverse games represent the forefront of a revolutionary gaming landscape that goes beyond traditional boundaries. Top 10 Open-Source Metaverse Games for Android Users Axie Infinity Axie Infinity, created by the Vietnamese startup Sky Mavis in 2018, is a game that takes inspiration from Pokémon. In this game, players get to make, customize, collect, and trade magical creatures known as Axies. These Axies come with more than 500 body parts that players can customize. The interesting part is that when Axies have offspring, they inherit new abilities and traits based on their genes. In Axie Infinity, players can send their Axies on quests to find treasure or engage them in battles against other Axies to earn rewards. The game even allows players to buy land and construct houses for their Axies using the platform's resources. The value of virtual pets and other in-game items is determined by non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are digital certificates of ownership powered by blockchain technology. One unique feature is that players can earn tokens by finding scholars or people willing to lend three of their Axies. The primary currency in the game is Axie Infinity Shards, or AXS. Players can also earn Sweet Love Potions (SLP) tokens by defeating opponents and completing in-game quests during specific periods. Both AXS and SLP tokens are essential for generating new Axies. Read more: Best Free Multiplayer Winter Simulation Games for Android in 2023 Decentraland In 2020, two individuals from Argentina, Ari Meilich and Esteban Ordano, introduced Decentraland to the public. This virtual space comprises over 90,000 plots where you can use the cryptocurrency MANA to create avatars, buy clothing, and acquire real estate. As an owner, you have the option to rent individual plots or the entire property, including houses, hotels, parks, cinemas, and casinos. What makes it interesting is that you can make money by hosting shows, selling tickets, organizing exhibitions to auction digital art, and even using MetaMask, a popular digital wallet. Sandbox Initially launched as a mobile game in 2012 by French co-founders Arthur Madrid and Sébastien Borget, The Sandbox has evolved into a user-generated platform where users, represented by block-like avatars, claim ownership of their work via blockchain and smart contracts. The Sandbox offers three main products. VoxEdit is a 3D modeling application for creating avatars, vehicles, plants, animals, tools, and other objects. You can sell these creations on the marketplace, the second product. The third, Game Maker, allows users to develop 3D games without coding. The primary currency is Sand, used to buy, trade lots, and market properties on the Open Sea NFT marketplace. Read more: Top 5 Eid-Ul-Azha, Animal Market Games for Android, iOS Illuvium Illuvium, a pioneering decentralized studio, is crafting the first-ever Interoperable Blockchain Game (IBG) universe on the Ethereum blockchain. Comprising an open-world exploration game, industrial city builder, and autobattler, Illuvium invites players on a visually stunning sci-fi adventure across seven alien landscapes. Positioned as a "true triple-A 3D blockchain game," it's generating significant buzz in the gaming world. Players hunt, shard, and heal god-like creatures called Iluvials, tradable NFTs whose rarity directly influences their value. Through tournaments and missions, players earn ILV cryptocurrencies, valuable assets redeemable on the IlluviDEX platform. Illuvium redefines gaming with its immersive experience, blockchain integration, and dynamic economy. Chain Of Alliance Chain of Alliance, launched in 2020, is an RPG Multiverse game where players engage in turn-based battles, customize characters, and collect NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. Developed by indie game developers Simon and Dennis, it features a fantasy/sci-fi scenario where players control a party of adventurers, battling others or AI-controlled monsters. The unique NFTs, including characters and lands, offer customization and strategic gameplay. The native token, COA, serves as in-game currency and a governance token. Read more: Top 10 Free Medieval Fantasy, War Games for Android, IOS With a 2.4M USD seed investment, Chain of Alliance has strong partnerships with Animoca Brands, Spartan Group, and other top Blockchain Games. The community boasts 33.8K Twitter followers and 21.4K Discord members.

A few years ago, the notion of making an investment in property that was already practically owned would have seemed ludicrous. The price of virtual real estate today is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Purchasing virtual property is the next big thing after purchasing digital artwork as the metaverse closes in on us, and investors and cryptocurrency aficionados are going all in. Let’s find out how to buy an apartment, land or real estate in the metaverse. What Is Metaverse? The metaverse, to put it simply, is the internet of the future. Since there is no agreed-upon description, it is difficult to precisely explain. The metaverse in the novel was only a virtual realm populated by people from the actual world who may not be in the same physical location as others around them. In Ready Player One, a brilliant story that was made into a blockbuster movie, the idea was further developed. Imagine the metaverse as a network of virtual and augmented reality-enabled 3D simulations of actual environments. In essence, the metaverse will let you experience the internet rather than access it via a computer. Read: What the metaverse is and how it will work What is Metaverse Virtual Real Estate? Lands and apartments in virtual worlds are known as metaverse real estate. They are pixels in the most basic sense. They aren't simply computer photos, however. They are programmable areas on virtual reality platforms where users may interact socially, play games, advertise NF-Ts, hold meetings, attend virtual concerts, and carry out a variety of other virtual activities. Digital real estate is to have increased value with the constant growth of the metaverse. In reality, once Facebook changed its name to META and signaled a targeted interest in the metaverse, there has been a boom in metaverse real estate in the fourth quarter of 2021. The price of metaverse real estate is anticipated to increase by 31.2% CAGR from 2022 to 2028 as its popularity rises. How to Buy Virtual Real Estate in Metaverse? Make a Digital Crypto Wallet Getting a virtual crypto wallet will be the first step. You must first obtain a wallet in order to purchase and store your cryptocurrency since you cannot purchase virtual land with fiat cash. The wallet you choose ought to ideally work with your browser. Read ViewSonic unveils gaming monitors on Metaverse You have a number of choices, including MetaMask and the Trust Wallet. If you'd like, you may also utilize the Binance Chain Wallet. It's advisable to first confirm that the wallet accepts the cryptocurrency you want to use to purchase virtual property, however. Select a Virtual Real Estate Platform You may purchase real estate on numerous virtual metaverse sites. The two most well-liked choices are Sandbox and Decentraland. Both are excellent choices for first-time consumers since they enable comparison shopping without requiring frequent platform changes. Based on the virtual community the property is in, you may evaluate costs, amenities, and value. Read Career Opportunities in Meta: How to Prepare for Jobs at Metaverse? Sandbox or Decentraland is the better option for you to go with if you want complete knowledge about the location where you're purchasing your virtual property. Along these lines, you'll also have a deeper comprehension of the people that live nearby.  Although we'll be walking through the processes using Decentraland for this article, the majority of platforms follow a very similar format.

Global brand ViewSonic recently made its debut in Metaverse by launching its latest gaming monitors and display products in Bangladesh.  The event was headlined by the new Viewsonic ELITE series gaming monitors.  ELITE XG320U gaming monitor features a 32-inch pixel-dense 4k UHD screen with quantum dot technology and a hyper-responsive 150 Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth gameplay.  ELITE XG251G gaming monitor has a 25-inch full HD IPS panel featuring a pro-level 360 Hz refresh rate along with VESA DisplayHDR 400.  Budget-friendly Viewsonic OMNI series gaming monitors were also launched.  Read:Motorola Moto G62 5G Review with Pros, Cons XG2431 gaming monitor features a 24-inch 240Hz full HD fast-IPS display with VESA DisplayHDR 400.  XG2705 gaming monitor brings with it a 27-inch full HD IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate. VX2405-P-MHD gaming monitor has a 24-inch full HD IPS display and a rapid 144Hz refresh rate.  VX3418-2KPC gaming monitor features a 34-inch 21:9 ultra-wide display with a rapid 144Hz refresh rate and a 1500R curved screen for immersive visuals. Darren Low, country manager for all emerging markets at ViewSonic, said: "We are very excited to enter the Metaverse space and showcase ViewSonic's commitment to engaging the latest technology." The ViewSonic products are now available at all leading computer stores around Bangladesh.

The term ‘metaverse’ is one of the latest sensations in the information and technology industry. Tech companies are currently re-branding themselves to enjoy the benefits of the metaverse. For example, Facebook has changed its company name to Meta. And it is expected that the metaverse will one day rule the entire technology world. You can think of metaverse as a new platform to revitalize the internet or at least convert it to the 3D internet. It is generally thought of as an endless interconnected virtual community. Where Internet users have access to technologically advanced facilities such as working, playing, augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and meeting each other using smartphone apps or other devices. These new techs will create demands for new jobs; perhaps the jobs are already open for the metaverse. So, how do you get a job in Metaverse? Let’s get to know everything about jobs in Metaverse. Read Metaverse: 10 Ways Virtual Reality Platforms Will Change the World How can Metaverse Change the Job Market? Technology is rapidly evolving in our world. With the advent of blockchain and virtual reality, the job market has never been more fluid. Metaverse is aiming to change all of that. The Metaverse platform could have a significant impact on the job market. Metaverse provides a platform for people to explore their interests and capabilities in new and unique ways. So, it has the potential to revolutionize the way jobs are done by providing a secure, transparent, and safe online workspace for everyone. Moreover, it may offer a unique platform for businesses to conduct interviews and assess candidates. On top of that, employees may get an easy way to manage their work and career goals from one platform. Job seekers will have to focus more on artificial intelligence as it is the future of technology, and it’s changing the way we work. Also, augmented reality is another technology that is changing how we work. It’s taking us away from our desktops and laptops and bringing us into the virtual world that seems to be real. Read What the metaverse is and how it will work As we are heading towards web 3.0, it will also have an impact on the metaverse job market. So, blockchain is going to change the way we work in the future. It’s an open-source technology that allows anyone to get involved and contribute to it. Metaverse will create unparalleled convenience for workers. All interactions will be taken care of digitally as effectively as in person. Jobs that used to require in-person interaction now have virtual alternatives. So, freelance and remote work will increase. In short, the metaverse can provide a new way of doing business, which will have a positive impact on the job market. That means new jobs will be created. Read Web 3.0 Career Guideline: How to start working and make money Some Demanding Careers in Metaverse It is expected that metaverse will be one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The demand for jobs in the metaverse has been growing at an unprecedented rate. The following part will give you a brief overview of some of the most demanding careers in the metaverse. AR, VR Software Engineer Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are quickly becoming the future of technology, with many companies looking for employees who are skilled in using these technologies. As such, there is a growing demand for people who can work in this field.  Some of the responsibilities that may befall someone is working in AR or VR are creating and designing immersive user experiences, building and maintaining AR or VR software or hardware, evaluating and recommending new AR or VR applications or technologies, and more. Also, many jobs in augmented reality and virtual reality require users to create 3D models or images from scratch. Read AI & Future of Jobs: Will Artificial Intelligence or Robots Take Your Job? 3D Game Designers In order to create a 3D game, there are a number of different positions that need to be filled in the metaverse. These positions include game designers, programmers, and artists. Each of these positions has specific responsibilities and duties. For example, a game designer will typically come up with the idea for a game, work on the story and design of the game, and make sure the game is polished before it is released. eSports are getting huge popularity day by day. if you have a passion for virtual multiplayer games, you can develop a career in esports. In the metaverse, esports will flourish by virtue of AR and VR development. You can find your skill, learn some programming skills, and join a sports community to be an e-sport gamer.  Every year several e-sport gaming competitions are arranged worldwide. The expert gamers earn a huge fortune in these events.  Read eSports: How to Build a Career in Online Multiplayer Gaming Hardware Engineers Although metaverse is built on software, it doesn’t mean that no hardware is needed. Hardware engineers are responsible for developing and maintaining the hardware for a digital world. They work with software developers to create a platform that is both reliable and efficient. These engineers must be able to create designs that meet or exceed the performance and reliability requirements of the metaverse. Cyber Security Professionals In the metaverse, numerous businesses and organisations around the world will emphasise over in organising their operations and finances virtually. Not to mention, technologies offer numerous advantages. But simultaneously the risks of hacking and data theft will increase.  Therefore, job opportunities for cybersecurity professionals will increase in the future. In the metaverse, cyber security specialist will be a lucrative career.  Read Cybersecurity Career Guide: How to Become a Cybersecurity Expert? Metaverse Marketing Specialist It is expected that the metaverse market will reach $814.2 billion by 2028. Therefore, the demand for metaverse marketing specialists will be high. The metaverse marketing specialist will have to Conduct market research to identify target markets and develop marketing plans that align with the company’s business goals.  Plan and implement marketing campaigns that attract new customers and increase sales. Analyze customer feedback to improve marketing strategy. Further, the marketer will need to monitor competitor activity and develop strategies to counteract their efforts. Product Managers Usually, the product managers are responsible for developing and managing and testing a product’s features, marketing, pricing, and distribution. Metaverse product management will also do the same. Currently, there are 2500+ jobs available for the product managers in Meta. As other companies focus on metaverse, the demand will certainly increase. Read Career in Strategic Marketing: How to Be a Marketing Strategist or Specialist? How to Prepare for Jobs at Metaverse? Metaverse is all about software and related skill. However, some other jobs are also available, such as storytellers, marketing specialists, product developers, and more. So, if you are interested in working at Metaverse, there are a few things you will need to do in advance.  First, research the company and its goals. Second, familiarize yourself with the metaverse blockchain and its applications. Third, be prepared to share your skills and qualifications with potential employers. Fourth, make sure you have good communication skills. Fifth, keep patience as the recruitment process is lengthy, and you might need to go through different skill tests in different steps. Final Words As the world is changing keeping pace with the technological revolution, the career scopes are also transforming. In the upcoming meta world, the trends of employment will change. It is very important to keep in mind that in order to survive in meta, you need to have a plan of action; otherwise you will be wasting your time and money. Read Plenty of pitfalls await Zuckerberg’s ‘metaverse’ plan Here we have discussed some potential career scopes in the metaverse. We hope our discussion will help you gain an insight into the world of the metaverse and should inspire you to take action and start your own metaverse career.

Imagine a world where a company released a new car, and as a buyer, you could drive the car from anywhere in the world. Or like a dress, while shopping online, and you could wear it virtually before buying it. This may seem like a science fiction movie or book. But, it is no longer in the imagination. The creation of such technology has already started. This technology will make the online virtual world feel like the real world. Suppose a friend of yours posted some wonderful pictures on Facebook while walking through the hills or a beach. The augmented reality technology will make you feel like you are there for real when you are on Facebook. As a whole, this technology is called Metaverse. It is believed that Metaverse will change the world in the near future or sooner. Let’s get some ideas in detail. Read Plenty of pitfalls await Zuckerberg’s ‘metaverse’ plan What is Metaverse? Metaverse is a term used to describe a hypothetical internet where users can access an online platform that allows them to interact with each other and share information in a three-dimensional environment. The concept was first introduced in the science fiction novel Snow Crash written by Neal Stephenson in 1992.  It’s similar to the virtual world concept, but Metaverse immerses users in an entire world that exists inside the internet. Metaverse could potentially provide users with new ways to socialize and share information, and it has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with technology. Read What the metaverse is and how it will work How Metaverse Will Change the World? Metaverse is a new virtual reality platform that is set to change the world. It allows users to create and interact with digital worlds that are completely customizable. The metaverse has the potential to change how we live and work and has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about technology. Here are 10 ways Metaverse will change the world. Make the World Safe for Virtual Reality The first thing that Metaverse will do is to make the world safe for virtual reality. This will allow people to experience the world from the comfort of their own homes. In addition, this will help people to avoid going outside and being exposed to dangerous situations. It will also allow people to enjoy a different type of entertainment. They can go anywhere on the planet and visit any place they want to, which is much more realistic than anything that they can currently experience. Read Meta partners with BRAC to empower Bangladeshi women, youth online Create New Opportunities for Social Media Metaverse has the potential to create new opportunities for social media, as it can provide an easier way for users to share information and collaborate on projects. Hence, it can make the world more social. It will allow users to meet new people and interact with them. It could also create new ways to communicate and share information. Expand the Reach of Gaming Metaverse will allow people to play more realistic games. It could allow users to interact with other people in the real world and virtual ones while gaming. Metaverse’s unique architecture allows for a fast and seamless gaming experience for games and other online content providers. When you interact through a video game or VR app, you can share your thoughts and imagination with others. You can directly experience another person’s thoughts through augmented reality. Read Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus Review: Is it worth it?

When Mark Zuckerberg announced ambitious plans to build the “metaverse” — a virtual reality construct intended to supplant the internet, merge virtual life with real life and create endless new playgrounds for everyone — he promised that “you’re going to able to do almost anything you can imagine.” That might not be such a great idea. Zuckerberg, CEO of the company formerly known as Facebook, even renamed it Meta to underscore the significance of the effort. During his late October presentation, he effused about going to virtual concerts with your friends, fencing with holograms of Olympic athletes and — best of all — joining mixed-reality business meetings where some participants are physically present while others beam in from the metaverse as cartoony avatars. But it’s just as easy to imagine dystopian downsides. Suppose the metaverse also enables a vastly larger, yet more personal version of the harassment and hate that Facebook has been slow to deal with on today’s internet? Or ends up with the same big tech companies that have tried to control the current internet serving as gatekeepers to its virtual-reality edition? Or evolves into a vast collection of virtual gated communities where every visitor is constantly monitored, analyzed and barraged with advertisements? Or foregoes any attempt to curtail user freedom, allowing scammers, human traffickers and cybergangs to commit crimes with impunity? Picture an online troll campaign — but one in which the barrage of nasty words you might see on social media is instead a group of angry avatars yelling at you, with your only escape being to switch off the machine, said Amie Stepanovich, executive director of Silicon Flatirons at the University of Colorado. “We approach that differently — having somebody scream at us than having somebody type at us,” she said. “There is a potential for that harm to be really ramped up.” Read: Facebook to shut down face-recognition system, delete data That’s one reason Meta might not be the best institution to lead us into the metaverse, said Philip Rosedale, founder of the virtual escape Second Life, which was an internet craze 15 years ago and still attracts hundreds of thousands of online inhabitants. The danger is creating online public spaces that appeal only to a “polarized, homogenous group of people,” said Rosedale, describing Meta’s flagship VR product, Horizon, as filled with “presumptively male participants” and a bullying tone. In a safety tutorial, Meta has advised Horizon users to treat fellow avatars kindly and offers tips for blocking, muting or reporting those who don’t, but Rosedale said it’s going to take more than a “schoolyard monitor” approach to avoid a situation that rewards the loudest shouters. “Nobody’s going to come to that party, thank goodness,” he said. “We’re not going to move the human creative engine into that sphere.” A better goal, he said, would be to create systems that are welcoming and flexible enough to allow people who don’t know each other to get along as well as they might in a real place like New York’s Central Park. Part of that could rely on systems that help someone build a good reputation and network of trusted acquaintances they can carry across different worlds, he said. In the current web environment, such reputation systems have had a mixed record in curbing toxic behavior. It’s not clear how long it will take Meta, or anyone else investing in the metaverse, to consider such issues. So far, tech giants from Microsoft and Apple to video game makers are still largely focused on debating the metaverse’s plumbing. To make the metaverse work, some developers say they are going to have to form a set of industry standards similar to those that coalesced around HTML, the open “markup language” that’s been used to structure websites since the 1990s. “You don’t think about that when you go to a website. You just click on the link,” said Richard Kerris, who leads the Omniverse platform for graphics chipmaker Nvidia. “We’re going to get to the same point in the metaverse where going from one world to another world and experiencing things, you won’t have to think about, ‘Do I have the right setup?’” Nvidia’s vision for an open standard involves a structure for 3D worlds built by movie-making studio Pixar, which is also used by Apple. Among the basic questions being resolved are how physics will work in the metaverse — will virtual gravity cause someone’s glass to smash into pieces if they drop it? Will those rules change as you move from place to place? Bigger disagreements will center on questions of privacy and identity, said Timoni West, vice president of augmented and virtual reality at Unity Technologies, which builds an engine for video game worlds. “Being able to share some things but not share other things” is important when you’re showing off art in a virtual home but don’t want to share the details of your calendar, she said. “There’s a whole set of permission layers for digital spaces that the internet could avoid but you really need to have to make this whole thing work.” Read: In the middle of a crisis, Facebook Inc. renames itself Meta Some metaverse enthusiasts who’ve been working on the concept for years welcome the spotlight that could attract curious newcomers, but they also want to make sure Meta doesn’t ruin their vision for how this new internet gets built. “The open metaverse is created and owned by all of us,” said Ryan Gill, founder and CEO of metaverse-focused startup Crucible. “The metaverse that Mark Zuckerberg and his company want is created by everybody but owned by them.” Gill said Meta’s big splash is a reaction to ideas circulating in grassroots developer communities centered around “decentralized” technologies like blockchain and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, that can help people establish and protect their online identity and credentials. Central to this tech movement, nicknamed Web 3, for a third wave of internet innovation, is that what people create in these online communities belongs to them, a shift away from the Big Tech model of “accumulating energy and attention and optimizing it for buying behavior,” Gill said. Evan Greer, an activist with Fight for the Future, said it’s easy to see Facebook’s Meta announcement as a cynical attempt to distance itself from all the scandals the company is facing. But she says Meta’s push is actually even scarier. “This is Mark Zuckerberg revealing his end game, which is not just to dominate the internet of today but to control and define the internet that we leave to our children and our children’s children,” she said. The company recently abandoned its use of facial recognition on its Facebook app, but metaverse gadgetry relies on new forms of tracking people’s gaits, body movements and expressions to animate their avatars with real-world emotions. And with both Facebook and Microsoft pitching metaverse apps as important work tools, there’s a potential for even more invasive workplace monitoring and exhaustion. Activists are calling for the U.S. to pass a national digital privacy act that would apply not just to today’s platforms like Facebook but also those that might exist in the metaverse. Outside of a few such laws in states such as California and Illinois, though, actual online privacy laws remain rare in the U.S.

The term “metaverse” seems to be everywhere. Facebook is hiring thousands of engineers in Europe to work on it, while video game companies are outlining their long-term visions for what some consider the next big thing online. The metaverse, which could spring up again when Facebook releases earnings Monday, is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry’s imagination. It could be the future, or it could be the latest grandiose vision by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that doesn’t turn out as expected or isn’t widely adopted for years — if at all. Plus, many have concerns about a new online world tied to a social media giant that could get access to even more personal data and is accused of failing to stop harmful content. Here’s what this online world is all about: Think of it as the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D. Zuckerberg has described it as a “virtual environment” you can go inside of — instead of just looking at on a screen. Essentially, it’s a world of endless, interconnected virtual communities where people can meet, work and play, using virtual reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, smartphone apps or other devices. It also will incorporate other aspects of online life such as shopping and social media, according to Victoria Petrock, an analyst who follows emerging technologies. “It’s the next evolution of connectivity where all of those things start to come together in a seamless, doppelganger universe, so you’re living your virtual life the same way you’re living your physical life,” she said. But keep in mind that “it’s hard to define a label to something that hasn’t been created,” said Tuong Nguyen, an analyst who tracks immersive technologies for research firm Gartner. Facebook warned it would take 10 to 15 years to develop responsible products for the metaverse, a term coined by writer Neal Stephenson for his 1992 science fiction novel “Snow Crash.” WHAT WILL I BE ABLE TO DO IN THE METAVERSE? Things like go to a virtual concert, take a trip online, and buy and try on digital clothing. The metaverse also could be a game-changer for the work-from-home shift amid the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of seeing co-workers on a video call grid, employees could see them virtually. Facebook has launched meeting software for companies, called Horizon Workrooms, to use with its Oculus VR headsets, though early reviews have not been great. The headsets cost $300 or more, putting the metaverse’s most cutting-edge experiences out of reach for many. For those who can afford it, users would be able, through their avatars, to flit between virtual worlds created by different companies. “A lot of the metaverse experience is going to be around being able to teleport from one experience to another,” Zuckerberg says. Tech companies still have to figure out how to connect their online platforms to each other. Making it work will require competing technology platforms to agree on a set of standards, so there aren’t “people in the Facebook metaverse and other people in the Microsoft metaverse,” Petrock said. IS FACEBOOK GOING ALL IN ON THE METAVERSE? Indeed, Zuckerberg is going big on what he sees as the next generation of the internet because he thinks it’s going to be a big part of the digital economy. He expects people to start seeing Facebook as a metaverse company in coming years rather than a social media company. A report by tech news site The Verge said Zuckerberg is looking at using Facebook’s annual virtual reality conference this coming week to announce a corporate name change, putting legacy apps like Facebook and Instagram under a metaverse-focused parent company. Facebook hasn’t commented on the report. Critics wonder if the potential pivot could be an effort to distract from the company’s crises, including antitrust crackdowns, testimony by whistleblowing former employees and concerns about its handling of misinformation. Former employee Frances Haugen, who accused Facebook’s platforms of harming children and inciting political violence, plans to testify Monday before a United Kingdom parliamentary committee looking to pass online safety legislation. IS THE METAVERSE JUST A FACEBOOK PROJECT? No. Zuckerberg has acknowledged that “no one company” will build the metaverse by itself. Just because Facebook is making a big deal about the metaverse doesn’t mean that it or another tech giant will dominate the space, Nguyen said. “There are also a lot of startups that could be potential competitors,” he said. “There are new technologies and trends and applications that we’ve yet to discover.” Video game companies also are taking a leading role. Epic Games, the company behind the popular Fortnite video game, has raised $1 billion from investors to help with its long-term plans for building the metaverse. Game platform Roblox is another big player, outlining its vision of the metaverse as a place where “people can come together within millions of 3D experiences to learn, work, play, create and socialize.” Consumer brands are getting in on it, too. Italian fashion house Gucci collaborated in June with Roblox to sell a collection of digital-only accessories. Coca-Cola and Clinique have sold digital tokens pitched as a stepping stone to the metaverse. Zuckerberg’s embrace of the metaverse in some ways contradicts a central tenet of its biggest enthusiasts. They envision the metaverse as online culture’s liberation from tech platforms like Facebook that assumed ownership of people’s accounts, photos, posts and playlists and traded off what they gleaned from that data. “We want to be able to move around the internet with ease, but we also want to be able to move around the internet in a way we’re not tracked and monitored,” said venture capitalist Steve Jang, a managing partner at Kindred Ventures who focuses on cryptocurrency technology. WILL THIS BE ANOTHER WAY TO GET MORE OF MY DATA? It seems clear that Facebook wants to carry its business model, which is based on using personal data to sell targeted advertising, into the metaverse. “Ads are going to continue being an important part of the strategy across the social media parts of what we do, and it will probably be a meaningful part of the metaverse, too,” Zuckerberg said in the company’s most recent earnings call. That raises fresh privacy concerns, Nguyen said, involving “all the issues that we have today, and then some we’ve yet to discover because we’re still figuring out what the metaverse will do.” Petrock she said she’s concerned about Facebook trying to lead the way into a virtual world that could require even more personal data and offer greater potential for abuse and misinformation when it hasn’t fixed those problems in its current platforms. “I don’t think they fully thought through all the pitfalls,” she said. “I worry they’re not necessarily thinking through all the privacy implications of the metaverse.”