Metaverse is Not Dead!
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games and creator of the Unreal Engine and Fortnite, has taken to Twitter to defend the metaverse after a Business Insider article declared the technology dead. Sweeney mocked the assertion, highlighting the significant number of users on various virtual world platforms.
The article by Ed Zitron, CEO of a PR firm, claimed that the metaverse had failed to live up to its potential, citing Meta's Horizon Worlds, Decentraland, and Yuga Labs' Otherside as examples. Zitron also argued that investors had shifted their focus to generative AI.
Sweeney, however, remains optimistic about the metaverse's future. He pointed out that platforms such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, The Sandbox, and VR Chat boast a combined 600 million monthly active users. Sweeney jokingly suggested organizing an online wake for the metaverse to allow users to mourn its supposed demise in real-time 3D.
In April 2022, Epic Games announced a $2 billion funding round aimed at accelerating the company's metaverse plans. The investment included $1 billion from Sony Group and KIRKBI, the holding company for the LEGO Group. This followed the announcement of a long-term partnership between LEGO Group and Epic Games to develop a "family-friendly" metaverse.
Though specific plans for the collaboration have yet to be disclosed, LEGO Group CEO Niels Christiansen indicated that more details would be announced in the future. Sweeney's recent defense of the metaverse suggests that industry leaders remain confident in the potential of virtual worlds, despite recent criticism.
Sweeney, however, remains optimistic about the metaverse's future. He pointed out that platforms such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, The Sandbox, and VR Chat boast a combined 600 million monthly active users. Sweeney jokingly suggested organizing an online wake for the metaverse to allow users to mourn its supposed demise in real-time 3D.
In April 2022, Epic Games announced a $2 billion funding round aimed at accelerating the company's metaverse plans. The investment included $1 billion from Sony Group and KIRKBI, the holding company for the LEGO Group. This followed the announcement of a long-term partnership between LEGO Group and Epic Games to develop a "family-friendly" metaverse.
Though specific plans for the collaboration have yet to be disclosed, LEGO Group CEO Niels Christiansen indicated that more details would be announced in the future. Sweeney's recent defense of the metaverse suggests that industry leaders remain confident in the potential of virtual worlds, despite recent criticism.
