Metaverse interoperabiliteit: kan een conglomeraat van grote technologiebedrijven zich verenigen om de metaverse werkelijkheid te maken?

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  Quantumrun-prognose
• 6 mei 2022

Samenvatting inzicht

The metaverse is shaping up to be the next big frontier in digital interaction, fueled by major tech companies aiming for seamless, cross-platform experiences. This emerging online world promises new opportunities for socializing, working, and even governance, but it also poses challenges like making different metaverse platforms interoperable. From reshaping traditional business models to introducing new forms of digital real estate and civic engagement, an interoperable metaverse could have far-reaching implications on various aspects of society.

Metaverse interoperabiliteitscontext

Large technology companies are investing significant resources to make the metaverse a reality. This next-generation online environment will likely depend on the investments of top technology companies developing their own metaverses and potentially merging or making them interoperable at a later date. As a result, the success of the metaverse could hinge on how well these companies collaborate and standardize technologies for a seamless user experience.

Durfkapitalist Matthew Ball definieerde de metaverse als een huwelijk tussen de fysieke wereld (waar gebruikers gebruik maken van wearables zoals virtual reality-headsets) en digitale ruimtes (complexe online systemen). In de metaverse konden transacties en ervaringen naadloos worden gedeeld tussen gebruikers die interactie hebben met het systeem. De belangrijkste factor die van de metaverse een algemeen geaccepteerd succes zou kunnen maken, is echter de interoperabiliteit van gegevens, waarbij digitale activa zoals valuta en digitale activa (bijv. NFT's en persoonlijke avatars) in alle online systemen zouden worden geaccepteerd.

In October 2021, Facebook rebranded by changing its name to Meta, while also publicly reorienting its business investments into metaverse development. At the same time, China-based companies such as Tencent and Alibaba were in competition to register metaverse-related trademarks. According to a 2021 Bloomberg Intelligence Report, the metaverse industry could be worth up to USD $800 billion by 2024.

Disruptieve impact

The race among top technology companies to not only create but also dominate the metaverse market is heating up. Before its rebrand, Facebook, now Meta, announced a shift from 2D social media platforms to a 3D metaverse where users can interact in both digital and physical spaces. Mark Zuckerberg envisions a future where users can teleport across different online platforms, joining various experiences through their digital avatars. 

Epic Games, the US company behind the massively popular online community Fortnite, is another key player aiming to build its own version of the metaverse. Epic Games believes that for the metaverse to function effectively, digital companies need to work together to allow seamless data integration across all ecosystems. This perspective gained public attention when Epic Games sued Apple over its App Store policies, arguing that Apple's 30 percent transaction fee and monopolistic practices hinder the development of a more open digital environment. 

For individuals, the development of the metaverse offers new ways to socialize, work, and even attend events. Companies stand to benefit from a new frontier for marketing, customer engagement, and even remote work solutions. However, they may need to adapt their business models to fit into an ecosystem that values interoperability and openness. Governments, too, can leverage the metaverse for public services and civic engagement, but they may need to address challenges such as data privacy, digital divide, and the potential for misuse.

Implicaties van metaverse interoperabiliteit

Wider implications of large tech companies developing interoperable metaverses may include:

• Companies signing licensing and sales agreements for cross-platform interoperability, leading to a more seamless user experience as people can jump from one metaverse platform to the next without login restrictions or data packet loss.
• Large technology companies partnering with influential brands and content creators to design metaverse spaces, assets, and experiences, resulting in a new form of digital marketing and brand engagement that could reshape traditional advertising strategies.
• Companies transitioning to a metaverse work system, enabling employees to work from anywhere and build customized workspaces within the metaverse, which could lead to both increased privacy and enhanced cooperation among remote teams.
• An explosion of new small businesses and startups creating service-based offerings that work across various metaverse platforms, providing a boost to entrepreneurship and creating new job opportunities in the digital space.
• A shift in real estate dynamics as virtual property within the metaverse becomes a valuable and transferrable asset, potentially impacting the traditional real estate market and introducing new forms of property taxation or regulation.
• Governments leveraging the metaverse paltforms for simultaneous civic engagement and public services, such as virtual town halls or educational programs, which could democratize access but also raise concerns about data privacy and security.
• Increased energy consumption due to the computational power required to run complex metaverse environments, posing challenges for sustainable development and climate change mitigation efforts.

Vragen om te overwegen

• Denk je dat er genoeg prikkels zijn voor grote technologiebedrijven om hun metaversen interoperabel te maken of is de kans groter dat ze er een gesloten/ommuurde omgeving van maken?
• Denkt u dat regeringen zullen ingrijpen om interoperabiliteit wettelijk te regelen?
• Zou je bereid zijn om te werken en ervaringen te delen in de metaverse?