The metaverse and gaming are becoming increasingly interconnected, and at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023, we’re diving right into that frontier alongside the pioneers leading the way.
Metaverse mavens, NFT enthusiasts and blockchain buffs, you won’t want to miss joining us at our show in London this January. Europe’s favourite gaming conference is returning to the heart of London on January 23rd to 24th to welcome some 2,000 attendees to network, discover, pitch and learn from over 200 of the industry’s top executives and thought leaders. Our speakers and panellists will share their expert insight into all the pressing topics facing the gaming industry today, including a heavy focus on everything related to the metaverse, blockchain, web3 and NFTs from the very people that are paving the way at the intersection of blockchain and gaming. You won’t want to miss a second of it!
If you’re looking to get up to date with everything going on in the world of blockchain and the metaverse as you prepare for unmissable future-gazing talks at our conference this January, we have some incredible insights on the past, present and future of this innovative industry. Keep on reading to get up to speed with everything happening in this space today!
What’s been happening with the metaverse recently?
Everything related to the metaverse, blockchain and Web3 constitutes one of the fastest growing industries today, and constant innovation can make it difficult to keep track of everything going on with the metaverse! Below are just a few of the major developments happening in those industries to get you up to speed with everything you might want to know coming into 2023 and PG Connects London.
Major businesses are making big investments in expanding their presence into the metaverse. Leading financial institutions such as Standard Chartered and HSBC have recently partnered with The Sandbox, as well as JPMorgan partnering with Decentraland, and are buying their own virtual land plots to develop brand experiences.
- PwC Hong Kong bought virtual real estate represented through NFTs, with KPMG following right after as its first foray into the metaverse.
- The stock exchange Nasdaq stepped into the space through holding its first opening bell event in the metaverse back in June. This is particularly notable as it showcases the way that Wall Street might be adapting and integrating this technology into its future.
- Microsoft has acquired gaming company Activision Blizzard this year – it’s considered one of the biggest deals in the history of gaming, as well as the metaverse. CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella noted that gaming will play a key role in the development of Microsoft’s metaverse platforms.
- Facebook rebranded to Meta in 2021 as a way of reinforcing their commitment to building their social platform in the space, and ever since this name change, they have become considered to be a key player in the space and highly associated with being a pioneer in the space even while their developments are still in the works.
- Luxury fashion brands have made the most of the emerging technologies in a number of ways. Gucci purchased an undisclosed amount of land on The Sandbox so players can immerse themselves in the digital wing of the Gucci Vault, an umbrella term describing the company’s forays into the blockchain and metaverse world. This also includes a collaborative NFT series with SuperPlastic.
- According to a report by Chanalysis, virtual land prices in the blockchain have grown by 879% since 2019, which massively surpasses the growth of actual physical real estate (which experienced a growth of only 39% in that time). Some early adopters of renting out virtual lands have been bringing in massive profits, as well.
Looking to learn more about what’s happened in the metaverse and blockchain world over the last year? Read up on everything in this helpful article on the State of the Metaverse by crypto.com.
What the metaverse looks like today
We are at the frontier of the metaverse today, but it can seem quite daunting for casual users to access it – it might be easy to dismiss it as something in a far off future that’s being worked towards today. However, the metaverse has been around for longer than you might think, and you might already be actively participating in it as part of your daily life without thinking about it.
The metaverse is already close to present in some of your favourite videogames with the functionality of creating a fully customisable avatar and using that as your virtual identity to walk around a fully developed digital world and as. You might also be attending digital concerts, such as the ones hosted on Roblox by Twenty One Pilots or Fortnite with Araian Grande, fully performed by their respective avatars in the space. In the age of remote work, you might be attending a fully digital office – did you know Microsoft is looking to add 3D avatars to Teams in the coming year as a way of representing you digitally as a way to make for more immersive meetings in the metaverse?
You can further step into the metaverse through virtual reality – there’s expectations that 3D avatars are merely a stepping stone to getting to be immersed in the metaworld yourself via VR goggles. You can already start introducing yourself to what that might look like through investing in VR goggles today, or even just watching YouTube 360 videos or enjoying some VR apps on your phone. You can also get started creating or buying your very own NFTs as soon as today if you’re looking to get involved in digital asset ownership in the infancy stages of this growing economy.
Looking to the future
Gazing out towards the future, what can we expect the metaverse to look like? There’s many theories about what’s coming up in the future of the metaverse, but here are a few of the most likely predictions as noted by Jack Brassell of Beyond Games from Deloitte’s three potential futures for the metaverse:
- The low-orbit scenario: It’s possible that the metaverse might become a specialty marketplace without ever making it to the status of general market platform. What would that look like? A metaverse in which regulations remain inconsistent, with the platform only ever going as far as being used for mainly gaming, sports and other entertainment. This would mean that what we know the metaverse as today would remain stagnant if there is no tangible utility that can bring the metaverse into the mainstream.
- The double-star scenario: In this future, there might be many popular metaverses that are sufficiently able to self-govern. These metaverses would be competing for user loyalty through offering exclusive content, but chances are, users would only be able to choose and focus on one due to a lack of interoperability.
- The big bang: The creation of the biggest and greatest metaverse as a fully interoperable platform that beautifully and seamlessly integrates virtual reality with physical reality. Think of it as the way there is one internet with numerous service providers – it could be a harmonious way to come together and have all involved playing fair for the greater purpose of one massive, powerful metaverse rather than countless smaller, less potent versions.
Further, some things that we might see rising as trends when it comes to the future of the metaverse include how we can master the direct-to-avatar business models (how can brands help craft a digital identity for a consumer’s avatar through offering items such as apparel and skins?), privacy and ethical concerns when it comes to safety and content moderation and how one can regulate a virtual world and, finally, what the dominating smart contract platform that’s used in the metaverse will be (Ethereum is currently pleading as the biggest name in the blockchain gaming space). You can read more about that here, or hear plenty more about experts’ predictions for the future of the metaverse firsthand at Pocket Gamer Connects London this January.
Secure your tickets for January today!
This is just scratching the surface of everything happening with the metaverse today, and at Pocket Gamer Connects London, we’re diving deeper than ever before into the past, present and future of the world of metaverse and blockchain. Stay ahead of the curve and learn all you need to know to prepare your business for the metaverse at our show this January from leading experts. You can currently save £350 on your ticket if you act fast – make the most of our Early Bird special while you still can and grab your tickets today.