Oscillating in Metaverse #6
Top metaverse news for this week (Sep 9 to Sep 15)
In this week’s Oscillating in Metaverse edition, we bring you news around, across, and in the metaverse.
Europe Plans to Thrive in the Metaverse
The European Commission has announced in a press release its intent to launch a creative and interdisciplinary movement in the virtual space. It has designed a three-fold strategy connecting: people, technology, and infrastructure.
While Europe plans to embed cultural values, it is also looking for making the virtual world as safe as the real world for its people. Among the guidelines includes a special focus on interoperability and discouraged private monopolies. EC launched the Virtual and Augmented Reality Industrial Coalition for tech creators, which is endorsed by a group of 40 EU organizations.
To enable these developments, EC envisions strengthening the connectivity infrastructure and making it more resilient for carrying the increasing volumes of data that metaverse would hold.
Read more: Official Press Release
Southeast Asia's Largest Bank DBS Enters the Metaverse with Eyes on Sustainability
DBS Bank partnered with The Sandbox to develop interactive metaverse experiences through its new services for customers to create a better and more sustainable world.
Under the partnership, DBS will acquire a 3x3 plot of LAND – a unit of virtual real estate in The Sandbox metaverse – which will be developed with immersive elements.
“Metaverse technology, while still evolving, could also fundamentally change the way banks interact with customers and communities. Given the speed of change, experimenting and learning-by-doing enable us to best test the potential of various technologies." - Piyush Gupta, CEO, DBS
“With today’s partnership, we have an excellent opportunity for our young talent to be deeply involved in developing a compelling and meaningful use case in The Sandbox.” - Sebastian Paredes, CEO of DBS Hong Kong
“ESG issues are important to us, and we look forward to collaborating on an experience that invites our audience to make a positive global impact, to discover the creative possibilities of our platform, and maybe to find their next life-changing opportunity in the metaverse.” - Sebastien Borget, COO & Co-founder, The Sandbox
The bank plans to use DBS BetterWorld to profile social entrepreneurs in Asia who have been driving positive impact through innovative business models. It will also work with partners and collaborators from the government, community, business, and technology sectors to develop meaningful concepts to enrich the experience.
DBS wants to encourage more eco-conscious living among its customers. Also, the bank will partner with The Sandbox to purchase carbon offsets such that the land and production on DBS BetterWorld will be carbon neutral.
Read more: Official DBS website
Roblox Developer Conference: Immersive Experience is Getting More Intense
Roblox hosted the Roblox Development Conference last weekend in San Francisco and has made several announcements for developers and brands. Dan Sturman, Chief Technology Officer, Roblox Corp., informed a news agency about the updates that are bringing new developer tools and focusing on targeting issues like game cloning and age-appropriate experiences.
At the event, the company shared information about new features designed to improve the platform, with a focus on expanding the platform to offer more sophisticated experiences to age groups beyond the 13-and-under crowd that’s long been its bread and butter.
Roblox is rolling out a new ad product that will allow brands to place 3D immersive ad promos within its virtual world and games. It will test ads with developers and a handful of advertisers by the end of this year. You can expect a Roblox ad format to have static images positioned like billboards or plastered onto buildings within a given world. Another format might function as portals that transport users to a separate brand experience. With this move, Roblox seems to diversify its revenue beyond in-game purchases and target an increasing number of corporate partnerships for ads.
Read more: TechCrunch
In the Metaverse:
Featured article: The world-famous sportswear brand, Nike, tested waters with the blockchain technology by successfully launching NFTs at an event. Post that, it has been racing in the Nikeland metaverse. Read how is it performing so far in this article: How Nike Does Marketing in Roblox Metaverse - Nikeland
Across the Metaverse:
Starbucks launches NFT-based loyalty program with Polygon
The Sandbox's Instagram account compromised, hackers try to rent BAYC NFTs
Chipotle launches a new menu item in the metaverse
Bloomingdale’s Creates Futuristic Virtual Store to Celebrate 150th Anniversary