Blockchain platform, Zilliqa, is about to launch into the metaverse in a big way. After revealing they would be building their own metaverse offering late last year, Zilliqa had been pretty quiet since. Their sizzle reel hinted at an ambitious, world building platform with gaming at the heart of it, but there was not a lot more information available. Now, as we get closer to Metapolis launching to the public, we are beginning to see more information coming out and it’s pretty encouraging.
Zilliqa are looking to announce their arrival into the metaverse market by hosting a VIP event in Miami, Florida on April 2nd. This move looks to bring the real and virtual worlds together, while also showing their intent to enter the US market. But while we wait to see this big reveal, it’s a good chance to look at what information we have available now, and what this could mean for the future of Metapolis and the metaverse.
Different Areas, Different Worlds
While competitors like Decentraland have designed a flat environment where there is consistency across the space, with the difference in the way people can attempt to ‘own’ their space. By contrast, Metapolis is looking to build different virtual worlds, or cities, for people to explore, each of these worlds can look and feel completely different to each other. For example, a world focused around fashion could look completely different to that of a world built around sports activities.
These worlds will all be connected and there will be no digital boundaries or restrictions in place so people are free to explore as they want. Of course, there will be security measures in place, using Know Your Customer (KYC) to ensure that people are aligning with any policies for each world.
Diversification, innovation and the use of digital assets are all part of Web 3.0. If you add to that an ‘always-on’ layer of engagement to make it borderless and accessible, you start to see the fabric of the Metaverse being woven together. Now is the time to unlock these new layers of engagement for your customers and followers.
Sandra Helou, Head of Metaverse and NFT, Zilliqa
The Technology Behind The Platform
Metapolis is being built using Unity, Unreal Engine, and Nvidia Omniverse. The games Cuphead & Hearthstone, for example, have been built on the Unity engine, while Fortnite and Gears of War are some examples of popular games that have been built on the Unreal Engine. This means that, by having Unity and Unreal as the building blocks for the platform, the platform will have a high visual aesthetic from these powerful graphical and visual tools. This will likely capture more people’s attention, and establish a strong connection with the gaming industry, as people begin to explore deeper into the metaverse.
In addition, Nvidia Omniverse is designed to streamline sharing functionality between developers, simplify asset libraries, create and deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI). This will allow for easier interactions between users who wish to connect and build within Metapolis, further developing something that game makers, and aspiring game makers, can shape.
The Focus On A Creator Economy
The metaverse isn’t about replacing reality. It is about bettering our relationship with the digital world. Beyond the sharing-culture that social media has unleashed, this world looks at reducing the gaps present in our ‘real’ economy — gaps around access to value creation and fair pay. It will add layers of interaction to professional and personal lives — with shared value and incentive-driven models at its heart.
Dr. Ben Livshits, CEO, Zilliqa
Zilliqa has partnered with global talent award and recognition app, Agora, to help build and grow an engaged community of content creators. Agora has established a platform for amateur and professionals around the world to share their creations to gain visibility and support. Initially focused on photography, Agora now also lets people share music, videos, and even NFTs, for people to vote on. This democratised approach attempts to eliminate any algorithm bias to create a fair environment for people to choose the content they feel is best.
This focus within Metapolis means that, while they are building worlds for people to visit, users can also begin to shape and develop the worlds as they want. This can take many forms, so it will be intriguing to see what direction some will take with this. Flexibility and expression are a driving force behind a lot of the metaverse right now, and this looks to be no different.
While other metaverses, such as Decentraland, are already established, Zilliqa and Metapolis have some catching up to do. While it is still a few days away until the official reveal, the pieces put together suggest a pretty powerful offering. Now to see if it can deliver.