Over the last 2 years, the metaverse has gained much traction. Metaverse was the most-talked-about thing at Meta (former Facebook) conferences in the last two years. And that is to say something.
While referring to the metaverse, we have to include things like crypto. There is a fascinating question about metaverse: what is metaverse crypto? We’ll answer that in a bit.
Before we do that, let’s see:
What is metaverse?
When talking about the metaverse, we have two distinct but overlapping concepts.
One of those is the over-arching, all-encompassing metaverse. It will cover everything we do in the virtual world. Anytime we visit Web3, we’ll be in the metaverse.
The other one is more fragmented. Metaverse isn’t a single entity but a collection of various metaverses that people can visit.
Overlapping is the interoperability of various metaverses to form a collective world, which we can call the metaverse.
Different Metaverse Platform
Now that we’re somewhat clear on the metaverse concept, let’s discuss some of the more famous metaverse platforms out there.
Decentraland
Decentraland is one of the oldest metaverse platforms out there. It spawned in 2015 and has been going strong since then.
The main popularity surge was in 2020 when the company went public. The metaverse itself is controlled by a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Authority). To be a part of this DAO, you need Decentraland’s native token, MANA.
The Sandbox
The Sandbox is a similar virtual world to Decentraland. It is geared more towards a gaming aesthetic and attracts more young users than Decentraland.
Nonetheless, The Sandbox is attracting a relatively bigger audience number than Decentraland. Big names in the Web3 space, like Snoop Dogg, Bored Ape Yacht, and Ubisoft, have all bought virtual Land in The Sandbox.
Axie Infinity
One with the most daily active users. Axie Infinity has garnered millions of daily players who spend hours at a time exploring this play-to-earn metaverse game.
Axie Infinity employs NFTs to make the experience more engaging and rewarding. You can use the native crypto coin, Axie Infinity Shards (AXS), to buy NFTs and other in-game items.
Roblox
If we consider the beginnings, Roblox is the oldest platform on this list. Started in 2006 as a website, Roblox has since grown into a multi-device platform.
This is a 3D world that uses some of the shticks from Minecraft and combines them with an NFT-based Web3 model. You can get everything from skins for your avatar to NFTs to develop your Land.
To get started, Roblox is free. As you gain more experience, you’ll learn about the mechanics and can invest to make the most of your experience.
Sorare
A unique metaverse platform on this list. Sorare is a card-based metaverse with football as its main theme. Kylian Mbappé is the ambassador of this highly-addictive web3 game.
Each card is an NFT. The rarer the card, the more its value will be on NFT marketplaces. You can trade these with fellow players to get the best ones. This game has other secrets up its sleeve. These are proper in-game mechanics like managing a top team to squaring off against other players.
Illuvium
A 3D virtual game built using Unreal Engine 4. This immersive game uses NFTs, which are collectible and can be used to win cryptocurrency.
Illuvials, the native NFT creatures, can be bred and mined in the game. This game attracts a large audience interested in customizing their NFTs to their liking.
XANA
A complete metaverse that’s made to replicate the human experience. This decentralized metaverse is for people who want to have a virtual experience unlike any other.
You can customize your avatar, build on your Land, and do anything you want to do – without any restrictions. XANA uses its token XETA to promote the purchase and trading of different metaverse-related items.
XANA even has a connected NFT marketplace where you can buy everything you need in the metaverse.
Metahero
An ultra-realistic approach to metaverses. People 3D scan their items and themselves and then add assets to the metaverse. Metahero has its own token HERO that you can use to purchase different in-metaverse items and NFTs.
Upland
Upland is probably the most ambitious metaverse on this list. It is trying to replicate the real landscapes, cities, countries, and eventually the whole Earth. This is a testament to the investors and participants who are adding assets every day.
Currently, there are 20 US cities on this metaverse, with more being added as you read.
Are Metaverse Platforms Becoming Mainstream?
Despite all the efforts, one question remains. What is the future of metaverse platforms?
The answer could be a flowery one like: The metaverse is the future of the internet. It will revolutionize how we approach interactions.
Or it can be gloomy like: The metaverse is riding a hype train. It will not catch on for at least a few years. And when it does, it will be a totally different world anyway.
Both of these answers are on the extremes.
A more balanced answer would be: The metaverse has the staying power. People are finding it interesting and adding new use cases each day. But it will take some time to make the whole experience polished enough for the mainstream audience.
