Censorship takes many forms, but even the most restrictive countries can’t block every single path for information they’d rather not get in (or out). Reporters Without Borders has identified a surprising new platform for hosting banned content: Minecraft. The organization, collaborating with reporters, Minecraft pros and, of course, a creative agency, has produced an enormous […]
In Part 2 of our series, we explore why social networks will compete to be virtual worlds Eric Peckham @epeckham / 1 week Even if you don’t play games, you have spent years of your life in one or more virtual worlds. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WeChat are lightweight versions of […]
For technical and cultural reasons, multiverse virtual worlds are about to go massively mainstream Eric Peckham @epeckham / 4 days Thus far in this series we’ve outlined “multiverse” virtual worlds — a concept different from the metaverse — as the next stage of social media and what this future will look like. It begs the […]
In Part 6 of our multiverse series, we discuss the business opportunities and compliance challenges of virtual economies Eric Peckham @epeckham / 1 day Fictional portrayals of virtual worlds such as “Ready Player One” and “The Matrix” typically portray the physical and virtual worlds as distinct realms siloed from each other. Characters escape a dystopian, […]
In part 5 of our virtual worlds series: why this new future will heal fractures caused by today’s social media Eric Peckham @epeckham / 1 day The basis of the classic James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” is an evil media mogul who instigates war between the U.K. and China because it will be great […]
End Game Interactive CEO Yang C. Liu has a refreshingly straightforward description of what he and his co-founder Luke Zbihlyj are up to: “We’re just building games. And to be honest, we don’t know what we’re doing.” Despite this self-proclaimed ignorance, End Game has just raised $3 million in seed funding from an impressive group […]
In Part 3 of our virtual worlds series, we imagine what the experience of these new social environments will feel like Eric Peckham @epeckham / 1 day Gaming and social media are on a collision course, the result of which will be mainstream popularity of virtual worlds primarily driven by user-generated content (UGC) and anchored […]
Online gaming platform Roblox, now home to 115 million largely Gen Z players per month, announced today it has raised $150 million in Series G funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Late Stage Venture fund. The company will also open a tender offer for up to $350 million of common and preferred shares, it says. The […]
In Part 1 of our virtual worlds series, we look at how games have already become popular social platforms Eric Peckham @epeckham / 1 day Video games are only getting more popular. Roughly 2.5 billion people around the world played games last year, double the number of players in 2013. Gaming is a $149 billion […]
It’s been a few months since Microsoft announced the impending arrival of the Xbox Series X. The somewhat redundantly named console made cameo during the Game Awards, getting a late 2020 date in the process. We got at glimpse at the big, boxy design and peek into a handful of features, including the new wireless […]