How Rec Room looks at the metaverse opportunity

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Nick Fajt, CEO of Rec Room, is one of the contenders to run the metaverse.

The social virtual world hit more than 82 million lifetime users since it started in 2016, and it is available across platforms including Oculus, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. The metaverse opportunity isn’t a small one. McKinsey & Co. estimated it could hit $5 trillion in value by 2030.

Now the company is testing its Rec Room Studio, a Unity-based plug-in that lets players tap more professional tools to create their digital spaces inside Rec Room. I spoke with Fajt in a recent interview about this and the potential for generative AI to change the business as well.

We also talked about the metaverse and whether it will be open or closed. And he offered his views on ownership of digital assets, and what users really care about.

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Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.

GamesBeat: What is Rec Room up to now?

Nick Fajt: The biggest thing we’re up to now is just trying to make it as easy as we can for people to build great content and get it distributed to as many people as possible. We’ve been working on all types of tools for creators to help them build the content they want to go build and monetize that content. Some of them are making a living off this.

Probably the biggest tool in our arsenal that’s about to go out is Rec Room Studio. It’s a plug-in built around Unity. What’s unique is it allows you to use industry-capable tools–if you’re