Microsoft’s Metaverse Is A Lie
Microsoft has bought Activision Blizzard. If you somehow missed this, we’ve written what seems like a million stories about it since the deal was finalised, analysing every possible angle about how this impacts the workers, whether the company’s sexual abuse scandal will be addressed, and what the acquisition means for the wider industry.
One angle we haven’t yet addressed, however, is Microsoft’s metaverse. Multiple news outlets picked up on the buzzword that embattled CEO Bobby Kotick (yep, the one who presided over the studio while the culture of abuse and harassment was rife) mentioned multiple times in an email to employees without really analysing what it, or what Microsoft, meant. It was the first time I’d seen Microsoft so much as mention a metaverse, but to my surprise it isn’t the first time they’ve focused on it.
Related: Walmart's Metaverse Shop Makes Me Want A Supermarket Sweep VR Game
Features editor Khee Hoon Chan is our dedicated Metaverse Explorer at TheGamer, as they regularly take deep dives into the pool of buzzwords and techbro ejaculate that makes up the discussion surrounding the dystopian concept. I’m not using ‘dystopian’ lightly, either; this is literally taken from a dystopian speculative fiction novel where the techbros are the bad guys! However, to paraphrase their great reporting, a metaverse is an online space for people to just, you know, hang out. You can play games, have conversations, or just chill - but online.
Fortnite is a legitimate metaverse, not because it has crossovers with hundreds of different IPs, but thanks to its creative modes and digital spaces (sure, including the MLK one) for players to hang out in even if they’re not playing the battle royale. Facebook has a
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