The Star Wars Metaverse Is Not Far, Far Away

Author

Michael Beach
January 21, 2021

Big news: The metaverse is starting to feel real, and games like Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge connect the virtual and physical worlds.

Big question #1: What is Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge?

Quick answer: A virtual reality game based on the Star Wars franchise that feels like an extension to the 14-acre ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Quote from Jose Perez III – Director, Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge @ ILMxLAB:
“You’re going to start to find that you’re going to have an avatar that means something in the virtual world that might mean something in the physical world. The way that extends — when I imagine something like going to the parks in the future — having, when they’re ready, augmented reality glasses and seeing ships fly around and seeing porgs. Maybe we’ll catch some of them and bring them home.”

Big question #2: What role are video games playing in the development of the metaverse?

Quote from Matthew Ball – Venture Partner @ Makers Fund:
“We’re seeing this advancement of technology and Internet interaction and the Metaverse coming from gaming because it tends to be at the forefront of something designed for many, and who have the highest [technological] needs”

Other early examples from video games:
1) Fortnite
2) Roblox
3) Facebook Horizon

Big question #3: Are we developing enough content for the metaverse/virtual worlds?

Quick answer: Not yet.

The four phases of content creation according to Andreessen Horowitz:
1) Single player focused
2) Small-scale multiplayer ← We are here
3) Large-scale multiplayer
4) Metaverse scale

Wow: Roblox uses artificial intelligence (AI) to translate games developed in English into eight other languages automatically!

Big question #4: What are the technical challenges?

Quick answer: We are nowhere close to the capability for millions of people to share the same virtual experience at the exact same time.

For example, the DJ Marshmello concert in Fortnite drew 10M people, but it was 100K different groupings of 100 people.

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