According to Dirk Lueth, co-founder of the Upland Metaverse, the colonization of the Metaverse by tech giants and the creation of so-called “walled garden systems” is unsustainable It is not, Lueth says, and he argues that the Metaverse should not “lock users in” but instead usher in “a future where users can move freely between platforms and easily carry their assets and identities with them.”
A “walled garden system” is not sustainable
Although interest in the metaverse has seemingly waned, as evidenced by Meta’s decision to focus on artificial intelligence (AI),Dirk Luethargues that AI tools can still provide “very interesting extensions to the metaverse in general.” The Upland co-founder also told Bitcoin.com News what he thinks about the “infinite land” metaverse and scarcity.
In an interview with Bitcoin.com News, Lueth also discusses his thoughts on the multi-chain metaverse and his organization’s plans to create a metaverse super app. The following is a continuation ofUplandMetaverse co-founder’s response.
Bitcoin.com News (BCN): Neal Stephenson, who is credited with coining the term “metaverse,” is known for advocating a free and open metaverse. However, tech giants are also pursuing their own metaverse projects, and some say they may colonize the metaverse and build walled gardens like the current Web2. Do you think the Metaverse will eventually be controlled by a few centralized entities?
Dirk Ruess (DL): We don’t yet know the details of how the big tech companies will build their metaverse projects and whether they will confine their users to walled gardens. I believe that walled garden systems are not sustainable in the long term and that people power combined with property rights will be much stronger in the long run. Incidentally, this is also why I founded the Open Metaverse Alliance for Web3 (OM3) with other distributed projects. Instead of locking users in, we want to ensure that there is a future where users can move freely between platforms and easily carry their assets and identities with them.
BCN: The blockchain industry is multi-chain, and users should expect the freedom to move their assets to any chain they want. Do you think a multi-chain metaverse is a realistic possibility?
DL:Technically a multi-chain standard may already be possible today. It is possible to have some assets on one blockchain and others on another. More important is to have a standard that defines metadata, asset appearance&and other characteristics. Once such standards are in place, it will be easier for users to move assets around. And this is what we are working on at Upland and OMA3
BCN: In an ecosystem like Upland, what do you see as the various economic opportunities for entrepreneurs, developers, and less tech-savvy users?
DL:Entrepreneurs or “metapreneurs” are Uplanders who run their own businesses in Upland called “metaventures.” Here, they can resell assets from partners such as FIFA and the NFLPA, as well as other assets in Upland. Soon there will also be a store where you can sell your creations to other players, potentially allowing you to make a living in Upland and in real life.
Developers are individuals or companies that offer their experiences and apps to other Uplands. One example is World of Football, which allows users to play a Rocket League-like game directly connected to Upland. Users enter this app by moving game pieces to a virtual property, or virtual address in Upland.
Users who are not tech-savvy enter Upland as described above. They can begin trading properties with other players with the goal of completing a collection like “king of the street.” Completing the collection means that they can increase the yield they get from owning the property. You can then use the proceeds to visit another city or buy a racing car or outdoor equipment. Thus, it is easy to start with a very simple game engagement loop and go deeper into the many possibilities of Upland.
BCN: After investing billions of dollars, Meta recently laid off over 10,000 people to shift its focus from Metaverse to AI. In your opinion, why is it seemingly so difficult to build a Metaverse that users find interesting, as Meta has found?
DL:I can’t comment on Meta’s strategy or how much it has really shifted from the Metaverse. In fact, AI tools would provide a very interesting extension to the metaverse in general, and at Upland, we are very Upland is very focused on creating digital product engagement points and utility for its ecosystem of users, developers, designers, and brand partners. So far, this has proven to work well, and Upland has become one of the leading platforms in the metaverse. Can it get better? Of course, we are just getting started.
BCN: Your metaverse is said to be mapped to real cities. What advice would you give to users who purchase land or other assets in the “Infinite Lands” metaverse?
DL:Being based in the real world creates a natural scarcity, just like in real life. With scarcity, market dynamics develop, which is the basis for the real economy we are building in Upland. But there are other advantages as well. For example, we automatically have a point of reference, where users can find out what a property looks like in real life, and in reality they can buy an address that looks like it is near the ocean or owned by a celebrity. In this way, users can use their imagination.
I try not to give specific strategy advice to Upland or other users. What I do share with them is to try to understand the economic basis of the land they are buying and to run scenarios in their minds of what would happen if the supply were to increase indefinitely.
Metaverse Super App
BCN: Let’s talk about the so-called Metaverse Super App. When you say “super app”, Wechat and Telegram sometimes come to mind; is Upland envisioned to be the Wechat of the metaverse, or is it more like the Wechat of the metaverse?
DL:In general, a super app can be described as a comprehensive mobile application that integrates basic services such as messaging and payments, as well as third-party “mini-apps” across a variety of sectors such as retail, food and beverage, and government. This is especially true in the Web2Mobile app world. Apps achieve super-app status when they seamlessly integrate a significant number of services and make it very easy for users to switch between them, even if the integrated services are not as efficient as standalone applications.
As the number of available services increases, apps become more attractive and profitable. Typical of super apps is to start somewhere: Wechat started with chat, Gojek in Indonesia started with ride-hailing, etc. Like its Web2 predecessors, Upland wants to make it incredibly easy for users to work with its Web3 applications and wants to make it easy for users to work with Web3 applications. It achieves this through multiple means.
First, Upland was built with mobile users in mind and is available both in the app store and on the web. Second, it obfuscates complex blockchain technology by providing email and password onboarding. And third, it allows the use of credit cards, Paypal, (and crypto, of course), and in-app purchases, making it more convenient for the majority of players to get involved.
Upland offers users a wide range of social, commercial, and entertainment services. We also allow third-party developers to add apps and experiences to the metaverse to connect with our economy and community.
These features and services show that we are indeed aiming for a metaverse super app. But whereas Wechat and Web2 applications are driven and influenced by the platform owner, we want to head in the direction of a user controlled and user owned metaverse super app, which is what Web3 is.
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