Five Key Metaverse Launch Features: Everything You Need to Know

Metaverse launch and metaverse-ready are popular words when a discussion is centered on the next generation of the internet. Amidst the heated debate on "the metaverse is real vs. the metaverse is unreal," technology enthusiasts firmly believe that it will come into reality at any time.

Many organizations and companies are earnestly working on a metaverse launch. As the concept has gained swelling attention in recent years, there has been improved interest in building metaverse projects and platforms. Facebook (now Meta), Microsoft, Apple, Decentraland, Epic Games, Roblox Corporation, Snapchat, NVIDIA, etc., have announced several projects around this intriguing concept. This has certainly led to discussions on core metaverse features that need to be included in metaverse platforms.

If you’re keen to build your metaverse project or integrate immersive experiences in your web app or mobile app, hire developers with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and other niche technologies.

Before going into all those exciting details about metaverse launch features, let’s have a quick glance at what a metaverse is.

A Quick Look at What the Metaverse Is

The metaverse can be understood as an assortment of immersive virtual worlds. Users in their virtual avatars can explore and interact with these environments and other virtual avatars. They can indulge in many activities just as they do in the physical world. For example, they can attend concerts, go shopping, play games, visit family and friends, etc.

If you are fed up being online and need more excitement rather than just looking at a screen, the metaverse is for you. It makes you an insider by giving you a more realistic experience through special apparatuses.

The metaverse, in capsule form, is an incredible iteration of the internet that blurs the contour amid real and digital life. It does it by creating a graphically rich world that mimics the physical world by blending virtual, augmented, and physical realities.

Metaverse Launch Features

The features of a metaverse launch are highly hooked on the nature of the metaverse that is being built. The key challenge before the metaverse creators is the art of capturing the minds of Web3 participants who have a short attention span and are quick to find faults in projects.

Let’s look at some of the key metaverse features that should be included in any big metaverse launch to garner instant success.

1. Virtual Worlds

There is no metaverse without immersive 3D environments that users can explore and interact with. Hence, virtual worlds are a must-have feature for any metaverse. These worlds will be user-governed as they are built in blockchain technology.  These virtual worlds can be accessed by Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. The use of VR headsets can facilitate complete merging into the virtual world.  

2. Games That Surpass AAA Quality

Creating a metaverse game with AAA quality requires a lot of time, resources, and expertise. Any new metaverse project should be prepared with a super-quality gaming experience that surpasses the triple-A game standard. Here’re some basic steps to get started:

• Define the concept: You need to start by defining the game concept. Have a clear idea of your game's genre, target audience, and key features.
• Gather a talented team: Draw together a team of experienced developers, designers, and artists who have a strong understanding of the metaverse and AAA game development.
• Design the game world: Create a detailed plot of your game's virtual world. Define its geography, layout, and locations. Consider how players will interact with the world and each other within it.
• Develop the gameplay mechanics: Design the gameplay mechanics that will drive your metaverse game. This may include character progression, combat, questing, and other features.
• Create the art assets: Work with your art team to create high-quality 3D models, textures, and other visual assets for the game.
• Test and refine the game: Playtest your metaverse game to gather feedback and identify any issues. Use this feedback to refine and improve the game before release.
• Launch and promote the game: Launch your metaverse game and promote it to your target audience. This may involve marketing campaigns, social media outreach, and partnerships with influencers.

Plan your efforts in such a way that your virtual universe will allow your users to indulge in multiple gaming experiences: supercar racing game, find hidden treasure game, FPS action game, etc. It’s good to have a minimum of 2-3 AAA quality games to make your users linger with your metaverse longer.

3. Ensure NFT Interoperability

Any metaverse launch should consider NFT interoperability seriously. NFT interoperability is the ability for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to be used and traded across different platforms, networks, and protocols. This allows NFTs to be transferred, traded, and integrated with other decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts. It is essential to have interoperability for a smooth web3 experience. 

Lack of interoperability causes the inability for gamers to move their in-game NFT assets from one game to another. Players invest considerable money and time to acquire those assets, yet they’re bound to a handful of blockchain games and many other downsides.

Before proceeding with your metaverse launch, ensure that interoperability is achieved through the following ways:

• Cross-chain communication: This allows different blockchain networks to communicate with each other and allows NFTs to be transferred between them. This can be achieved through protocols such as Cosmos and Polkadot.
• NFT standards: Establishing standards for NFTs, such as ERC-721 and ERC-1155, allows different platforms to recognize and accept NFTs based on those standards.
• Decentralized marketplaces: Decentralized marketplaces, such as OpenSea and SuperRare, allow NFTs to be traded on a variety of blockchain networks, making it easy for users to transfer, trade, and use NFTs across different platforms.
• Interoperability layers: These are middleware solutions that allow different blockchain networks to communicate with each other, making it possible for NFTs to be transferred between them.

In brief, achieving NFT interoperability will enable a more open, accessible, and decentralized ecosystem for the NFT's trading, ownership, and usage.

4. Shopping Experience

Immersive shopping is an impressive metaverse feature. It is also known as virtual commerce or vCommerce. Users should be able to buy and sell virtual goods, such as clothing and accessories for their avatars, virtual real estate, virtual vehicles, and other types of digital assets, and currency can be earned and spent within the metaverse.

Software development focusing on the metaverse should see to it that the virtual atmosphere includes virtual stores and marketplaces, virtual currencies, virtual try-on, real-world integration, in-world payments, etc.

5. Social Interactions

A metaverse should allow users to communicate and interact with each other in real-time, both through text and voice chat and through expressive avatars. Users should also be able to form groups and join communities and participate in activities together.

In metaverse platforms, users are represented by avatars, which can be customized to look and behave in a variety of ways. These avatars can interact with one another through voice and text chat, as well as through more immersive forms of interaction like hand gestures and body language. Users can also collaborate on tasks and projects, create and share virtual objects and environments, and participate in games and other activities.

The development of social interactions in the metaverse is an active area of research and development, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves over time.

Wrapping Up

The development of the metaverse is an ongoing process that involves the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, including technology companies, content creators, and users.

Developers need to take into account the scalability, security, and privacy aspects of the metaverse platforms they are building. One of the most important considerations for metaverse development is the creation of an ecosystem that supports innovation and collaboration. This includes fostering a vibrant developer community, as well as providing opportunities for users to connect, collaborate, and create together.

It's important to mention that the metaverse is still in its early stage, and many technical, infrastructure, legal, and governance issues are to be solved. Companies that are already into and are planning to enter metaverse launch should plan and strategize for its multiple challenges.