Into the Metaverse (Yonatan Raz-Fridman)

On the 12th episode of This Week in the Metaverse, we dive into three topics that are relevant to the development of the metaverse and on which we believe we can provide unique expertise and insight given our experiences and backgrounds. First, we look at a Reuters report that Unity is considering spinning off its China business. Then, we discuss another Reuters article that suggests Tencent is interested in increasing its stake in Ubisoft. And lastly, we discuss earnings reports from Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Sony and Nintendo and look ahead to reports from Roblox and Take-Two.

A lot of the discussion around the metaverse is just about what already exists today in online games and elevating those experiences to the next level. Jonathan Stringfield, PhD, the VP of global business research and marketing at Activision Blizzard, joins us to breakdown why gaming is at the forefront of the metaverse development cycle, the influx of capital into the sector and what esports looks like in the metaverse era. And make sure to check out his new book, “Get in the Game: How to Level Up Your Business with Gaming, Esports, and Emerging Technologies” out today.

Joining me on this episode is Timoni West, VP & GM of Digital Twins at Unity, in what is likely one of the most fascinating conversations I had on the podcast.

Timoni is responsible for Unity’s cloud apps and services in industrial, automotive, commercial, and business markets, delivering value for customers moving into real time, simulation, reconstruction, and rendering. She runs a P&L with a team of 230+ people. Prior to this role, she was vice president of emerging tools and augmented and virtual reality, among other roles.

Timoni and I had a wide ranging conversation about virtual worlds, digital twins, ambient computing, artificial intelligence, predictive manufacturing, the future of industry, and why we’re only at the very beginning of a computing era that is smarter and more capable than we imagine.

On the metaverse:

"what we're really seeing here is that we're able to ingest massive amounts of data, often real time data, and then be able to record it, visualize it, or use it to power another device. And I think this has all kind of gotten swept up into what we're calling the metaverse today, but the old school, 1970s term was contextual computing where computers are able to take in contextual information from the world around them and able to do something cool.

On digital twins:

“with the Tyndall Air Force base, the large part of what they used our technology to do was to figure out how to make sure it did not get, Knocked down by a hurricane again because it was knocked down by a hurricane once. And hurricanes are also dangerous. So being able to not only take in the real-time information on the building site as they were building it out, but also be able to use historical data to figure out how to build the right thing in the future is I think a pretty great example of a digital twin.

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Piers Ridyard is the CEO of RDX Works - a core developer of the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocol, Radix. We cover in detail the challenges in building a scaled blockchain for a user-owned metaverse and what are key use cases to emerge in the near future.

This week Yon welcomes Itamar Benedy into the metaverse. Itamar is the co-founder and CEO of Anzu, the world’s most advanced intrinsic in-game ad solution for mobile, PC, console, and the metaverse. 

Anzu’s goal is to put players first and help advertisers reach audiences in a non-disruptive and highly engaging way. As Itamar states, “the metaverse is the digital twin of the physical world,” and he and his company are on the forefront of bringing an ad and marketing experience to the metaverse that matches its physical world counterparts.

During their conversation, Yon and Itamar discuss how to build a positive ad experience within the metaverse, the opportunities the new scale of gaming brings, how advertising can operate and scale differently in an open platform vs a closed platform, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse and How New Technologies Will Shape It (01:32)

• Building a Positive Ad Experience Within the Metaverse (04:05)

• New Scale Post-Pandemic Brings New Opportunities in Gaming (10:15)

• What Marketers and Brands Think About the Metaverse and Gaming (14:45)

• The Line Between an Ad and a Branded Video Game (19:15)

• How Advertising Can Scale in Open vs Closed Platform Virtual Environments (23:00)

• Why the Next Twelve Months May Be the Tipping Point (28:20)

Learn more about Anzu by visiting their website.

Follow Anzu: LinkedIn | YouTube | Discord | Twitter 

Follow Itamar: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Welcome to Into the Metaverse, in this week’s episode, Yon welcomes Marcus Holmström, Founder and CEO of The Gang, for a conversation centered around their experiences building a game studio for Roblox and the wider metaverse.

Marcus discusses the inception and growth of The Gang, the success of their branded experiences like Vans and Shrek on Roblox, and the future of integrating real-world commerce into virtual worlds. The two then discuss the importance of being an early adopter and continuously learning from the community, before touching upon the challenges of adapting to Roblox's unique audience and social components, the strategic growth of the company, and the role of new technologies and brand partnerships in shaping the future of the platform.

Learn more about The Gang and all their current and upcoming games

Follow Marcus: LinkedIn 

Chapters:

• Introduction (00:00)
• How The Gang Got Its Start (01:07)
• Learning How to Build on Roblox (04:40)
• Lessons Learned From First Game Failure (07:52)
• Pros and Cons of Hiring On or Off Platform Teams (10:12)
• Where Brand Adoption and Brand Goals Are on Roblox (14:13)
• Real World Commercialization of Roblox (25:12)
• Entertainment IP Coming Out Of And Into Roblox (28:44)
• Moving to Platforms Beyond Roblox (36:47)

Most Excited About in Year Ahead (39:58)

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Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

The concepts of digital identity and empowering individuals are core tenets of the social movement driving the development of the metaverse. Taylor Monahan from MetaMask joins us to break down philosophically how they view building in web3, the wallet as the potential gateway to your digital identity, bridging the needs and desires of a broad range of potential consumers in web3 and the outlook for regulation of the crypto sector.

Decentralization is a key trend in the metaverse, empowering users and creators and seeking to break down the walled gardens of current Internet platforms. Saro McKenna, the CEO of Dacoco, the creator of the largest NFT metaverse Alien Worlds, joins us to discuss the power of decentralized organizations, making web3 technologies more accessible to more users, building through the crypto market turmoil and building a diverse metaverse for people of all walks of life.

Yon is once again joined by Lisa Bernard to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Lisa Talk All Things Metaverse.

During their conversation they touch on President Biden’s new Executive Order on AI, news coming from the UK AI Safety Summit, Humane launching their new AI pin, and more.

Chapters:

• President Biden’s Executive Order on AI (00:50)
• UK’s AI Safety Summit (05:05)
• Humane Launching Their AI Pin (09:35)
• Artists vs AI and the Economics of LLMs (15:00)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Lisa Bernard is the creator/host of “Demystify AI”, presenting all the buzz about AI, VR, and the Metaverse. She is a longtime tv reporter whose work has been recognized with 3 Emmy awards.

Follow Lisa: Instagram | LinkedIn

Welcome to Into the Metaverse, in this week’s episode, Yon welcomes Charlie Fink to the podcast. Charlie writes the weekly Forbes column "This Week in XR" and co-hosts its companion podcast. He is the author of the critically acclaimed AR-enabled books Charlie Fink’s Metaverse (2017), and Convergence, How The World Will Be Painted With Data (2019). His career spans impactful stops at Disney, AOL, American Greetings, and more.

During their conversation, Charlie gives Yon the overview of his career and how it led to his interest and writing on the metaverse, before the two dive into how to define the metaverse today, the different generations of tech each generation of humans have had to work with and its implications on them, the future of devices and hardware, and much more.

Yon will be appearing on Charlie’s podcast in the near future, so be on the lookout for that to get more of this riveting conversation!

Chapters

• Charlie’s Career and Discovery of the Metaverse (00:25)
• Defining the Metaverse for the Next Decade (15:03)
• The Generations of Tech and its Users (24:31)
• Future of Devices and Hardware (37:25)
• Most Exciting Thing in Year Ahead (41:45)

Follow Charlie: Website | X | LinkedIn

Read Charlie on Forbes

Listen to This Week in XR: Apple | Spotify 

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | X

Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

What’s it like starting a gaming company in the metaverse and web3 era? We chat with Joseph Kim, the CEO of LILA Games, about his outlook on the metaverse and web3 in gaming and how these megatrends influence product and team decisions in starting a new mobile game company. We also discuss why now may be the right time to start a gaming company based in India amid a flurry of tech growth and venture investment in the country.

This week Yon welcomes Tian Lim into the metaverse. Tian currently serves as the VP of Product at Roblox, with a specific focus on creators. Prior to Roblox, Tian’s career path featured high level roles at companies like Google, Hulu, Sony, Microsoft, and more, giving him a deep knowledge of where the world of gaming and virtual communities has been, where it stands today, and where it may be headed in the future.

During their conversation Yon and Tian discuss the democratization of creation tools, why creators will drive the future of Roblox, how to remain an egalitarian platform at scale, opportunities for brands within the Roblox ecosystem, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse (01:10)

• The Potential in Roblox that Attracted Tian to Work There (02:50)

• Democratizing the Tools of Creation (07:30)

• Evolution of Creator Enablement (11:55)

• Power of Creation and the Ability to Earn on Roblox (15:20)

• Remaining an Egalitarian Platform at Scale (20:50)

• Visibility and Transparency Into Roblox’s Tech Roadmap (23:26)

• Opportunities for Brands and Their Place in the Roblox Ecosystem (25:47)

• Role of AI, Interoperability, and Blockchain (31:25)

• Ecosystem vs Platform and Building for the Future (37:53)

To learn more about the Roblox platform, visit their website.

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On the second episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Matthew is joined by Brian Peganoff, an advisor to several games companies and previously the Senior Director of Corporate Development & Strategy at Glu Mobile, to break down three news items and how they impacting the development of the metaverse. They look at a16z’s new $600 million Games Fund One and $4.5 billion Crypto Fund Four, the M&A rumors swirling around Electronic Arts and the games industry as a whole and earnings takeaways from Roblox, Unity and Nvidia.

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

Yon opens by sharing his thoughts on the terrorist attacks against Israel before he and Priya dive into their conversation covering safety for children in the metaverse, managing access to experiences, and reactions to recent announcements from Microsoft, Meta, and Apple.

Chapters:

• Thoughts on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel (00:25)

• Safety for Children in the Metaverse (03:40)

• Managing Access to Experiences for Children (07:05)

• Reactions to Microsoft’s Mesh Announcement (10:05)

• Meta Connect Reactions (12:20)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

Follow Priya: LinkedIn | TikTok | | Twitter

This week Yon welcomes John Linden into the metaverse. Currently the CEO of Mythical Games, John has formerly been President at Seismic Games overseeing such games as Marvel’s Strike Force, and Studio Head at Activision overseeing multiple iterations of the Call of Duty franchise. With this extensive background in the gaming world, John is one of the best people to speak with about what has and has not worked in this industry and where things may be headed.

During their conversation Yon and John discuss the role of blockchain in enabling a true user owned internet, how to bring interoperability into gaming and the metaverse, empowering players to create their own content, the financial aspects of the industry past and present, the futures of Mythical Games’ different gaming properties, and much more.

Chapters:

• How Does John Define the Metaverse (01:15)

• Role of Blockchain Enabling a True User Owned Internet (04:25)

• How Interoperability Can Work (06:45)

• Building the Next Generation of Gaming (12:50)

• Empowering the Player to Create Content (19:25)

• Monetization and Building a Digital Supply Chain (22:45)

• Mythos Foundation and Building a Marketplace Currency (29:50)

• The Financialization of Web3 (35:40)

• What’s Next for Blankos, NFL Rivals, and Nitro Nation (42:45)

• Potential Order of Magnitude Progress in the Next Year (47:54)

To view all Mythical Games has to offer, visit their website.

Learn more about the Mythos Foundation and token by visiting their website.

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Creators are flourishing with the proliferation of non-fungible tokens and web3 technologies, empowering them with new tools to better connect with fans and collectors. We were happy to be joined by Sutu who uses art and technology in new ways to tell stories including his latest project, Neonz, which explores the full potential of an AR Metaverse. We had a wide-ranging conversation with Sutu about many topics including the empowerment of creators in the metaverse era, how intellectual property takes shape in the web3 era and at the end of the conversation, an exclusive about an upcoming project from Sutu.

On the 13th episode of This Week In the Metaverse, Yon and Matthew dive into a few key topics and circle back to ones from recent weeks with additional color and updates. First, we look at Roblox’s financial results for the second quarter of 2022, look at some of the key numbers for a strong July and look ahead to the platform’s future prospects. Yon also gives a good overview of what, as someone building a business on Roblox, he is most keen to track. Then, we circle back to Unity to discuss the company’s China joint venture partners and what that means for its development in the country. Next, we dive into AppLovin’s unsolicited takeover offer for Unity. And then lastly, we discuss announcements in and around SIGGRAPH including Unity partnering with Microsoft Azure, Unity winning a new government contract and Nvidia’s Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine.

Michael Auerbach is founder & General Partner at Subversive Capital, an investment firm, and SVP at Albright Stonebridge Group. We cover in detail what the metaverse means to him and his firm, the opportunities ahead, and the notorious PUNK ETF which shorts Meta Platforms.

Unity is one of the few companies with advanced real-time 3d capabilities that is positioned to help usher in the metaverse era. Marc Whitten, the Senior Vice President of Create at Unity, joins the podcast to breakdown Unity’s growth in the metaverse, how Unity plans to unleash the creator economy by democratizing real-time 3d development tools, platform interoperability and the potential of web3 technologies as we build towards a collective vision of the metaverse.

On the latest episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon and Matthew once again break down three key items that are influential in shaping the development of the metaverse and on which we believe we can provide unique insight and expertise. First, we look at the announcement from Mojang that they are banning all NFT’s in Minecraft. Then, we discuss Dubai’s goal to create 40,000 blockchain and metaverse jobs over the next five years. Lastly, we look at Yuga Labs’ new tech demo for its Otherside metaverse and discuss what it means for the future of the company and for PFP NFT’s.

This week Yon welcomes Raffaella Camera into the metaverse to discuss how the power of platforms like UEFN and Roblox can be leveraged by brands to improve and grow their businesses.

Raffaella was most recently the Head of Brands at Epic Games’ Unreal Engine where she was responsible for the overall industry setup and strategic growth of the Epic ecosystem - from tools to Fortnite - for the Lifestyle Brands industry. Prior to Epic, Raffaella spent time as a Partner at Accenture, where she co-created the global Accenture XR practice and served as Global Head of Innovation & Strategy. Between these roles and others she has held in her career, she has built a deep knowledge of how brands can interact with and derive value from metaverse platforms, making her a fantastic guest to dive into today’s topics with. 

During their conversation, Yon and Raffaella discuss the power of Unreal Engine for verticals outside of gaming, the UEFN & LVMH partnership that Raffaella helped secure and what it means for the industry, how Fortnite could transition from a game to a platform, and much more. 

Chapters:

• Episode and Guest Introduction (00:00)
• How Does Raffaella Define the Metaverse (02:48)
• Raffaella’s Journey that Led Her to Epic Games (07:50)
• Why Epic Games and Their Platform was so Attractive (13:05)
• Proving the Unreal Engine’s Power to Other Verticals (17:10)
• LVMH Partnership and What it Means for the Industry (19:25)
• Non-Gaming Solutions Offered by the Metaverse (24:55)
• Fortnite Creative’s Role in the Future of the Game Industry (31:55)
• Dealing with Perception that Fortnite is a Game, Not a Platform (36:45)
• Role of Platforms like Roblox and Fortnite Creative for Brands in Short Term (40:45)
• Most Excited About in Next Twelve Months (47:25)

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It’s been a busy week in the world of the metaverse, capped off by a fascinating display of the next generation of 3D avatars as Mark Zuckerberg and Lex Fridman recorded a podcast fully in their Codec Avatar form via a Meta Quest headset. 

To break this and all the latest news down, Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens in this edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

During their conversation, Yon & Priya cover what we saw and learned from Zuck’s podcast appearance, the recent layoffs at Epic Games, where Roblox is headed coming out of their developer conference, and much more.

Chapters:

• Zuckerberg Brings Podcasting into the Metaverse (00:35)

• Human Expression Brought to Life (04:40)

• Layoffs at Epic Games (07:35)

• Roblox Thoughts Coming Out of RDC23 (10:48)

• Expectations and Excitement for Meta Quest 3 Release (13:50)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

Follow Priya: LinkedIn | TikTok | | Twitter

Welcome back to Into the Metaverse. In this week’s episode, Yon and Matthew dive into four of the most important and interesting news stories related to the metaverse.

The topics we discuss today include the smash hit new video game Palworld, the latest salvo in the Apple vs. Epic saga, the launch apps for the Apple Vision Pro and Netflix’s gaming strategy.

Check out friend of the pod Joost Van Dreunen’s take on the Palworld controversy.

Read the interview Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters did with Stratechery.

Chapters:

• Introduction (00:00)
• Palworld Dominance & Controversy (01:13)
• Apple Announces Third Party Payments in EU (07:25)
• Apple Vision Pro Launch Apps Announced (15:30)
• Netflix’s Gaming Strategy (20:15)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

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As the metaverse emerges, it’s becoming increasingly evident that many are seeking to tackle some of the key technical challenges of the new platform with cryptocurrencies, blockchain and associated web3 technologies. Ryan Wyatt, the CEO of Polygon Studios, joins Mathew and Yon to discuss the future of web3 in the metaverse and gaming, how Polygon plans to invest more deeply in partnerships with creators and developers and easing the onramp to crypto games and worlds for a more casual audience.

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya cover the decimation of Metaverse real estate values, the emerging job market in virtual design, why we all need to calm down about AI replacing humans, and much more. 

Chapters:

Episode Intro (00:00)

Metaverse Real Estate Values Plummet (00:45)

Different Motivations Bring Different Consumers (04:00)

Emerging Job Market in Virtual Design (07:00)

The Technological Revolution and Why We Should All Calm Down (10:52)

NVIDIA’s Big Bet on AI Paying Dividends (17:05)

Looking Towards the Week Ahead (20:50)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

Follow Priya: LinkedIn | TikTok | | Twitter

Timmu Toke is the co-founder and CEO of Ready Player Me. We cover in detail the role that 3D avatars play in enabling new forms of expression, exploration and socialization in the next era of the Internet, and what are some of the use cases that are already showing promise today.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

How are enterprises viewing investing in the metaverse today? Yon was delighted to welcome Edwina Fitzmaurice, the Chief Customer Success Officer at EY to the podcast. Edwina is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council, an adjunct associate professor at Trinity College Dublin and a board member and chair of the governance committee of WIN: Women in Innovation.

Edwina and Yon had a wonderful conversation covering a broad range of topics, including which technologies are driving the conversation in the boardroom today, why companies are expanding into immersive metaverse platforms and why inclusivity is a core tenet of building disruptive technologies.

Follow Edwina: LinkedIn

Read Edwina’s column in Information Week.

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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The views reflected in this video/podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.

Moritz is a Partner and the Head of Gaming at Lightspeed Venture Partners, a venture capital firm with over $18 billion in capital under management and more than 500 investments across the U.S., Europe, and Asia—including Epic Games, Stability AI, and Snap. Previously, Moritz was a partner and management team member at BITKRAFT Ventures where he led investments into Inworld AI, Theorycraft Games, Raid Base, Lightforge Games, and Horizon Blockchain Games among others.

We cover in detail Moritz and Lightspeed’s approach to investing in gaming, how Moritz think about the metaverse and adjacent technologies and trends, what’s his wider hypothesis on the category, and what are some of the key areas he’s focusing on. Really enjoyed hearing Moritz’s thoughtful perspectives, bringing his experience in gaming and an understanding on how emerging technology is unlocking new ways of building next-generation games and experiences.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

This week Yon welcomes Alvaro Velilla into the metaverse to discuss the future of music in the metaverse as well as an exciting new partnership between Supersocial and Universal Music Group in bringing the game, Beat Galaxy, to life!

Alvaro’s career spans over twenty years of experience driving business transformation at the intersection of Entertainment, Technology, and Creative Industries. This includes his founding of Pulselocker, the first music streaming service built to be integrated with music performance applications, as well as a stint at Soundcloud leading their business development team, before reaching his current role as Senior Vice President of New Business at Universal Music Group where he is in charge of devising and implementing UMG’s New Business strategy with a particular focus on new business models, immersive experiences, gaming, and Web3.

We're all incredibly curious to know how UMG, who is one of the largest and most influential companies in the music world, thinks about virtual worlds, gaming, and what the next iteration of the internet means for record labels, artists, and fans

During their conversation Yon and Alvaro dive into those above questions, Alvaro’s journey and lessons he’s learned, what Roblox needs to get right to integrate best with the music industry, the exciting new partnership between their two companies, and much more.

To learn more about the launch of Beat Galaxy, visit here.

To play Beat Galaxy on Roblox, visit here.

Learn more about Universal Music Group by visiting their website.

Follow Alvaro: LinkedIn

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This week Yon welcomes Sam Peurifoy into the metaverse. Sam brings a wealth of knowledge and an investment lens to the podcast, as he is a partner and the head of interactive at Hivemind Capital, a Web3 and blockchain technology focused investment firm.

During their conversation Yon and Sam discuss if the fictionalized nightmare of corporate overlords running the metaverse is realistic, talk about what actually took place during the first wave of Web3, break down how open source software can work inside of a corporate model, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse (01:00)

• Avoiding the Corporate Overlord Scenarios of Fiction (03:10)

• Relationship Between Simplified Use and Platform Control (07:55)

• What Really Happened in the First Wave of Web3 (10:50)

• How Open Source Software Inside of a Corporate Model Can Work (16:25)

• How Does Hivemind Approach the Web3 Investment Landscape (19:15)

• Sector Sam is Most Excited About in the Next Year (23:00)

Learn more about Hivemind by visiting their website.

Get in touch with Sam via his website.

Follow Sam: LinkedIn | Twitter | Medium

Watch Sam’s podcast, Web3 Wednesdays, on YouTube.

You can also check out Yon’s interview on Web3 Wednesday’s with Sam by visiting here.

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

The metaverse is emerging from interactive entertainment, most notably the gaming sector, and there’s no better authority on everything happening in gaming than VentureBeat and GamesBeat’s Dean Takahashi. We discussed a range of topics about all things gaming and the metaverse including the evolution of gaming in the metaverse era, how that compare and contrasts with Meta Platforms’ view of the metaverse, the impact of gaming consolidation and the role crypto may play in all of this.

The man who coined the term “Metaverse” over 30 years ago, esteemed author and technology advisor, Neal Stephenson and his new business partner Peter Vessenes, the CEO, Chairman and Exec Founder of CoinLab and co-founder of the Bitcoin Foundation, join Yon and Matthew to have a wide-ranging discussion about all things metaverse and their new venture Lamina1. We dove into many amazing topics including how Neal’s definition of the metaverse has evolved over the years, how blockchain technology will be a key enabler for creators to monetize their work in the metaverse and how Lamina1 is positioning itself to provide the economic guardrails to power this creative boom.

It’s a very exciting day for Into the Metaverse as Yon is joined by Priya David Clemens to launch a brand new segment of the show called This Week in the Metaverse.

Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Every week she will be joining Yon to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse, with the goal as always of helping you better understand what the Metaverse is, how it will impact your life, and what opportunities it may unlock.

In this inaugural episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon & Priya cover the imminent release of Apple’s new VR goggles, whether we should be calling the Metaverse by a different name, confront the narrative that the Metaverse is dead, and much more. 

Chapters:

Introducing New Weekly Show with Priya (00:00)

Apple’s New VR Goggles Set for Release (05:00)

Is Apple Bringing Any New Experiences to the Space (10:40)

Why VR and the Metaverse are Different Things (15:40)

Should We Be Calling the Metaverse Something Else (19:45)

Confronting the Narrative that the Metaverse is Dead (23:11)

Technology Developments in China (26:25)

Final Thoughts for the Week (31:05)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

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The last few weeks have been incredibly exciting as Yon and the Supersocial team saw the launch of Piñata Smashlings, their collaboration effort with toy company Toikido to build a new brand that combines a gaming experience and community with the physical world of toys, trading cards, and more. 

With this launch happening, it felt like the perfect time for Yon to welcome Darran Garnham, Founder and CEO of Toikido, into the metaverse.

During their conversation Yon and Darran first discuss the overall power of the metaverse in helping you find your people, how industries that serve kids need to adapt to new technologies, and the fundamentals that make Roblox so unique and relevant, before diving into what Piñata Smashlings and the Piñataverse are, how it came about, the depth of story they hope to provide, and much more about this exciting new world. 

Chapters:

• The Power of the Metaverse to Help You Find Your People (01:10)
• Bringing Toys and Characters to the Intersection of Digital and Physical (04:40)
• How Industries that Serve Kids Need to Adapt (08:00)
• Fundamentals that Make Roblox so Relevant and Unique (12:55)
• The Piñata Smashlings Universe and the Depth of Story It Provides (21:30)
• The Launch of Piñata Smashlings and Attempting to Build Generational Relevance (29:15)

Learn more about Piñata Smashlings by visiting here.

Learn more about Toikido by visiting their website.

Follow Toikido: LinkedIn | Instagram 

Follow Darran: LinkedIn

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

As the metaverse emerges, some applications and experiences today are already giving us a taste of what the ultimate end state of the metaverse may look like. Tim O’Reilly, CEO and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, a partner at early stage venture firm O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures and the man who helped popularize the term Web 2.0 in the aftermath of dotcom crash, joins us to discuss the future of interactive, social, web-based experiences, where we are in the development cycle towards building the true metaverse vision, the role governments should play in shaping the metaverse’s development and how crypto and blockchain technologies fit into his view of the metaverse.

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya go in depth on Mark Zuckerberg’s response to the Apple Vision Pro launch, open source vs closed source approaches to building ecosystems, LVMH and Epic Games partnership announcement, and much more.

Chapters:

• Zuckerberg’s Response to the Apple Vision Pro Launch (00:35)

• Meta’s Open Source Approach vs Apple’s Closed Source Approach (03:05)

• New Partnership Between LVMH and Epic Games (06:15)

• Improbable Raises $150m to Establish M² Metaverse Network (09:15)

• The Metaverse is in its Infancy (14:50)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

Follow Priya: LinkedIn | TikTok | | Twitter

Louis Rosenberg is a pioneer in fields of augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. He earned his PhD from Stanford, has been awarded over 300 patents for VR, AR, and AI technologies, and founded a number of successful companies including Unanimous AI, Immersion Corporation, Microscribe, and Outland Research. We cover in detail the important aspects for how we build a metaverse that we can trust and believe in.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

China’s metaverse is set to evolve on a separate, parallel path to the rest of the world given consumption, regulatory and geopolitical differences. Alex Xu, the CEO of MultiMetaverse Inc, a leading animation company in China and formerly the CEO of games company Leyou Technologies, and Nina Xiang, a renowned author, award-winning journalist, and an expert on the Chinese venture capital and technology sector, join us to discuss China’s burgeoning metaverse, its parallel path to the rest of the world and empowering creators to export content to a global audience.

On this 11th episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon and Matthew once again break down three key items that we deem influential to the development of the metaverse and on which we believe we can provide a unique perspective. First, we dive into Meta’s earnings and new product announcements, including news that a web-based version of Horizon and the mixed reality Cambria headset are coming out this year. Second, we discuss developer economics of Roblox after Naavik published a great article on the subject. And lastly, we discuss Supersocial’s new experience launch with Nars Cosmetics and the future of branded experiences on the platform.

Joining me today is Gilad Talmon, CEO of YOOM - a leading volumetric video technology company making the next wave of content creation accessible to creators and brands, providing them a direct path into the virtual worlds and beyond through a proprietary technology.

With over 16 years of senior management experience across various technology sectors in both the startup and corporate space, Gilad previously served as the Programs & Business Development Director at Elbit Systems Aerospace Ltd. in Israel, where he was intimately involved with AR.

We cover in detail the role of advanced technologies like the one YOOM is building on enabling an ever-expanded and accessible content creation to populate virtual worlds by both professional developers and individual creators. We also discuss why digital avatars are already playing an instrumental role in the way young people socialize and express themselves and why this trend will only accelerate as virtual and gaming continue to emerge as a next-generation mass media.

"when I refer to the metaverse, it's a range between augmented reality, superimposed on the real world through mixed reality and flat screen immersive environments, gaming environments on the flat screen, and then all the way to virtual reality… The human beings and human interactions will play a very big role, but it's only attainable if you can create these at scale, and creating them at scale means that they need to be compatible with all of these engines that can update them automatically. So artificial intelligence of text demotion and conversational AI. Their motion looks good and you can create them relatively easy. That's where we wanna be. We want to be an enabler to create these digital humans for you to use however you want, whether it's leaving messages or virtual helpers in the street, or virtual tourism, or in game or in training for enterprise.”

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Welcome to season 2 of Into the Metaverse. Yon and Matthew are back after a short hiatus and taking the temperature of the metaverse and discussing some interesting new developments from the last few weeks. We discuss the intersection of web 3 technologies and the metaverse, the case for interoperability and just where we are in the metaverse development cycle. We also break down Nvidia’s Omniverse announcements from its GTC conference and dive into the metaverse implications of Bored Ape Yacht Club parent Yuga Labs’ big funding round.

This week Yon welcomes Jonathan Pan into the metaverse. Jonathan is the Head of Product at Store No. 8, the incubation arm of Walmart. Between his current role and his prior stops at companies such as Riot Games, Amazon, and Meta, Jonathan has built a long track record of working in and on emerging technologies where he can let his passion for building content and teams thrive.

During their conversation Yon and Jonathan discuss how emerging technologies will both contribute to and complement the metaverse, break down key insights from Jonathan’s article on the practical metaverse, lay out the advantages Roblox’s dedicated developer community affords them, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introducing Jonathan Pan (00:25)

• How Jon Defines the Metaverse (01:25)

• How Do Emerging Technologies (AI, Blockchain, Etc) Contribute to and Complement the Metaverse (04:30)

• Key Insights from Jonathan’s Article on the Practical Metaverse (08:30)

• First Time Realizing the Potential of Roblox and Minecraft as Platforms (12:30)

• What Will Still Be True About Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft Three to Five Years From Now (17:45)

• The Advantage of Roblox’s Dedicated Developer Community (22:40)

• One Thing Jonathan is Most Excited For in Next Five Years (29:30)

Learn more about Jonathan and Store No. 8 by visiting their website.

To read Jonathan’s article The Practical Metaverse visit here.

Follow Jonathan: LinkedIn | Medium

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

On the ninth episode of This Week in the Metaverse (not the eighth as mistakingly said on the recording), Yon and Matthew break down Unity’s $4.4 billion announced acquisition of ironSource and what it means for Unity’s near-term and longer-term prospects as a metaverse infrastructure company. We also look at the impact of Disney accepting Polygon into its Accelerator program to develop AR, NFT and AI experiences and supermodel Karlie Kloss’ pop-up fashion boutiques in Roblox.

This week Yon welcomes Unanimous AI CEO & Chief Scientist, Louis Rosenberg, into the metaverse. Having earned his PhD from Stanford, Louis has been a pioneer in the fields of augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, with over 300 patents in these fields to his name. Louis’ background as both a scientist and business leader make him the perfect guest to talk to about the possibilities of AI and how it will integrate with and influence what ultimately becomes of the metaverse.

During their conversation Yon and Louis discuss the path to meaningful use for the metaverse, how generative AI is being used now and how it will be used in the near future, the power, potential, and possible negative influence offered by conversational computing, and much more.

Chapters:

• What is the Metaverse (01:25)

• Finding the Most Meaningful Use for the Metaverse (02:50)

• How Generative AI Accelerates the Metaverse (12:17)

• Conversational Computing and the Influence It Could Hold (16:55)

• Personal Identity in a World of AI Avatars (25:10)

Follow Louis: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Unanimous AI by visiting their website.

Follow Unanimous AI: Discord | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Samuel Huber is the CEO of LandVault, a company that helps brands establish presence in Blockchain-based, metaverse-type platforms such as Sandbox and Decentraland. We cover in detail why virtual land matters in the metaverse and what are the challenges ahead for mass adoption.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

On the fourth episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Matthew and Yon break down three news items that are influential to the development of the metaverse and on which we can provide unique perspective and expertise. First, we look at the announcement of new UGC games from Sky Mavis from its Builders Program. Then, we dive into the financial results of Animoca Brands, the parent company of the Sandbox. And lastly, we discuss the announcement that Gala Games’ Grit will be available on the Epic Games Store.

Yon is once again joined by Lisa Bernard to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Lisa Talk All Things Metaverse.

During their conversation they discuss where brand advertising is at in it’s adoption of the metaverse, how generative AI is enabling the next frontier of personal creativity, Lego coming to Fortnite, and more.

Chapters:

• Brands Building Persistent Presence on Roblox (00:25)

• Generative AI Enabling the Next Level of Creative Expression (05:25)

• Lego Coming to Fortnite (11:12)

• Web3 Monopolization and the Start-Up Ecosystem (15:33)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Lisa is the creator/host of “Demystify AI”, presenting all the buzz about AI, VR, and the Metaverse. She is a longtime tv reporter whose work has been recognized with 3 Emmy awards.

Follow Lisa: Instagram | LinkedIn

Building an open, decentralized, democratic Internet is the aim of many web3 metaverse platforms, seeking to create a better future for our digital lives than the one controlled by walled gardens fueled by personal data. Marja Konttinen, the marketing director of Decentraland, joins us to break down the ethos of their platform, how they view the metaverse as a public good, just how nascent the development cycle of web3 metaverse platforms is and the challenges on educating new entrants into the metaverse on its potential.

Yon is once again joined by Lisa Bernard to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Lisa Talk All Things Metaverse.

During their conversation they discuss Open AI’s release of GPTs and the eventual marketplace that will house them, the new AI Pin from Humane and if it could potentially replace our smartphones, and the launch of the e.l.f. UP! Experience on Roblox.

Chapters:

• Open AI Unveils GPTs and a Marketplace (00:25)
• Security and Downsides to GPTs (05:15)
• Could Humane’s AI Pin Replace our Smartphones (07:50)
• Launching the e.l.f. UP! Experience on Roblox (13:00)

Check out e.l.f. UP! on Roblox by visiting here.

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Lisa is the creator/host of “Demystify AI”, presenting all the buzz about AI, VR, and the Metaverse. She is a longtime tv reporter whose work has been recognized with 3 Emmy awards.

Follow Lisa: Instagram | LinkedIn

In this episode Yon welcomes Connie Kuang into the metaverse. Connie leads the Metaverse & Generative AI Value Creation team at the World Economic Forum, where she and her team have been hard at work researching and writing a five part series of reports on building a responsible metaverse that have just begun to be released.   

During their conversation Yon and Connie discuss what value creation in the metaverse looks like, key challenges in bridging technological gaps, why access to new technologies is paramount, aspects of the World Economic Forum’s upcoming metaverse reports, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introducing Connie (00:20)
• What is the Metaverse (01:15)
• Value Creation in the Metaverse (04:00)
• Key Challenges in Bridging the Technological Gap (06:30)
• Moderating Involvement in the Evolution of the Metaverse (11:40)
• Need for Access and Its Relation to Adoption (17:15)
• Five Dimensions Outlined in Upcoming WEF Metaverse Report (21:20)
• One Key Insight from the Report that has Connie Excited (24:40)
• Being an Extension of the Human Experience Not a Replacement (28:15)

To learn more about the World Economic Forum’s Defining and Building the Metaverse Initiative, visit here.

To read the Social Implications of the Metaverse report from the Value Creation track, visit here.

To read the Metaverse Privacy and Safety report from the Governance track, visit here.

Follow Connie: LinkedIn 

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Second Life was one of the first examples of a proto-metaverse gaming platform, a persistent, shared, virtual world where individuals could socialize, play and learn together. We were delighted to have a wide-reaching conversation with Philip Rosedale, the the founder and creator of Second Life, where we dive into Second Life’s renaissance in the last few years, the push of large technology companies into the metaverse and what that means for its development, the prospects for more live entertainment to move into metaverse platforms and empowering creators with more real-time 3D development tools.

To kick off our slate of fantastic guests for 2024, Matthew was delighted to chat with Steven Gay, the CEO of Mode Maison. Mode Maison is the first and only multi-brand retail platform for luxury home goods and the first and only multi-brand retail platform built entirely with digital twins.

Steven and Matthew had an excellent conversation about the importance of digital twins in the luxury goods market, what differentiates Mode Maison’s technology from peers and why their company decided to focus first on the luxury home goods market for digital twins applications. Steven also discussed the company’s work with the DigitalCore Consortium and why we need organizations like DigitalCore to help spearhead the digitization of industries like luxury retail.

And to wrap it all up, Steven left us with a fun prediction for the metaverse in 2024, which you’ll have to listen through to catch at the end of the conversation.

Follow Steven: LinkedIn 

Follow Mode Maison: Website | Instagram

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Steven’s Background (01:05)

What is the Metaverse (02:25)

Defining DigitalCore (04:55)

Efficiencies that Come From Digitization (07:05)

Using Digital Twins to Solve Retails Biggest Tech Problem (09:25)

Need for Sense Data from the Real World (15:50)

Standards Based Technologies and the DigitalCore Consortium (24:35)

One Big Prediction for 2024 (30:55)

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Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Follow Matthew: LinkedIn | Twitter

Joost van Dreunen is an entrepreneur and author. He teaches the business of video games at NYU Stern School of Business and wrote a book called ONE UP: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games. He spent the last two decades as an industry analyst working with all of the major firms on strategy. After selling SuperData Research, a games research firm he co-founded, to Nielsen in 2018, he’s now investing and advising data companies and game makers. We cover in detail the growing role of gaming in helping to realize the metaverse and why “video games” are a key pillar in the paradigm shift of human experience on the Internet.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Yon is back to discuss the latest news items surrounding the metaverse. He is joined this week by 3-time Emmy award winning reporter and Web3 journalist, Lisa Bernard. 

In this week’s edition of Yon & Lisa Talk All Things Metaverse, the two cover Nvidia’s recent ChatGPT experiments, how Disney can bring their IP into the metaverse, Apple’s place in the AI race, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introducing Lisa (00:25)

• Autonomous AI and Nvidia’s ChatGPT Experiments  (00:50)

• How Disney Will Bring Its IP Into the Metaverse (03:17)

• Apple Caught Flat Footed in the AI Race (08:25)

• Apple Under Promising and Over Delivering with the Vision Pro (11:40)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Lisa is the creator/host of “Demystify AI”, presenting all the buzz about AI, VR, and the Metaverse. She is a longtime tv reporter whose work has been recognized with 3 Emmy awards.

Follow Lisa: Instagram | LinkedIn

Roblox just reported a very strong set of results for 2023 and Yon and Matthew are back to break it down. We also had to dive into Epic and Disney’s new partnership.

For those that missed it, Disney is investing $1.5 billion for an undisclosed equity stake in Epic. They will partner to build immersive experiences around Disney’s iconic IPs like Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar.

Chapters:

Key Highlights from Roblox’s Earnings (01:22)

Aging Up of the Roblox Platform (06:18)

Roblox Cash Flow & Financial Numbers (07:10)

Upcoming Initiatives for Roblox (08:38)

AI Deployment on the Roblox Platform (11:05)

Roblox Wrap Up (13:45)

Epic x Disney First Reactions (14:20)

Disney’s Gaming Strategy (20:37)

Epic’s 3rd Party Partner Strategy (22:05)

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Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

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Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Joining me today is Michael Kennedy, an advisor and public speaker on rapidly evolving metaverse and modern / hybrid work technologies and best practices. His focus is transforming the workplace to deliver increased productivity and business outcomes while improving organizational culture to attract and retain the best employees.

"the way I define the metaverse is really around the enterprise metaverse - an evolving set of enabling capabilities. To create more immersive employee, customer, and industry experiences to foster engagement, inclusivity, collaboration, and digital integration helping people and organizations achieve more."

https://www.intometamedia.com/

This week Yon welcomes Chris Heatherly into the metaverse to chat about all things brands, creators, and IP in the next generation of gaming.

Chris is a veteran executive in the games industry and has been an innovator and leader at the intersection of entertainment and technology for over 20 years. He ran the games business for both Disney and NBCUniversal as a general manager. His experience working with brands and IP such as Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Jurassic World, and more make him an ideal guest to break down the modern state of brands and IP in gaming and the metaverse.

During their conversation, Yon and Chris discuss the backlash towards Web3 and NFTs in recent years, why switching costs matter so much in the modern economics of gaming, IP management in a digital first world, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introduction (00:25)
• Defining the Metaverse (01:10)
• Connection and Interoperability (04:50)
• Deciphering the Backlash Towards Web3 and NFTs (09:37)
• Switching Costs and the Modern Economics of Gaming (22:09)
• Growth Challenges for Platforms like Roblox and UEFN (31:32)
• Brand and IP Management in a Digital World (40:17)
• Generative AI’s Impact on the Metaverse (51:52)
• What the Next Year Has in Store (58:35)

Check out Chris’ studio’s newest game launch, The Mystery Society, by visiting here.

Follow Chris: Twitter | LinkedIn

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

In this episode Yon welcomes Aiden Slavin into the metaverse. Aiden leads the Metaverse Governance team at the World Economic Forum, where he and all of the metaverse related teams at WEF have been hard at work researching and writing a five part series of reports on building a responsible metaverse that have just begun to be released.   

During their conversation Yon and Aiden delve into data privacy in the metaverse, the need for metaverse literacy, how different generations will adopt and interact with the metaverse, the role AI will play in the expansion of the metaverse, and much more.

Chapters:

• What is the Metaverse to Aiden (01:10)
• Data Privacy in the Metaverse (03:05)
• Privacy and Safety by Design (07:25)
• The Need for Metaverse Literacy (08:50)
• Adoption and Use by Different Generations of Users (13:08)
• Role AI Will Play in Expansion and Popularization of the Metaverse (16:50)
• Relationship Between Thought Leaders, Regulators, Business Leaders (21:30)
• Translating “Don’t Be Evil” Into Software Development Principle (23:25)
• One Thing Aiden is Most Excited for in Next 12 Months (25:40)

To learn more about the World Economic Forum’s Defining and Building the Metaverse Initiative, visit here.

To read the Social Implications of the Metaverse report from the Value Creation track, visit here.

To read the Metaverse Privacy and Safety report from the Governance track, visit here.

Follow Aiden: LinkedIn 

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Yon and Matthew are back to kick off 2024 discussing the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Matthew Talk All Things Metaverse.

Topics covered include the recent UGC Gaming Report from Naavik, the latest news around Apple Vision Pro, continued layoffs across the industry, and Yon and Matthew’s favorite debuts from CES.

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Reactions to the UGC Gaming Industry Report (01:55)

Apple Vision Pro Announces Ship Date (10:15)

Layoffs Continue Across Industry (17:45)

Favorite Products from CES (23:20)

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Read the UGC Gaming report from Naavik here.

Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Follow Matthew: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Special episode for thanksgiving with the wonderful Esther Wojcicki!

Esther is a journalist, educator, and vice chair of the Creative Commons advisory council. She is the founder of the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Program in Palo Alto, CA. and the Co-Founder of Tract Learning, which publishes the web app Tract, a peer to peer, project-based, gamified learning platform for kids 8 years and over. Esther’s book, How To Raise Successful People, is a best seller!

We cover in detail how technology is rapidly changing every aspect of our lives and what the future of workplace looks like, but at the same time the education system lags behind and continues to struggle with these rapid changes and preparing children for the future.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Maxim Perumal is the founder of Unai, a stealth startup company that makes a VR headset and Virtual World dedicated to making human interactions look, feel, and sound like they do in real life. Unai is funded by NFX, Stride, Y Combinator and David Helgason (founder of Unity Engine), among others. Previously Maxim built Relativty, a popular open-source VR headset when he was 15 years old. He open-sourced it after Meta (then Facebook) invited him to meet with Oculus' Chief Architect.

We cover in detail the story of building an open-source VR headset which led Maxim to drop out of high school and begin his journey to build next generation VR platform with Unai, which while is still in stealth mode, spark interest from leading investors who are backing Maxim in his quest to build a truly user-focused VR headset and experience. We also discuss the key pillars that are crucial to providing an enjoyable user experience and what the wider competitive landscape looks like, including Maxim’s point of view on Meta and Apple’s efforts in the space.

“An Instantaneous sense of presence” is how Maxim described the essence of how the metaverse will make people feel.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya go in depth on the release of Apple’s Vision Pro device, discussing its potential use cases, why Apple is smart to focus on entertainment elements first, the reasons behind calling it a spatial computer instead of a virtual reality device, and much more.

Chapters:

Apple Launch Takes Over The News (00:30)

Use Cases for the Apple Vision Pro (02:25)

Entertainment and Work Elements Smart Strategy for Apple (06:00)

Gaming Partnerships and What They Mean (09:40)

Apple’s Specific Use of Spatial Computer, Not Virtual Reality Product (11:55)

The Future of Spatial Computing (14:40)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

Follow Priya: LinkedIn | TikTok | | Twitter

Royal O'Brien is the General Manager of Digital Media and Games at the Linux Foundation. We cover in detail the role of open source technologies in enabling the emergence of a metaverse we can all believe in and get excited about.

To close out the year, Yon welcomes back to the show former co-host Matthew Kanterman to recap everything that happened in the metaverse in 2023 and to look ahead at what intrigues and excites them the most about 2024 and beyond! 

Long-time listeners will quickly recognize Matthew as he was here at the inception of the Into the Metaverse podcast back in 2021 as co-host for the first iteration of the show. Matthew is a former Bloomberg analyst who has spent the last few years in high level research roles for metaverse related companies, where he has continued to expand his knowledge and thoughts around the metaverse, AI, and all emerging technologies. Stick around to the end of today’s show to hear some exciting news about Matthew’s future work plans!

During their conversation Yon and Matthew first build a consensus on what the metaverse has come to mean in 2023, then discuss the year that was and the year ahead for both Epic Games and Roblox, before finishing up with topics of AI, the market size of the metaverse, and what they are most excited for in the coming year.

Chapters:

• Introduction (00:25)
• Defining the Metaverse and Its Core Building Blocks (02:15)
• Why Unification and Interoperability Matter (09:45)
• UEFN, LEGO on Fortnite, and How Epic Games Handled 2023 (12:55)
• UEFN Thoughts and Predictions for 2024 (21:50)
• Adding an Advertising Layer to the Roblox Economies (30:55)
• Real World Commerce Integration on Roblox in 2024 and Beyond (39:40)
• How AI Pushed the Metaverse Forward in 2023 (47:52)
• The Market Size Opportunity of a Real Time 3D Internet (53:45)
• What Matthew and Yon are Most Excited for in 2024 (56:57)
• Announcement About Matthew’s New Role (01:07:45)

Follow Matthew: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Richard Ward is the former Head of Metaverse at McKinsey, the leading management consulting firm, where he focuses on advising clients on metaverse and web3 strategy, as well as providing expertise on the role of augmented reality and virtual reality.

In a fascinating conversation, Richard and I we discuss in detail the stage we’re at with the evolution of the metaverse; what is full-body computing and why it matters to truly grasp how the metaverse should “feel”; what should decision makers consider when making investment decisions on metaverse-related experiments; and how web3 fits in (if at all).

Notes and links can be found here: https://www.intometamedia.com/

Joining me today is Frédéric Chesnais - founder & CEO, Crypto Blockchain Industries, and the former CEO of Atari. Crypto Blockchain Industries is a company listed on Euronext and focusing on investments in blockchain and technology.

Fred has decades of experience in executive production, budgeting, financing and management of intellectual property rights. From 2001 to 2007, and then again from 2013 to 2021, he was part of the management team of the Atari Group, the iconic technology and entertainment company. In 2007, he left Atari to create his own executive production company, I2G, which he sold in 2012.

“Most of the last 20 years of my professional life has been spent with video games. So first and foremost, for me and for this company that I've created, the Metaverse is a video game. It's an open world. Some may say, you know what, you can have a metaverse in 2D, but as far as we are concerned and given my background, I do focus on the consumer experience, and for me, it's definitely a 3D open world, and then you add on top of that, we add the blockchain layer for transactions.”

https://www.intometamedia.com/

On the sixth episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Matthew and Yon break down three news items that are influential to the development of the metaverse and on which we can provide unique perspective and expertise. First, we dive into Tencent’s creation of a new XR unit to focus on building hardware and software for the metaverse. Next, we look at the creation of a new open standards setting body led by the Khronos Group for the metaverse. And lastly, we discuss the implications of Manticore enabling ethereum NFTs into its Core platform.

This week Yon welcomes back Unanimous AI CEO & Chief Scientist, Louis Rosenberg, for part 2 of their conversation on AI and its influence on the metaverse.

Having earned his PhD from Stanford, Louis has been a pioneer in the fields of augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, with over 300 patents in these fields to his name. Louis’ background as both a scientist and business leader make him the perfect guest to talk to about the possibilities of AI and how it will integrate with and influence what ultimately becomes of the metaverse.

During their conversation Yon and Louis discuss identity in the metaverse and AI’s impact on how it will be formed, the ability to extend yourself via AI avatars, workplace productivity in this new era, and much more.

Chapters:

• AI’s Impact on Identity in the Metaverse (00:42)

• Extending Your Human Capabilities via AI Avatars (04:05)

• AI and Digital Twins’ Impact on Workplace Productivity (12:40)

• Swarm Intelligence and Group Decision Making Dynamics (19:35)

Follow Louis: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Unanimous AI by visiting their website.

Follow Unanimous AI: Discord | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Yon is once again joined by Priya David Clemens to discuss the most important and interesting news stories related to the Metaverse in this week’s edition of Yon & Priya Talk All Things Metaverse.

In this episode, Yon & Priya react to the latest hyperbolic article claiming the metaverse is dead, discuss the opportunity Roblox affords its young developers, reflect on the Niantic layoffs, and much more.

Chapters:

• Reacting to The Nation article, Lessons from the Catastrophic Failure of the Metaverse (01:20)

• The First Generation Leaving a 3D Record of Themselves (05:35)

• Opportunity Roblox Affords to Young Developers (08:00)

• Niantic Layoffs and Why They Can’t Repeat the Pokemon Go Success (11:25)

• Apple Scales Back Units and Ship Date for Vision Pro (14:45)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Priya is the host of the Emmy-award winning news discussion program, KQED Newsroom, and a longtime network news anchor and reporter who has most recently begun to focus her journalistic eye on emerging technology.

Learn more about Priya David Clemens by visiting her website.

Follow Priya: LinkedIn | TikTok | | Twitter

As large technology companies invest heavily to emerge as leaders in the metaverse, the risk remains that walled gardens extend from the social-mobile era of the Internet into the metaverse era. On this episode, we chat with Professor Udi Shapiro, an interdisciplinary scientist, Internet pioneer, artist, and proponent of e-democracy. He has been with the Weizmann Institute of Science since completing his PhD at Yale University in 1982. Udi provides great insight into his work on e-democracy and building an egalitarian, democratic metaverse and empowering communities with grass-roots cryptocurrencies.

Check out all of Udi's research here: https://arxiv.org/search/?query=Shapiro%2C+Ehud&searchtype=author&order=&size=50

Joining me today is Matias Rodriguez, SVP of Technology - Games & Metaverse Studios at Globant - a global IT software development company operating.

As SVP of Technology at Globant’s Metaverse and Gaming Studios, Matías leads a worldwide multidisciplinary team of more than 1,500 people to build products for clients. For the Metaverse Studio, he is leading the journey of helping companies create and operate new virtual spaces where they can extend their brand presence.

We cover in detail the practice that Matias leads at Globant and the work they do with clients on metaverse-related initiatives, the opportunities and challenges for engaging with consumers and customers through next generation digital experiences, both in the consumer and industrial sectors, and especially why there’s so much potential for industrial and healthcare companies as a new category of platforms emerge.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Joining me today are Shahar Sorek, CMO of Overwolf and Mishi McDuff, founder and CEO of Blueberry. We cover in detail the role of user-generated content in fueling the metaverse with content and experiences that help shape the future of the Internet, and how digital fashion fits in.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Roblox has a large, vibrant community of Gen Z users that spend on average about 2.5 hours per day on the platform. And to discuss how best to market to this audience, Yon welcomes Krystal Hauserman, a dedicated marketing executive to the podcast.

Krystal was previously the CMO of 11:11 media, the company founded by Paris Hilton to transform the celebrity’s consumer products, entertainment and media empire for a youth audience. Notably, they launched a persistent Roblox experience themed around Paris.

Krystal and Yon had a great conversation covering a broad range of topics, including bringing celebrity experiences to the Roblox platform, learnings from interacting with Gen Z and Gen Alpha users on Roblox and more broadly in marketing and much more.

Follow Krystal: LinkedIn | Website

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

In episode 41 I host Charles Hambro, co-founder and CEO of GEEIQ (pronounced "Geek") - a data company that helps brands figure out their approach to entering metaverse platforms.

The first time I came across GEEIQ is when I read an article that covered NARS Color Quest, the experience that my company Supersocial created on Roblox with NARS Cosmetics, and I was curious about Charles’ work and hence the connection made.

We cover in detail what brands are looking for as we kickoff 2023 and why data and measurement are going to play a key role in shaping the way in which brands engage in the metaverse.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

On this new sub-series of Into the Metaverse called This Week In the Metaverse, Matthew and Yon give a brief rundown of some of the biggest news and events in the broader metaverse space. This week, we discuss the turbulence in financial and crypto markets and their impact on the metaverse; Epic Games announcing their competitor to Roblox and how that fits into their strategy to conquer the metaverse; and Roblox’s first quarter 2022 financial results.

Neil Trevett is the Vice President of Developer Ecosystems at NVIDIA, President of Khronos Group and Chair of the Metaverse Standards Forum. He joined me in a conversation in which we cover in detail why standards how vital for the metaverse to emerge and what could happen in its absence

https://www.intometamedia.com/

At Nvidia, Neil is responsible for enabling and encouraging advanced applications to use GPU acceleration. At the Khronos Group Neil created and chaired the working group that defined the industry standard for 3D graphics on mobile devices. At Khronos he also chairs a working group for portable, parallel heterogeneous computing, and helped initiate the WebGL standard that is bringing interactive 3D graphics to the Web. He’s now working to help formulate standards for vision and neural network inferencing. Previously, as Vice President of 3Dlabs, Neil was at the forefront of the silicon revolution bringing interactive 3D to the PC, and he established the embedded graphics division of 3Dlabs to bring advanced visual processing to a wide-range of non-PC platforms. Neil was elected President for eight consecutive years of the Web3D Consortium dedicated to creating open standards for communicating real-time 3D on the Internet.

Wildcard is an ambitious blockchain-powered game from Playful Studios, looking to leverage blockchain in a unique and novel way to create new social connections within a AAA-quality experience. Paul Bettner, the CEO of Playful Studios, joins us to break down the ambitious Wildcard projec,t how social interactions are key in the metaverse, building great web3 games to attract the billions of global gamers and how Roblox and other UGC platforms are changing the game of game development as we enter the metaverse era.

As Director of Social and Influencer at Chipotle, Candice Beck drives the brand's strategic, rapidly growing social media marketing program. Candice strategizes first-to-market social and digital programs that drive brand buzz and amplify awareness for Chipotle's global campaigns. Candice is responsible for leading award-winning activations, partnering with cross-functional leaders to maintain Chipotle's relevance with fans of all ages. In addition to her focus on social media content, Candice oversees the brand's metaverse strategy, collaborations, and influencer program. Driven by cultural insights, obsessed with the customer journey, and immersed in digital media, Candice is constantly tracking what's new and trending while remaining rooted in Chipotle's values and purpose to Cultivate a Better World. Candice's focus on authenticity, innovation, transparency, and analytics has proven to be a winning combo for Chipotle. Prior to Chipotle, Candice worked in marketing and events at Abercrombie & Fitch. Candice attended The Ohio State University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts and Science Degree. Candice was named one of QSR's '35 young leaders to watch'.

We cover in detail how Chipotle seeks to create authentic experiences that give consumers tangible value, the way Chipotle experiences within Roblox merge the physical and digital worlds, and the massive opportunities for brands in this new frontier.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

Jay Lee is the CEO of Naver Z US. Naver is the South Korean Internet giant which among other things owns and operate Zepeto. We cover in detail why Zepeto is unique in the metaverse landscape and how its avatar platform is shaping youth culture and what are the opportunities for creators and brands to build experiences and connect with young female audiences.

https://www.intometamedia.com

Jake Brukhman is the founder and CEO of CoinFund, a web3 and crypto-focused investment firm. We cover in detail web3 investing, how does it intertwines with the metaverse, and what are some of his lessons learned from investing in the space, especially web3, for the past 8 years.

This week Yon welcomes Dylan Collins into the metaverse. Dylan is the Founder and former CEO of SuperAwesome, and has spent his career building and operating in the digital media space, generally with an eye towards youth audiences. His experience building for youth audiences and watching the market adapt and evolve with them over the years has given him great insight into the topics of today’s episode.

During their conversation, Yon and Dylan discuss the genesis of SuperAwesome, the changes in audience composition the metaverse has seen in the last decade, how the aging up of an audience will impact the industry, what brands should be focused on when entering these next gen platforms, and much more.

Chapters:

Genesis of SuperAwesome and the Changes in Audience Composition (01:15)

State of the Internet for Kids and Youth Today (05:30)

The Audience Exists, It Just Needs to Age Up (10:23)

Has Scalability Actually Gotten Much More Difficult (20:23)

Trends Brands Should Consider When Moving Into Next Gen Platforms (23:07)

Most Excited For in Next 12 Months (37:57)

Read Dylan’s blog here, and subscribe to his LinkedIn newsletter here.

Follow Dylan: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Yon is Founder and CEO of Supersocial, a metaverse company that develops, publishes and operates cutting-edge virtual worlds on Roblox and other emerging platforms. Its business platform – which includes a development studio and publishing services, enables world-class brands and IP owners, as well as its owned IP, to enter the metaverse through bold creativity and unmatched product quality. Yon is also the creator, publisher and host of Into The Metaverse, a leading podcast and newsletter where anyone can learn about the metaverse.

We cover in detail why brands are entering the metaverse, how Supersocial and Nars Color Quest are at the cutting edge of innovation in the space, and how marketers can add value to their communities through next generation experiences.

Joining me today as we celebrate our 50th episode of Into the Metaverse is Justin Hochberg, founder and CEO of Virtual Brand Group.

Justin is a metaverse brand builder focused on IP and fashion. He has had a multi-national career as a senior executive in technology and entertainment companies, with a proven track record in creating and leveraging content, IP, brands, and industry insights into new revenue streams through emerging technologies and partnerships.

We cover in detail what are the right objectives that brands should pursue when entering next generation social platforms, connecting virtual identity to real life identity, the value of building a persistent presence, the future of decentralized platforms, the need for consumer friendliness to gain mass adoption, and much more. 

Learn more about Virtual Brand Group by visiting their website.

Follow Justin on LinkedIn.

Topics Covered:

Introducing Justin (00:00)

Defining the metaverse (01:45)

Role of 3D avatars in virtual worlds (03:30)

Connecting virtual identity to real life identity (06:05)

Brand objectives within next gen platforms (10:43)

Best path to a persistent presence for a brand (17:20)

Value of and potential adoption of decentralized platforms (22:55)

The need for consumer friendliness and platform interoperability (36:57)

The metaverse is the future (39:15)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Known by many as the man who popularized the term Web 2.0 in the aftermath of the dotcom crash, Tim O’Reilly is back on the podcast this week to discuss the best case business models behind the next iteration of generative AI and the metaverse.

Aside from being notorious for coining the term Web 2.0, Tim is the CEO and Chairman of O’Reilly Media and a partner at early stage venture firm O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures. His book, WTF: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us, explores what technology advances teach us about the future economy and government as its “platform.” Tim is also a Visiting Professor of Practice at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, where he is researching a new approach to regulating big technology platforms by limiting their ability to extract economic rents.

During their conversation Yon and Tim discuss the possibility of users aging up with avatar enabled platforms, what the next generation of generative AI will look like, how to apply the knowledge of economic rents to new technology platforms, government regulation for AI, and much more.

Chapters:

• Introduction (00:25)
• Will the Avatar Enabled Internet Age Up with Current Users (04:15)
• Powerful New Interfaces to Knowledge (12:50)
• The Next Iteration of Generative AI and AI Bots (18:45)
• Business Model Choices Hampering Innovation (30:35)
• Approaching Government Regulation for Technologies like AI (42:05)
• Bridging the Gap Between Noise and Real Investment Opportunity (45:30)
• Most Excited For in the Next Twelve Months (50:40)

To find all of Tim’s writings, visit here.

Specifically mentioned during the conversation:

You Can’t Regulate What You Don’t Understand

Stakeholder Capitalism Deserves Clearer Metrics

Listen to Tim’s first appearance on Into the Metaverse here.

To purchase the book Recoding America, by Jennifer Pahlka, visit here.

Follow Tim: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

On the eighth episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon is still on vacation so Matthew is joined by Aaron Bush, the co-founder of Naavik. We broke down three news items that we thought were influential to the development of the metaverse and on which we believe we can provide unique expertise and analysis. First, we debate the need for blockchain in the metaverse and what role the technology can and will play over time. Then, we dive into reports that Meta is slowing its hiring pace substantially. And lastly, we discuss the boom in user-generated content platforms after Soba raised a $13.5 million seed round.

This is our finale episode for 2022. We recap where we were at the beginning of 2022 and where we are at the conclusion of the year.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

On the third episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon is back and he and Matthew break down three news items from the last week that are influential to the development of the metaverse. First, we look at Roblox’s hire of former Zynga CTO Nick Tornow as VP of Engineering for its Developer Team. Then, we dive into the rumors swirling about Apple’s upcoming RealityOS for a potential mixed reality headset and what this means for its metaverse aspirations. And lastly, we discuss the seed funding environment for metaverse startups after Crunchbase reported that metaverse was one of five strong themes in seed venture funding so far in 2022 despite broader market turbulence.

Rev Lebaredian is Vice President of Omniverse & Simulation Technology at NVIDIA. We cover in detail the next-generation technology platform that NVIDIA is building, its Omniverse that promises to power an industrial metaverse and what it all means for creators, brands and businesses.

We also cover special announcements coming out of NVIDIA’S GTC conference - Omniverse Cloud, an infrastructure service powered by a planetary-scaled system, and a partnership with Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railroads operator and the largest rail network in Western Europe. The partnership focused on building an AI-enabled digital twin to develop Deutsche Bahn’s future railway system.

For those who are less familiar, since its founding in 1993, NVIDIA has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics and ignited the era of modern AI. NVIDIA is now a full-stack computing company with data-center-scale offerings that are reshaping multiple industries. As we speak, NVIDIA’s market value is over $300 billion.

In his role the Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, Rev leads the Omniverse product, engineering, and research teams. From the dawn of the computer graphics revolution to the present day, Rev has always been at its cutting edge. For the last five years at NVIDIA, Rev and his teams have been combining the rendering, physics simulation, and AI technologies pioneered by NVIDIA into a single platform for creating and simulating physically accurate virtual worlds: NVIDIA Omniverse. Prior to NVIDIA, Rev spent his career in Warner Brothers Digital, Disney Dream Quest Images and his own venture, Steamboat Software.

Matt Edelman is Chief Commercial Officer at Super League Gaming. We cover in detail the early learnings from partnering with brands as they look to establish presence and advertise in metaverse-type platforms, and what are some of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

This week Yon welcomes Dan Sturman into the metaverse. Dan is a world class technologist, having spent time leading software and engineering teams and departments at IBM, Google, and Cloudera, before taking on his current role as CTO of Roblox nearly four years ago. 

Coming off of all of the news and announcements made at last weekend’s Roblox Developers Conference 2023 (RDC23) it’s an incredible time to get to chat with Dan about all things Roblox and metaverse.

During their conversation Yon and Dan discuss the importance of Roblox remaining a turnkey platform, how to enable efficiency in the creator marketplace, the new Roblox Connect feature and what that experience will be like, evolving a platform to match a maturing audience, getting to one billion daily active users, and much more.

Chapters:

• Defining the Metaverse (01:15)

• What Attracted Dan to the Challenge of Building Roblox (04:32)

• Differentiating Roblox as a Turnkey Platform (08:15)

• Creation and the Building of Business On Top of Roblox (13:12)

• Enabling Efficiency in the Creator Marketplace (19:10)

• The Importance of Communication and Roblox Connect (22:28)

• Expansion onto MetaQuest and Playstation (30:10)

• Evolving the Games and Experiences for a Maturing Audience (33:28)

• What Needs to be True for Roblox to Get to a Billion DAU (37:35)

• Supporting Different Needs for Different Creator Types to Monetize (42:08)

• Blockchain and the Future of Interoperability (45:54)

• What is Dan Most Excited About for Next Twelve Months (48:22)

To learn more about the Roblox platform, visit their website.

Follow Roblox: YouTube | Instagram | Twitter

Follow Dan: LinkedIn | Twitter 

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

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Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Welcome to Into the Metaverse, in this week’s episode, Yon welcomes the Godmother of the Metaverse, Cathy Hackl, to the podcast to discuss the convergence point of many new technologies and how they are shaping the metaverse in the near term future.

Cathy Hackl is a globally recognized tech & gaming executive, futurist, and speaker focused on spatial computing, virtual worlds, augmented reality, AI, strategic foresight, and gaming platforms strategy. She’s one of the top tech voices on LinkedIn and is the CEO of Spatial Dynamics, a spatial computing and AI solutions company, including gaming. Hackl has worked at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Magic Leap, and HTC VIVE and has advised companies like Nike, Ralph Lauren, Walmart, Louis Vuitton, and Clinique on their emerging tech and gaming journeys. 

During their conversation, Yon and Cathy discuss her time at Magic Leap and how she originally got hooked on the metaverse, before going into who and what are leading the way in spatial computing, some innovative work being done by major brands, the types of investments and timeframes CMOs should be pushing for when coming into the metaverse, and much more.

Follow Cathy: LinkedIn | Instagram 

Read Cathy’s Free EBook, A Wearable World

-- -- -- -- --

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

How Cathy Got Hooked on the Metaverse (02:15)

What Her Time at Magic Leap Taught Cathy (04:51)

Our Current Technological Convergence Point (07:35)

Who’s Leading in the AI and Spatial Computing World (14:35)

Brands and Consumer Companies Doing Innovative Work (18:49)

The Need to Invest and Learn Now (22:38)

Future of Marketing & Engagement (27:39)

Most Excited for Next 12 Months (33:20)

-- -- -- -- --

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | X

Learn more about Into the Metaverse by visiting the website.

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

Welcome to episode 15 of This Week in the Metaverse, a weekly show in which I provide commentary on three news items with fantastic guest co-hosts.

Joining me today as guest co-host is Jonathan Stringfield, whom we recently hosted on our podcast! Jonathan is currently the VP of global business research and marketing at Activision Blizzard and recently published a new book - Get In The Game.

Our three topics for the past week:

First, we talk about investments into avatar-focused ventures and this week we’ve seen announcements on two deals that are noteworthy: the first one is Inworld AI which raised $50M to populate games and the metaverse with smart characters. the second one is Ready Player Me, a cross-game metaverse avatar platform that allows users to explore virtual worlds with one consistent identity, has closed a $56 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).

Then, we talk about Bloomberg’s conversation with Xbox’s chief Phil Spencer as hopes for fewer exclusive titles by Xbox and would like to see more interoperability among consoles in the future.

We finish with news from The Sandbox, the blockchain-based platform of virtual worlds that aspires to become an open metaverse launched this week its alpha season 3 with 90 metaverse experiences and 100 hours of gameplay that’s available for users.

This week Yon welcomes back to the show former co-host Matthew Kanterman to catch up on everything that is going on within the metaverse today and what has transpired over the past couple of years since they originally launched the podcast. 

Long-time listeners will quickly recognize Matthew as he was here at the inception of the Into the Metaverse Podcast back in 2021 as co-host for the first iteration of the show. Matthew currently serves as the Director of Research for Roundhill Investments where he has continued to expand his knowledge and thoughts around the metaverse, AI, and all emerging technologies.

During their conversation Yon and Matthew compare and contrast Apple and Meta’s approaches to the metaverse, discuss how blockchain technology can be more relevant to common consumers, highlight key events in the industry between when they first started the podcast to now, dissect the role Nvidia and generative AI will play in the metaverse, and much more. 

Chapters:

• Re-Introducing Matthew and Roundhill Investments (00:25)

• Defining the Metaverse Today and In the Future (01:25)

• Differing Approaches in Device, Terminology, and Developer Relations Between Apple and Meta (05:45)

• How Blockchain Can Be Relevant to Common Consumers (17:00)

• Key Events and Indicators That Show Where Metaverse is Headed (22:40)

• Nvidia and the Role of Generative AI (27:05)

• One Key Takeaway from the Episode (34:00)

Learn more about Matthew and Roundhill Investments by visiting their website.

Follow Matthew: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.

The metaverse and web3 technologies are setting the creator economy into hyperdrive, creating myriad new investment opportunities, particularly in venture-stage companies. In this great episode of Into the Metaverse, Yon and Matthew speak with Jarrod Dicker, a Partner at TCG, about venture investing in the metaverse and web3, empowering creators and building communities.

Welcome to episode 16 of This Week in the Metaverse, our weekly show in which Yon and a guest co-host provide commentary on three metaverse-related news items.

Joining Yon today as guest co-host is Mario Stefanidis, Vice President of Research at Roundhill Investments, a thematic ETF sponsor who’s behind the Metaverse ETF alongside Ball Metaverse Research Partners. Mario is responsible for Roundhill’s research activities within the digital media and entertainment sector and serving on the firm's investment committee, helping oversee Roundhill's investment activities across all sponsored ETFs and other vehicles.

Our three topics for the past week:

First, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, was interviewed by Dean Takahashi from VentureBeat (who was a guest on our podcast a few months ago). What really captured our attention is Huang’s bullishness on the industrial metaverse and the prospect of Nvidia’s Omniverse to play a key role in realizing that vision.

Then, we talk about the changes at Snap who’s shutting down Snap Originals, an in-house production studio of scripted and documentary-style programming and double down on its core priorities, including augmented reality.

And we finish with more news from Meta Platforms, as Meta’s VP of Horizon is leaving the company, adding more uncertainty on where its metaverse project is heading.

On the seventh episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Yon is on vacation so Matthew is joined by Mario Stefanidis, the Vice President of Research at Roundhill Investments and one of our esteemed season 1 guests. We broke down three news items that we thought were influential to the development of the metaverse and on which we believe we can provide unique expertise and analysis. First, we look at TF Securities’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cutting his shipment forecast for Meta’s VR headsets. Second, we discuss the rapid growth of Fortnite Creative mode and assess the competitive threat to Roblox. And last, we break down the news that Solana is launching a smartphone and a software stack to help build blockchain phones.+1780

On the fifth episode of This Week in the Metaverse, Matthew and Yon break down three news items that are influential to the development of the metaverse and on which we can provide unique perspective and expertise. First, we discuss the departure of COO Sheryl Sandberg from her role at Meta Platforms (nee Facebook) and what it means for the company’s growth in the metaverse. Next, we dive into the announcement that Neal Stephenson, the father of the metaverse and author of Snow Crash in which he coined the term, is launching LAMINA1. And lastly, we discuss Playful Studios’ $43 Million funding round and their ambitious plans for the Wildcard Alliance.

Sandy Carter is Senior Vice President and Channel Chief at Unstoppable Domains. The company, which recently raised $65M Series A led by Pantera Capital at a $1B valuation, creates NFT domains that give people control of their data. Each Unstoppable domain is a cryptocurrency address which serves as the user’s login to the decentralized web, and in a sense can act as a user’s universal username. Sandy and her team are responsible for driving new partnerships and integrations.

Previously Sandy was Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Channel Chief at Amazon Web Services, and prior to that was the General Manager of Ecosystems and Startups at IBM.

We cover in detail digital identity and its importance according to Sandy, how Unstoppable Domains educates and informs people on how they can establish a next generation online identity, Sandy’s journey from IBM to Amazon Web Services to Unstoppable Domains and why it is so important that we have en ever growing diversity in the teams that are building the future of the Internet.

https://www.intometamedia.com/

This week Yon welcomes Morgan Tucker into the metaverse to talk about the role of 3D avatars to build online connections and how Rec Room is going about doing this.

Morgan is the Head of Creator at Rec Room, where he works to empower creators to make incredible interactive experiences, develop community, and achieve long-term success. Prior to Rec Room, Morgan led Product for Music, Brands and Education at Roblox, developing groundbreaking projects like Spatial Voice Chat, immersive virtual concerts, the Gucci Garden virtual exhibition, and more. An inventor by trade, musician and creator at heart, Morgan has had a fascinating and impactful career that gives him a well rounded vantage point on the future of the metaverse. 

During their conversation, Yon and Morgan discuss Morgan’s career journey through many notable metaverse platforms, how brands can be authentic with their activations, what metaverse platforms can learn from the dominant social media platforms, growth and key challenges for Rec Room, and much more!

Follow Morgan: LinkedIn 

Follow Rec Room: YouTube | TikTok | Discord | Twitter

Chapters:

• Episode and Guest Introduction (00:00)
• What is the Metaverse (03:00)
• Morgan’s Career Journey (05:10)
• The Moment Morgan Knew Adoption at Scale Was Coming (09:30)
• Authentic Brand Activations in the Metaverse (12:30)
• What Metaverse Platforms Can Learn From Social Media Platforms (18:50)
• What Morgan Saw in Rec Room that Made Him Join (21:50)
• Key Challenge for Rec Room Balancing 3D and 2D Engagement (26:53)
• Building and Nurturing the Creator Community on Rec Room (29:55)
• Role 3D Avatars Play in Reimagining Connection Online (34:40)
• How Brands and Marketers Should Approach These Platforms (40:55)

Morgan’s Most Exciting Thing in Next Twelve Months (44:55)

Learn more about Into the Metaverse and Yon by visiting the website.

Follow Yon: LinkedIn | Twitter

Learn more about Supersocial by visiting the website.