Previously thought the preserve of the science-fiction novel, the Metaverse, in its mature state, is a merging of digital and physical reality, a place where every person on Earth can instantly connect to any culture, service or content and roam freely amongst it. Even now, in its infancy — as the technology catches up with the imagination and creativity of the teams and companies laying the foundations of the Metaverse — it is the blurring of AR and VR; a shared construct which sits ‘beyond’ the reality we see. The Metaverse is born from Web 3.0.
It sounds hard to imagine because, although there are core attributes that leaders in the field of the Metaverse agree on, what the Metaverse ends up ‘being’ is not known. Matthew Ball, former head of content at Amazon and Metaverse thought-leader, explains the 7 fundamentals of what the Metaverse is as: a persistent (always on), synchronous and live universe which spans the digital and physical worlds with total inclusion (no cap on the number of people), a fully-functioning economy, and with unprecedented interoperability. It is populated by content and experience.
It is this last pillar of the Metaverse — along with the fully functioning economy — which is driving the Metaverse and causing the likes of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to claim humanity is “on the cusp” of the Metaverse meeting the physical world. NFTS and blockchain enabled cryptocurrency are at the forefront of the digital revolution. Those leading the charge are likely to experience colossal financial gains.
Realm and the NFT Metaverse
Realm is an NFT Metaverse made of customizable microverses. Aimed initially at NFT creators, collectors and gamers, our platform offers a unique interactive experience through AR, VR, MR, audio, and gamification. It will reimagine the NFT universe.
After the $69 million sale of Beeple’s 5000 days at a Christie’s auction house in March of 2021* and the resulting market frenzy, NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) need less of an introduction than they once did. The ability to create a song, image, building or in-game item, prove its uniqueness, and then trade it openly and freely whilst setting your own price, is driving the popularity of this newest of art-forms.
The rise of NFTs is the common ground which links the Metaverse to the future of the internet, real-estate, gaming, fashion, finance, culture and beyond. NFTs are the catalyst to the Metaverse. Whereas the internet was born from research and government, the Metaverse will grow from the human ‘need’ for the consumption of art and content.
One of the issues laid at the feet of the Beeple sale was how do you view an NFT whilst honouring the genius and creative endeavours of those who create the art. How we view, engage and experience NFTs is changing. It is the logical next step in the Metaverse story. At the moment NFTs are bought and sold on what are, essentially, lists: NFT E-bays. From both an artistic and entertainment perspective, the marketplace needs a ‘gallery’ which befits the creative talents of those who produce NFTs.
Platforms such as Decentraland, Cryptovoxels and The sandbox have set the precedent. Now we’re going to take it to the next level. As mentioned in our white paper, Realm is going to be…
“A cross-chain, community driven open-source project that encourages collectors and creators to express their artistic vision in the purest form: their own magical virtual realm.”
The functionality is immense. With limitless environmental options and using the Realm suite of builder tools, players can build their own Metaverses (known as realms), host exhibitions, concerts, and meetings. Then, via AR portals and a seamless UX, users can then use these microverses to show off their creative talent to the world.
“We want NFTs to be shared and presented in unique and creative ways, like an auction on the moon, an underwater art gallery , or a space that simply contains interactive sound.”
If the thought of creating and hosting your own NFT experience on the moon and then trading it for crypto doesn’t get you excited about the future of the Metaverse. The next step should do the trick.
The personalised Metaverse
For the Metaverse to be all encompassing and functional, the technologies and content will need to be interoperable: you must be able take your real-estate, fashion, clothes, money, art and in-game accessories anywhere, anytime, instantly. The Metaverse must be personable. Cross chain interoperability is at the heart of Realm, not only allowing you to build your own Metaverse, but trade it. Founded on the Ethereum ecosystem, optimised using Matic and integrated with the Reef chain to bridge to the wider Polkadot ecosystem, Realm utilises the best and most trusted blockchain technology in existence. To top it off, the Realm token ($REALM) can be traded on Binance Smart Chain for fast, low cost transactions.
“Our goal is to create a Metaverse for people to construct an infinite number of microverses fully customisable to their tastes and visions. We’ve partnered with some of the best chains and NFTs brands currently shaping and shifting the cryptosphere to make this goal possible.”
Crypto Tokens and The Metaverse
Founded by Matthew Larby, Joban Thomas, and Milan Gruner, Realm allows creators and players to combine music, art, and games to create their perfect realm. Thanks to the ground-breaking ERC-1155 token (which allows infinite ‘items’ to be stored in one smart contract, including the addition of unique ERC-721 tokens), and $REALM (an ERC-20 token available on Reef Chain, Polygon Layer 2 and BSC) players can use one-click bridges to move their tokens between different chains. Your entire personal realm can be minted, secured and traded. Yes, all assets within Realm can exist as an NFT. Using integration with the OpenSea marketplace, you can then trade with the wider NFT ecosystem.
A Metaverse For Now
The Metaverse is an internet of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces where people work, play, and socialize together. Via AR and MR, the physical domain will merge with the virtual.
Global brands are minting NFTs, musicians are playing to crowds in their millions, and corporations are dedicating billions to the Metaverse. Platforms like ours make it possible for everybody to build, create, trade and explore the endless possibilities of what the future of the internet will be.
There is a blockchain enabled NFT Metaverse waiting to be explored. It isn’t the future. It’s now. And you’re invited.
