Newzoo is a market research firm that provides information about the gaming market and insights (1). Metaverse has exploded, especially after the pandemic. Many companies right now want to get on the bandwagon of living in a three-dimensional virtual world.
As we have already expected metaverse will change the way users interact.
Newzoo’s report on Metaverse revealed that more than 500 companies have already been involved with the Metaverse project. Through the report, Newzoo explained that the transition to Web3 from Web2 will not only decentralize the technological economy but also revolutionize the user's interactions (2).
The pandemic has created a new interest in the concept of living in virtual reality. Due to all activities being stopped, and people being restricted to their homes, many brands and companies have come up with interesting ways to keep engaging with the users.
One interesting example is the virtual fashion show organized by major fashion brands (3) like Moschino, Prada, Balmain, Balenciaga, etc.
The report pointed out that the evolution and development of a virtual 3D world will become a huge advantage for many brands. The metaverse where the real physical world is depicted in the virtual 3D world would increase the reach of these brands (4).
Although the Crypto and NFT markets are crashing past few months. Many have been expressing how crypto and NFT might become a thing of the past. But we have also seen an increase in the number of buyers of NFTs, this indicates how many people still expect crypto to rise and get back on track again. Similarly, Newzoo’s report also expressed optimistically about NFTs and their success.
The report also addressed many gaming companies that have been involved with the metaverse. It also addressed issues with many of the metaverse games. The reports predicted that digital shopping in the future might become an everyday thing with the evolving XR and VR technologies (5) and the gaming experience might become even more realistic.
The report also covered a range of topics like the definition of the metaverse, recent blockchains news, NFT trends, top 10 metaverses, etc. it also included interviews with many metaverse companies.
The Metaverse ecosystem diagram by Newzoo divides these companies into different sections
- Metaverse Gateways: a) Centralized Gateways b) Decentralized Gateways
- NFT PFP Collections
- Social & Meeting Hubs
- Economy: a) General b) Crypto Wallet & Access c) Marketplaces
- Music & Entertainment
- Avatar & Interoperability
- Digital Fashion & Identity
- User Interface &Immersion
- Visualization and Digital Twin
- Development &Infrastructure Tools
- Cloud, Scalability & Storage
- Connectivity
- Decentralized Infrastructure
- Artificial Intelligence
- Adtech & Marketing
Newzoo listed more than 500 companies (6) that have been involved with the metaverse development and here is what we need to know about these companies.
Metaverse Gateways
Many companies have established themselves as Metaverse Gateways. These Metaverse companies have been essentially divided into two broad divisions, Centralized Gateways, and Decentralized Gateways.
In the Centralized Metaverse (7) Platforms, the network is controlled and governed by central entities. There are internal servers and policies that regulate the virtual world. The community here lives in a centrally controlled confined space. The users in the centralized platform are limited within parameters set by the central entity.
They can interact and share experiences but they can’t control their own piece of the digital environment. For example Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, etc.
The Decentralized Metaverse (8) is controlled by the community. The power is in the hand of the users. The decentralized metaverse platforms are open-sourced. Here, the users have the freedom to control their own interaction and experience. The community controls the platform, therefore it is also governed by the users.
They hold stakes over the way the platform is built and how it should operate. These decentralized metaverses are based on blockchain technology. The users here have full control of their individual digital assets. For example Sandbox, Decentraland, Somnium Space, etc.
Now let’s look at these companies.
Centralized Metaverse Gateways
AltScapeVR
AltScapeVR is a platform that offers live mixed-reality experiences. Tt allows creators, artists, businesses, and brands to collaborate and create their own virtual events. Here you can use expressive avatars to socialize and connect with others. The AltSpaceVR is a social virtual reality space that was launched in 2015 and was then acquired by Microsoft in 2017.
It consists of user-generated spaces, these spaces are called ‘worlds’, and they can be visited by users for events, etc. The AltSpaceVR is very easy to use (9), it gives you an enhanced immersive virtual environment.
DotBigBang
The DotBigBang platform allows its users to play and create games in their browsers. The users can play games either alone or with multiple players. It has a built-in object editor(10) that would help the users to create games anywhere on any device.
This object editor would facilitate the users to make game objects from colored cubes, these colored cubes are called Voxels. These objects would then become building blocks of the game. Users can create their own worlds and even share their worlds with others.
Habbo
An online community that is operated by Sulake, which is a Finnish Company. Habbo was founded in 2000, it aimed to attract young adults and teen players. In 2012, the game has registered more than 273 million avatars (11).
It allows the users to create their own avatar, and built and design rooms. The users can interact with each other to create and play games. They can even have their own virtual pet to take care of. In September 2021 Habbo announce their NFT project called Habbo Avatar (12).
Fortnite
Epic Games released Fortnite in 2017. The game has become quite popular all over the world and it is gradually developing into a metaverse. These daysEpic Games have been quite busy while working on Fortnite metaverse (13). Right now the game has three modes, Fortnite Battel Royale, Fortnite: Save the world, and Fortnite Creative.
In the Fortnite Battle Royal 100 players fight till the last one standing. Fortnite: Save the world is a survival game where players fight Zombies. Fortnite Creative allows the players to create world and battel arenas (14). The Battle Royal is now slowly turning into a free platform that can house everything digitally. These things can range from games, movies, music, etc.
The Sensorium Galaxy
The Sensorium Galaxy aims to bring real experiences to its digital metaverse. A shared virtual space that allows users to interact, play games, and enjoy high-quality shows. The immersive virtual shows would allow you to enjoy performances of artists and musicians like David Guetta, Steve Aoki, etc, and even virtual DJs (15).
You can also enjoy music accompanied by beautiful sites in the PRISM world. The users can create their own AI-powered companion through interactive chats, etc. The Sensorium Galaxy exceeds the boundary of how art is created and distributed and enjoyed.
Grand Theft Auto Online
Grand Theft Auto Online, as suggested by its name is an online game, that facilitates multiple players in an action-adventure game. This game was developed by Rockstar North and was released in October 2013.
The game allows 32 players, to engage in games and explore the open world. It lets the player freely roam the San Andreas which is the fictional state set within the game (16). This game was created to be played in a continually evolving world.
KoGaMa
KoGaMa is a game developing and publishing platform that allows users to create, and play games. It even allows the users to share their games with others, therefore multiple players can play the games together.
The games could be built with the help of virtual building blocks. They can be assembled in any way the user wishes (17). The platform allows the users to play from any network or integrated sites. The users can create their own worlds and games and play them together with their friends.
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet was created by Media Molecule, which is a British Developer. It is a puzzle platform game, that is focused on user-generated content. The tagline of the series is “Play, Create, Share” which indicates the three main aims of the game, that is play either alone or with others, create your own puzzle games, and share them with your friends (18).
This series has six games spread across five gaming platforms. It was launched in 2018 with PlayStation 3. Many believed LittleBigPlanet paved the way for Metaverse.
MapleStory
MapleStory is a 2D free-to-play game. It allows multiple players to play online role-playing games. The game was launched by the South Korean company Wizet. The game players travel the MapleStory world to defeat monsters while developing their skills.
The players can interact with each other through chats and trading. They can even form their own guilds and parties to hunt monsters together. Nexon has decided to enter the Metaverse (19) by incorporating blockchains in the framework of MapleStory, it has now turned into a very popular MMORPG.
RuneScape
RuneScape is a Fantasy MMORPG game, which was developed by Jagex. The game was first released in 2001, and it was originally a browser game. It is also the world’s largest and most updated free MMORPG game.
The RuneScape is based on the fantasy world of Gielinor, which is a medieval fantasy realm. This realm is divided into many different regions, kingdoms, etc. The game has a fictional universe (20) that the players could explore through multiple methods. The players can customize their avatars and set their own storylines and goals.
Sims4
Sims4 has an objective to simulate our social life. It was developed by Maxis and launched in 2014. Here you can create and control characters which are called Sims. They can have their own distinct personalities and appearance.
The game allows its player to create Sims however they desire, they can even change their clothes to reflect the player's mood. Players can develop their own stories (21). They can build their ideal home using the build mode. They can even explore the world and attend parties, meet with their friends, etc.
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing: New Horizon is a social simulation game, this game is the fifth new entry to the Animal Crossing Series launched in 2020. This game allows its players to control their characters (22). These characters are designed to accomplish tasks and develop the deserted Island.
The players can develop and customize the island, their aim is to turn it into a community of anthropomorphic animals. The game became a major commercial success and was praised by many experts. Due to its release during the pandemic, it was even used for social interactions.
Core
The Core is a Metaverse Platform with thousands of games, it was described as an “endless arcade”. Here the players can play and create games. The new platform of Core games has a 90s cyberpunk vibe with neon lights (23).
The players are sent to the Central hub with high-tech malls, casinos, entertainment, and shopping places. The players can even invite their friends to join in their experience. It offers a wide range of avatars and costumes.
The majority of Core's content is user-generated content, therefore there are many user-generated games. It is also a fitting environment for virtual concerts and other entertainment.
VRChats
VR Chats has an endless collection of growing VR communities. The users can go through endless VR social experiences, they can interact with people from all over the world, try new avatars, and create new friends. They can build their world and share them with others (24).
The users have a full-body avatar that they can use to interact and socialize. They can play games that are built by the communities. The platform allows the users to do a variety of things like chatting, playing, drawing, collaborating, avatar creation, exploring the worlds, etc.
Horizon
Horizon world is Meta’s Metaverse, where players can create and sell their digital goods while experiencing and exploring the different worlds. It is a social experience where the users can create extraordinary things, they can create their own immersive experiences (25).
Horizon allows the players to collaborate with each other and create their own world. There are more than 10,000 worlds the users could explore with their friends. They can even use it to connect with more people and become a part of a new community.
Dreams
Dreams is a three-dimensional world builder game where the users can create their World, characters, rules, enemies, etc. (26). They can also design the objectives and mechanics of their games. In Dreams, the users could develop their own game and explore the self-contained metaverse.
It is a video game creation station where the players can create the game of their dreams. The dreams game has now turned into the playground of VR creations. The new VR update allows players to build, play, and share their PSVR games (27).
Roblox
Roblox is an online gaming platform where the pliers can play games, create games, and share them with their friends. It is a game creation platform where the users can program their games easily and even play other games.
Roblox hosts user-generated content, and it is free to play. Although the players can make online purchases through the virtual currency of Roblox Universe called Robux (28). The players can even buy, sell, and create virtual items. These virtual items can be used to decorate their virtual avatar. In the virtual universe of Roblox, users can share their experiences with their friends and have fun.
Life Beyond
Life Beyond is an open-world online persisting game where the players can unlock social experiences through teamwork and player choice (29). The players get to become citizens of a virtual ecopunk society. Within this fascinating alien World, the players could be whoever they want to be. The game is based on blockchain technologies.
It has endless social and creative possibilities; the user could explore the World and even build houses and own lands. They can build whatever they want to. It could be a cafe or a hospital; it depends on the players. Here they can even craft NFTs that they can trade with other players; they have ownership over their experiences and creations (30).
Avakin Life
Avakin Life is a social simulation game with an endless amount of possibilities. Here the players can be anything they want without any limits or judgments. The players can create their avatars, explore the World, and go on various adventures with their friends (31).
They can create their own space and party in beautiful locations while dancing to real artists. They have fashion shows to attend and enjoy. The players can change their avatars' appearances however they like, style them with various accessories, etc., interact with new people, and make new friends.
Mini World
The Mini World is a Sandbox gaming platform where the players can go on adventures, explore the World, and even create their dream world. A community powers the game and has a large variety of gaming content. The game is a free-to-play 3D game. Here the players can go on epic adventures with their friends.
The players could create their own house, castle, or even a city in the game. They play games created by other players in the Survival mode. The games range from Parkour to FPS to Puzzles (32). Since the players are the creators of these games, there is bound to be a variety of interesting games that players can share and experience with their friends.
NEOS
NEOS Metaverse, called NeosVR is a versatile, customizable environment with a large virtual community. The users can explore multiple ways of self-expression through virtual creations. They can even collaborate with others in a real-time virtual collaboration to create an immersive experience.
The Tag line "Create. Inspire. Amaze" (33) expresses the platform's main objective. Users can create their art using various tools and even display them in their own space. The platform gives them full freedom to express themselves through their creations. They can even join various meetings and events with their favorite artists, etc.
CREY
CREY games is an online gaming platform where players can create innovative games and experiences. They provide their users with free game creation tools to assist them in creating and publishing them for free.
They hold creator competitions so that users can show their full potential; they can even earn cash by participating in these competitions (34). They have a variety of free online games that the players can explore, play, and share with their friends.
IMVU
IMVU is World's one of the largest avatar-based social networks. On this platform, the users can customize their avatars; they can chat with interesting people, make more friends, and hang out with them at cool parties. The users can share their experiences and earn money while creating virtual products (35).
The tag line of the IMVU metaverse is "Where real comes into play." The platform is a social simulation where the players can have all kinds of social experiences. They can create virtual products and earn money.
Rec Room
Rec Room is a free online platform where users build and play games together. They can party, chat and hang out with friends from all around the World. The platform (36) offers millions of user-created rooms for players to explore. They can customize and play dress-up with their Rec Room avatars. Use the Maker Pen, a creation tool to build anything they could imagine, animate or inanimate.
The game could be played from various devices, whether a phone or a VR device. The Rec Room has a great community with fun and interesting creators. The users can play a range of games that other users design.
Second Life
An online multimedia platform that allows users to create their avatars. The name Second Life suggests the players could live their second Life on this platform. Linden Lab developed the game. Second Life (37) started by giving the users the hope to start a different life online; they could live however they wanted.
The virtual economy of this platform depends on real money. The users could create their avatars to interact with others. They can contribute to the virtual World by building. They can attend meetings, concerts, conferences, colleges, etc.
Dusty Multiverse
Dusty Multiverse is a blockchain-enabled Metaverse-as-s-service platform. The platform is first-of-its-kind is offers photorealistic graphics. It's an immersive and interactive virtual environment that allows artists and creators to design their photorealistic applications, 3D NFTs, and many other objects (38).
The environment is connected to the multiverse blockchain, and the environment becomes a token that its creators own. The platform is accessible from any smart device and is quite compatible with VR hardware. The users appear in their 3D avatars and can interact with others via Live voice and chat.
Struckd
Struckd is a 3D game creator with user-generated content that allows players to come together to create, play and share games with other players. The game (39) is free to download and play, but some game elements can be purchased. They have thousands of user-generated games, including racing games, puzzles, adventures, etc.
Players can decide their games' difficulty to test other players' skills. To create a game at Struckd, they don't need to know to code; they have an easy drag-and-drop interface to assist the users. Creators can choose from 900 free elements to build to their heart's content.
Crayta
Crayta allows the players to select from ever-growing multiplayer games with various genres. It is a game creation platform where the players can collaborate with others to create their unique games. The players can gain XP by completing creator challenges.
While participating in the free cursed Galleons Battel Pass, they have the chance to unlock cosmetics.
They can express themselves freely through a range of customization options. It offers three creators programs (40), Crayta Spark, Crayta Ignition, and Crayta Lift-Off. The Crayta Spark is a talent-spotting program. The Crayta Ignition is an invite-only program that allows creators to experiment and create whatever they wish and even earn money. The Crayta Lift-Off is a contract-based program that offers to become a full-time Craytan.
Hiber World
Hiber World is a metaverse platform that allows players to play and create games. They connect users' creations to millions of people through a virtually interconnected world. It is a free-to-use platform where the players can play, create and participate in the metaverse without any barriers.
It has more than 3 million user-created worlds (41) that the users can explore and experience. It has creative tools and services that are free to use. The millions of worlds could be accessed by users using any smart device. The tools assist the creators in creating their games without any requirement for knowledge of coding.
Play Together
Play Together is a Virtual gaming platform where the players can go on a casual adventure and make new friends. The players can customize their characters using various customization options present in the games (42). It is visually appealing and quite colorful. It has a range of different mini-games that players play. You can explore the World while playing with hundreds of players from across the World.
The players have to earn money to get a better lifestyle; they can earn money in various ways, like attending school, etc. Take part in fun activities like rides, hot air balloons, running through obstacle courses, etc. By completing the daily task, they can also gain rewards and go camping or have parties.
Virtex Stadium
Virtex Stadium is designed as a Social virtual reality experience, a virtual stadium where friends and fans could gather and watch together live esports matches. They can watch the live esports matches in 3D at the center of the stadiums(43). Each arena is customized to a specific videogame. The server would be able to support 200 users in the stadium.
They can even hang out in the lobby area with a capacity of 50, with an ability to wander around. The matches would be displayed as holograms, so the users can even jump into the game map. It would redefine the fan's experiences. The experience would be similar to a real-life stadium but even more freedom. This platform aims to bring the fans close to the games, shows, and teams they love.
Green Park Sports
Green Park Sports is a virtual sports universe specially designed to attract sports fans and enthusiasts from all over the World. It is a social sports gaming developer (44) that creates virtual esports and sports environments for the fan to enjoy.
At Green Park, the fans can create their Superfan Avatars and chat and celebrate with their friends and fellow fans. They can even have their official gears from their favorite teams. Here the fans battel to become the ultimate best fans. It is a free-to-play game (45), played on top of the sporting events so the fans could battle it out to prove themselves the league's best fans.
Sansar
A virtual social reality developed by Linden Lab, it was later owned by Wookey Project. Sansar allows its users to create their one 3D spaces where the users can create and share social experiences. They can play games together, watch videos and movies, or talk. The platforms enable the users to meet their favorite artists and attend virtual concerts (46).
They enter the VR space with an avatar; these avatars are a graphical representation of users. They exhibit speech-driven facial animations and emotion-driven body animations. They can buy clothes and other items from the Sansar Store for their avatar. The users can meet with their friends, interact, and party together.
Reworld
The main mission of the Reworld platform is to provide its users with tools to build their dream games. They wish to create a self-sustainable environment for the developers and player communities. Their advanced tools allow the users to create amazing games, whether professional or amateurs (47).
They have 3D creation tools and widgets to assist the creators in creating a game in a short amount of time. With the help of the Reworld game engine, users can create their dream games, share them with their friends and even play together. At the reworld platform, imagination is the only limitation.
GMod
Gmod is built on the modified version of Valve’s Source engine. Gmod, short for Garry’s Mod, is a physics sandbox game. Gmod (48) is incredibly modder-friendly, which has led to a thriving community. They are always coming up with new addons and game modes. Garry’s Mod could be bought on Steam.
With the mod support and its physics-based build tools, the users could build anything they want. The users could create constructions with moving parts. They can build a car and drive it. The players could play Garry’s Mod online with multiple players and collaborate to build together with their friends.
Hotel Hideaway
It is a social online 3D role-playing game where the players can become whoever they wish. They can dress up their characters with stylish clothes; they also have a variety of accessories and items to choose from.
The same creator created it as Habbo. Therefore both the game have quite a resemblance, and the experience except that Hotel Hideaway is a 3D social avatar adventure (49). The players can customize their room with a variety of furniture and decoration. The Hotel Hideaway is a small world with a lot of possibilities.
Shadowlands Eternity’s End
Eternity’s End is the final chapter of World of Warcraft. The Eternity’s End update marks the ending of shadowland; the story has reached an epic conclusion (50). Some new features include: New Zone: Zereth Mortis, New Raid: Sepulcher of the First Ones, Class Tier Sets New Quest Hub, etc.
Minecraft
Minecraft is an open platform; the players explore a blocky, procedurally generated 3D world. It has an infinite terrain where the player can explore, discover, and extract raw material and craft tools. They can build structures and machines and even fight with a computer-controlled mob.
The game (51) has several modes, including survival mode, where the players have to acquire resources to build the world and maintain health. The creative modes give the player access to unlimited resources and flight. Pliers can modify games to create new gaming experiences.
Playable World
An online world-building platform where people can have a fun experience while playing. The worlds have great stories for the players to explore. Right now, Playable World (52) is in the process of developing a cloud-native sandbox MMO game.
They plan to create an alternate persisting game world soon! The game would feature-rich social behavior and customization. The gaming world would have its economic independence.
Rave.Space
Rave. Space metaverse is a virtual 3D world powered by Web3 technologies. The metaverse is browser-based; therefore, the users don’t need to download any additional software on their devices (53) at Rave.Space, the users can create their avatar or the Rave.Space team can create custom avatars and motions for the users.
The users can interact and chat with other users and don’t need to sign in. The voice chat option is also available to make the experience more immersive. They can even display their NFT collectibles and use them as a key to their experience. Rave.Space has positional audio sources in its metaverse to make the experience even more real. At the club, the users can see their favorite DJs perform live and dance.
Stadium Live
Stadium Live is a virtual world where esports and sports fans can collaborate, connect, create and play with other fans worldwide. They can create their stadium. The users can customize their avatars to represent their teams (54).
They can create their custom avatar, form a team daily, and compete against fellow players and friends. They can even get the chance to receive rare items and collectibles. There are daily live streams and events that the users could participate in.
Challau Metaverse
Challau is a social experience 3D world where the users can meet, hang out with friends, work, watch movies, play games, etc. They can host parties and invite their friends to the luxury virtual home. They can use the private penthouse office with their colleagues to work together through 3D screen sharing (55).
The platforms allow the users to create virtual online schools and classrooms. They even provide an immersive outdoor football field, rugby pitch, and basketball court. Users can choose their avatar and fashionable outfit choices.
Uplift Games
Uplift Games, formerly called DreamCraft is a game development Group on Roblox. They are very well known for their Roblox experience ‘Adopt Me .’Uplift games are a remote-first game studio (56).
Adopt Me allows the players to explore an online world where they can build their houses, use in-game tools to create experiences, and share them with friends. They can collect and trade pets in the game. The game was launched in 2017 and has now become a massive success.
Decentralized Metaverse Gateways
The Sandbox
A community-driven metaverse platform, the Sandbox platform allows users to create and monetize their assets to earn profit. They buy land and build whatever they like on the land. It could be a house, a museum, a game, or they could buy multiple lands to create their district. They even rent the land to others for use.
The Sandbox is based on blockchain technology. The native currency of this metaverse is called SAND. The players own their creations; they can mint their assets through the Marketplace and sell them to others. The Sandbox (57) has VoxEdit, Marketplace, and Gamemaker. Through VoxEdit they can create and animate assets. The Marketplace is where they can purchase, sell and trade the ASSETS. The Game maker assists the players in creating and playing games.
CryptoVoxel
Crypto Voxel is an Ethereum blockchain-based virtual world. The Voxel world (58) is an independent, free-to-paly, user-owned world where the users can freely interact and connect with others. It is a deeply enmeshed NFT ecosystem.
The voxel world consists of real-life infrastructures, and the users can buy their land parcels to build any structure they like upon the land (59). Users can also add and removes blocks, video, images, and embed audio into their land parcel. It can be accessed through browsers.
Bit.Country
It is a user-created, community-driven platform for metaverses and a smart contract platform for decentralized Apps and Games. The users must have a spot in the Continuum as a portal to their metaverse (60).
New potential slots on the Continuum are made available through the on-chin logic and given to the highest bidder in the auction. The slot is the portal to their metaverse. Through this platform, non-technical users can create their dream metaverse, games, and smart contract decentralized apps.
Upland
Upland metaverse is designed to map the whole earth; this NFT metaverse is one of the largest blockchain-based economies. The users can purchase, sell and trade virtual properties that closely resemble the map of the earth.
They can build their dream house. UPX is the native currency of the Upland metaverse; it can be used to start a new business in the metaverse(61). They have daily treasure hunts and live events; the users can earn rewards by participating. The game is based on a play-to-earn model. Therefore the users can play games and earn money at the same time.
NETVRK
It is a multichain metaverse with powerful creation tools to aid the users in creating, sharing, and experiencing. They can even monetize their creations. The platform (62) allows users to build and own virtual land and other assets. They can buy assets with the tokens, including buildings, vehicles, etc.
The tokens can also buy Land, Ad space, Generate NFTs, and staking. The ad space can be used as a form of passive income just like the ones in the real world, and the NFT tokens are another way to create an additional income.
My Neighbour Alice
A multiplayer builder game where the players can build items and buy and own a virtual island. Animal Crossing inspired this game. Therefore, it has a fun narrative where the players can play, gain experience, and explore the ecosystem.
For the players who are interested in collecting and trading NFTs, they can also do that. The players can interact and make friends with others through their game avatar; the players can modify the avatar. They can buy virtual plots; NFTs represent these pieces of land. The main currency of this metaverse (63) is the Alice token, which can be used to buy lands, exchange NFTs, etc.
Victoria VR
Victoria VR is a blockchain-based MMORPG game. The game is based on technologies like virtual reality with realistic graphics built and owned by the users. The Unreal engine powers it. Victoria VR is the world’s first fully immersive realistic VR, giving its citizens a realistic experience (64).
The users can build, design, and create whatever they want; only their imagination is the limit for them on this particular platform. They can play games, trade goods, attend lectures, watch sports, explore the world, visit virtual galleries, and much more.
Decentral Games
Decentral Games is a metaverse platform where the users can play and create games, earn rewards and scale their metaverse guild. It is based on the play-to-earn game model. The native governance token of the metaverse is DG (65), and it is organized as a DAO.
Decentral Games is a venue built inside Decentraland metaverse. The users govern DG; they can use their avatars to socialize and compete in multiplayer virtual gambling events. They include games like poker, roulette, slots, blackjack, and backgammon.
Decentraland
An Ethereum-based metaverse, where the users can purchase, sell and trade virtual land parcels. The users can explore the metaverse, play various games and interact with users from all over the world. The Decentraland (66) is the world’s longest-running metaverse project; it was started in 2017.
The native currency of this metaverse is MANA, which can be used to buy land, virtual good, and services. The application tracks the real estate parcels that are called LAND tokens. The Marketplace facilitates the users to buy and sell LAND tokens. It also has builder tools for the users to create their own unique experience in their LAND. With Mana, the users can customize their avatars and use them for other transactions.
Your Open Metaverse
Your Open Metaverse is a community that creates a decentralized metaverse infrastructure with metaverse tokens. Here the users could visit live events and performances in the virtual worlds. They can collect NFTs and wearables and co-create metaspace and experiences with their friends.
The Unreal engine supports this metaverse (67). The users can also mint their NFTs, organize virtual events, and auction to sell these NFTs.
Treasure
It is a decentralized NFT ecosystem(68) built especially for metaverse projects. The listed projects of the treasure Marketplace utilize the native token MAGIC in their metaverse. Each community creates its own experiences and stories with these tokens; therefore, the metaverses are connected through the currency.
It has play-to-earn games that are built to utilize MAGIC and NFTs. At the center of the Treasure Metaverse is the Bridgeworld game. The Bridgeworld is a strategic game of commerce and trade.
Somnium Space
Somnium space is an Ethereum-based blockchain Virtual reality metaverse. It is an open platform with its economy and its currency called CUBE. Here, the players can purchase and sell land and create and import NFTs.
The users can buy a variety of in-game assets and exchange them with the use of native currency. The users can create their environment and customize them according to their own will; they can even explore other connected worlds. On this platform(69), the users can build, script, and monetize their experiences and environments while exploring other users’ creations. Somnium space, unlike the other traditional virtual reality game, hosts all players in one vast world and does not divide them into sub-observers.
Webavesre
Webavesre is an organization of the "metaverse makers" (70). They have a community of artists, coders, and creatives, with a mission to create the foundation for an open metaverse. Webavesre enables its community of users to create their virtual worlds with rich experiences. The creations are users generated; therefore, the users wholly own them.
They are a community of developers who wish to create virtual world layers to augment applications with the spacial and social dimensions using AR. They offer spatial web browsers, spatial creation tools, and real-time communications to ensure a trustless infrastructure.
Polka City
It is a new, fully autonomous contract-based platform that combines the NFT, DeFi, and Gaming world. The polka city is the first of its kind. It is a contract-based virtual city. The users can earn profit by investing in buildings, hotels, gas stations, etc. It is a digital marketplace for users and investors to earn a profit (71).
Polka city has NFTs that could be traded, the NFT marketplace, NFT Bridge, a 3d and AR NFT store, and an NFT treasure hunt game for the users to play. It allows users to invest in virtual assets in the form of virtual cities.
Wilder World
It is a 5D photorealistic metaverse. A group of digital artists designed Wilder World (72). Wilder world promises to be one of the most visually pleasing and stunning metaverses. The native governance token/currency is the WILD token. The platform has its won NFT market powered by the WILD token.
Its first city Wiami, a digital copy of the original Miami city, would host many zSpace residents in the early stages of the platform. This metaverse has an incredible aesthetic because of the Unreal engine tools.
SuperWorld
SuperWorld is an augmented reality virtual world built on Ethereum Blockchains. The SuperWorld digitally maps the real earth, and the NFTs represent the individual plots of this digital earth measuring 1000 meters square of the real space.
This measure has an infinite number of unique layers so users can personalize their digitally-owned location on the planet through AR. They can add art, music, animation, design, video, text, etc. Purchasing and selling virtual real estate on this metaverse can help users earn profit. The users can create AR content in the metaverse (73) to buy and sell NFTs, etc.
OVR AR Platform
The OVR metaverse strives to unite the real and the virtual world through Augmented Reality. A decentralized platform where the users could explore the merged world using their smartphones or VR devices. It is an open-source platform based on the Ethereum blockchain.
The platform utilizes augmented reality to add different content to the users' surrounding environment. These contents could be audio, videos, etc. This platform (74) can be accessed through any device with a camera, and it would create a whole new world and a merged experience of the digital and the physical world. Digital billboards and AR games can be monetized for the user to create an environment that could reap some benefits.
Matrix world
Matrix is a programmable three-dimensional multichain world that will support different blockchain infrastructures. The players can explore the world and play games with different on-chin identities. They can extend the world by building immersive three-dimensional decentralized apps. The in-game object in this platform and the NFTs have their lifecycles. The Turing-complete programs could help the landowner customize the behavior, appearances, and transformations. The platform (75) has automated tools so the players can create buildings etc., and they can even import their NFTs. They have user-created and public entertainment venues such as NFT galleries, 3D games, etc.
Worldwide Webb
An MMORPG metaverse game where the users use NFTs for their in-game avatars, lands, items, pets, and quests. It is the first game to give the NFT holders the power to play as their in-game avatars. The platform was inspired by "Ready Player One." the users build their world using the NFTs.
It follows the play-to-earn and creates a to-earn model to maintain the virtual world's economy. They can buy their land on the platform (76), which will give them a chance to mint and sell their NFTs inside the game. The players can also battle with other players using the NFT pets; they can even trade items in the games. These items could be anything like a car, clothes, hoverboards, furniture, or even a nimbus cloud.
Loot
Loot is an NFT-driven world parallel world. The Lootverse has its economy, currency, etc. the Lootversian map is the unifier of many pieces of the Loot metaverse. The Lootvesre (77) is the product of the Loot NFT Co. Thee users land on the Lootverse Map, where they will be able to register, login, search for plots, and navigate through the world.
"The Fund" will help users manage their in-world NFT assets with just one click on the Map. "The Loot Arena" is an NFT battel-bidding Arena. The lootverse Map will help the users navigate the platform whether they want to manage their NFTs, go to Loot Arena, change their view, check plot numbers, etc.
Bloktopia
Blokotopia is a decentralized platform that strives to provide its users with an unprecedented VR experience to their users. They aim to bring the users together through an immersive and engaging environment. It is a skyscraper built by Polygon. This skyscraper has 21 levels as recognition of 21 million bitcoin.
Blokotopia (78) is a central hub for all types of crypto experiences for the blokotopians. The blokotopians are the token holders. The blokotopians have access to immersive experiences and crypto information; they will be able to earn revenue by many methods such as owning real estate, playing games, advertising revenue, etc.
Division Network
A virtual world where the users could create their own NFTs and customize their metaverse using the creation tools. Here anyone can create NFTs and sell them without having any technical knowledge on how to mint them etc. the users can create their avatars, houses, land plots, clothes, etc., with the help of the built-in creator dashboard.
The Division metaverse (79) has important components like Meta-city, Meta-space, and NFT market. In the meta-city, the users can hang out and participate in activities like shopping, education, Gaming, and visiting exhibitions. Meta-space, the users can create their own personalized space for various professional purposes. The NFT marketplace is, as its name suggests, a marketplace for users to trade their assets with others.
NFT PFP Collections
Using NFTa as a profile picture has become quite popular these days. NFT profile pictures are now popularly called PFPs (80). There are many reasons why people use NFTs as their profile pictures for their social media handles. One could signal their affiliation with a particular NFT community; another could be to showcase their collections.
They were using NFTs as the profile picture comes from the rise of Crypto Punks. The Cryptopunk where the earlier version of NFT; they inspired the CryptoArt movement (81). When Twitter started verifying (82) if the users own the NFT in their profile, the trend of using NFTs as PFP was solidified. The verified owner's profile picture would have a special hexagonal border to indicate their ownership.
The arrival of bored Apps was like hitting the nail on its head. BAYC has gained a lot of popularity and garnered a lot of attention(83) in the past few months. It brought many benefits for the BAYC NFT owners; they also got the commercial right over their image. After the success of NFT PFPs, hundreds of various projects have started, including the female-driven "World of Women" (84).
Lazy Lion
The Lazy Lion is a programmatically generated limited collection of NFTs based on the Ethereum blockchain. Each NFT(85) is unique and programmatical created from a combination of 160 possible traits. These traits include manes, expression, clothes, etc.
The Lazy Lions have many perks. The holders would automatically access the ROARwards program, explore the Lazy Lion metaverse, decorate their Lazy Bungalows, and are eligible for airdrop tokens; they get to join an amazing community.
CryptoPunks
CryptoPunks is one of the earlier versions of NFTs; they are now considered game-changers in crypto and NFT history. This collection had 10,000 pixelated Punk NFTs; Larva Lab developed them. These avatars were free to mint except for the gas fees. The CryptoPunks inspired the CyberArt movement and the ERC-721 standard (86).
No two crypto punks were similar; each of them had its traits; originally free, these NFTs can now be bought from the NFT markets. They were inspired by the London punk scene, Daft punk, and cyberpunk.
Moonbirds
A collection of 10,000 NFTs, the Moonbirds was created by Kevin Rose, an American internet entrepreneur. It was part of his Proof collection. Moonbird is one of the highest-grod+ssing NFT collections. They have a "unique pool of rarity-powered traits" (89).
Each of these NFTs unlocks a private club membership. They also offer additional benefits to the holders, depending on how much they hold them. The Moonbirds have a unique PFP design that allows them to nest within the holder's wallet and then would start accruing benefits as they nest. They can achieve new tier levels, which in turn upgrades their nest. The upgraded nest enhances the drops and rewards.
Cool cats
They are a collection of programmatically generated NFT. The Ethereum blockchain powers these NFTs. The very first generation of the cool cat NFT contained 9,999 randomly generated cats. These cats could be generated from a random combination of 300,000 options (90).
Cool cats have a variety of colors, outfits, faces, accessories, etc. These NFTs can be used as profile pictures. The company returns 20% of the ETH to the community of holders through contests. The holders get a stake in how the program should proceed in the future. The company has built Cooltopia, which is a gamified ecosystem.
CrypToadz
A collection of 6,969 amphibious NFTs minted by NFT creator Gremplin. These were toad-themed NFTs that can be utilized as profile pictures. They are Ethereum-based NFTs with a collection of pixellated toads.
Each NFT has distinctive characteristics, including backgrounds, names, clothing, accessories, etc. The Cryptoadz are part of the public domain; therefore, anyone can build off them(91). The Cryptoadz give subtle reference to the history of NFTs; therefore, many NFT collectors consider them very valuable.
Mfers
Sartoshi created a collection of 10,021. They are drawings of stick figures; 10,000 NFTs of this collection were randomly generated based on Sartoshi's hand-drawn memes. The creator Sartoshi used his Mfer in Twitter memes before introducing his NFT collection(92).
The Mfers are CCo projects; therefore, they are a part of the public domain, so anybody can use these NFTs any way they want. Sartoshi repurposed the "are you winning son" meme in a crypto-centric way (93).
VeeFriends
A collection of 10,255 NFTs by artist Gary Vaynerchuk was launched in 2021. The VeeFriends is soon coming with a "Series 2" collection with about 10,255 tokens. The "Series 1" collection garnered 49,000 ETH in sales.
VeeFriends NFT is about access and utility. Therefore each NFT has a different level of access and activity, governed by smart contracts. The VeeFriends token holders get three-year access to VeeCon; a multi-day event focused on marketing, business, entrepreneurship, ideas, competition, etc. (94).
World of Women
World of Women, also called Wow, is a collection of 10,000 NFTs; this project gave a human spin to the avatars (95). The collection was launched in 2021. These NFTs were created from various traits crafted in the unique style of Yam Karki.
This NFT collection features women figures only. The holder gets access to clubs; here the funds are distributed to the women artists in NFT. They can also get access to the royalties club, where the members could get from the divide of 50% of the OpenSea secondary sale royalties (96)
RTFKT
Pronounced as 'artifact,' RTFKT is a crypto project. This Collection aims to sneaker culture and blockchain technology. The RTFKT NFTs are all surrounding sneakers, pop, and gaming culture. One of its major projects is the Murakami project; this Collection had 20,000 unique avatars. These avatars have unique 3D characteristics. The Jeff Staple collaboration was also a major release by RTFKT(97).
In 2021 Nike acquired RTFKT; this was the first major brand to make a large commitment to the crypto community. The NFT holder get rewards for collecting piece from the Collection. These NFTs signify the status of the holder. Therefore the holders could use them as a status symbol.
Smilesss
A collection of 8,888 generative NFTs, they have three-dimensional full-body characters. This Collection was hand designed by the artist Waheed Zai. The characters are a random combination of 150 traits. The Collection uses bold color and fashion to show the emotion of the creators (98).
Sports and hip-hop culture inspired the Collection. In January 2022, Simelsss announced their upcoming collaboration with Chains NFT and Crypto Jeweler. The NFT holders received their smiles chain. The NFT holders can access exclusive merchandise, Airdrops, and rewards.
Deadfellaz
A collection of 10,000 undead NFTs powered by the Ethereum blockchain. The Collection features the Deadfellaz (99) with an iconic green body base with a combination of traits. These traits include background, body, eyes, nose, and mouth. The NFTs could be generated from a variety of 300 traits.
"The Horde" is the Deadfellaz community. This community is very popular because of its recent collaboration with Cool Cats, Gevols and Ghxts. They have expanded the Collection to a 3D model. In February 2022, they released their companion collection called Deadfrenz.
Azuki
It is a collection of 10,000 NFTs. The holders would get membership access to 'The Garden .' The NFT holders also get additional perks like access to exclusive streetwear collab, NFT drops, access to live events, etc. The Azuki NFT is the holder's identity in the Metaverse (100).
'The Garden' is where culture, art, and community combine. The Azuki NFT is a hand-drawn collection of Samurais and smoking Skateboarders. They have an anime-based theme drawing, which is very eye-catching. The Azuki NFTs have different traits, such as body, wearable, hair, background, clothes, etc.
CyberKongz
This is a collection of randomly generated 2d and 3d NFTs. These NFTs could be the social avatar for the holder's online experience. The Original Kongz Collection had 1000 NFTs; 10 NFTs were considered legendary from this Collection. The Kongz NFTs (101) could be used as a profile pic; another major benefit is that they yield $BANANA daily.
The Genesis Kongz could yield about 10 $BANANA for the next ten years. The holders could also breed two Genesis Kongz to create a Baby Kongz, but breeding required about 600 $BANANA. The CyberKongz has now entered the 3D Metaverse in the form of voxel-based avatars that can be used in Metaverses.
The Forgotten Runes Wizard's Cult
It is a collaborative legendarium, a collection of 10,000 unique Wizards. They are fully encoded on-chain; they not only hold the image but the character of the Wizard. The Collection has inspired its TV show. They are based on the Ethereum blockchain. The community is very supportive and passionate, and the cult contributes with animation, stories, art, memes, etc.
The holders get access to the new fantasy world, and they participate in the Wizard's co-creation. In the book of Lore, the holder can summon their Wizard, write their story, and give life to the WIzard (102). Therefore, they have the IP right over their character and can commercialize their creation.
FLUF World
A collection of 10,000 NFTs was launched in August 2021. They are a collection of 3D Rabbit Avatars programmatically generated. They were created from a random combination of 270 traits. The holders could use them as an avatar in the Metaverse; they might even get access to exclusive content, experiences, etc.
Fluf (103) has expanded into a complex metaverse ecosystem, with access to secondary collections and virtual and real-life events. The project becomes a major success, with many praising the Collection. Later, they added collections like the Party Bear, Burrow, Scenes, and sound Collection.
Doodles
A collection of 10,000 NFTs designed by Burnt Toast. The Doodles are made from a combination of exciting hand-drawn traits. These include cats, aliens, apes, skellys, and mascots. The doodle has expanded a lot, offering new experiences like Space Doodles.
These experiences are available to the NFT holders; they can also have exclusive access to new products, other merch, etc. Another benefit to the holders is that they can access live events and are allowed to vote on the community-driven feature (104). Doodles have proven to be a very influential project within the NFT community.
Sup Duck
A collection of 10,000 NFT of randomly generated ducks with a variety of traits. The NFT holders get access to the SupDuck ecosystem. The Collection was launched in July 2021. The SupDucks have a random combination of hand-drawn traits.
The SupDuck are 3D avatars whose rarity is determined by the combination of a variety of skin, clothes, background, eyes, and mouth. The Collection also had 10 SuperDucks. These ducks are hatched from the eggs. Therefore the collectors buy the type of egg they want (105).
Meebits
A collection of 20,000 three-dimensional voxels characters. The custom algorithm generates them. These NFTs could be animated; they can also be used as metaverse avatars. They were created by Larva Lab, the creator of the famous CyberPunk collection.
The Minecraft characters inspired this Collection (106). The Collection can be divided into humans, skeletons, pigs, robots, elephants, etc. Each NFT is made from various traits like hats, tattoos, accessories, glasses, etc. The NFTs could be used as PFPs as well as be used as an avatar in the metaverses.
BAYC
A collection of 10,000 Bored Ape NFTs living in the Ethereum Blockchain launched in 2021. These NFTs feature various traits like facial expressions, accessories, clothes, etc. BAYC, the NFT project of Yuga Lab, become an instant success. The BAYC (107) stands for Bored Ape yacht Club, they gained huge popularity, and many people use them as their PFP.
The BAYC NFT holders are considered part of the exclusive BAYC club; they get access to private online spaces, merch, and member-only live events. These NFTs feature Ape in an incredibly creative way. The Holders also get free NFTs from BAKC and MAYC. This year Snoop Dogg and Eminem released the premiere of their song "From The D2 The LBC" featuring BAYC NFTs in the ApeFest 2022(108)
Gutter Cat Gang
The Gutter Cat Gang is a collection of 3,000 NFTs; this Collection has one of the lowest supplies of NFTs. It has also released other collections like Gutter Rats and Gutter Pigeons, Gutter Dogs, Gutter Clones, etc. These NFTs live on the Ethereum Blockchain. The Gutter is a web3 social club.
The Gutter Cats NFTs (109) represents the premier Membership, whereas other NFT collection like Gutter Pigeons, etc., represents the Gang's base level membership. The Holders can access real-life events and the virtual Metaverse called the 'Gutter City.' This city is being built in the Sandbox.
Invisible Friends
A collection of 5,000 animated invisible character NFTs. The characters can be seen wearing clothes and accessories and holding different equipment in their hands. The NFTs are especially attractive for Fashion enthusiasts and streetwear lovers. Motion Markus created the Collection.
RCC incubated this project (110); they had previously released NFTs like SlimHoods and MoodRollers. Half of the NFTs were reserved for the holders of the previous collections. The other half was given to the early supporters and the active community members. Many community members have gone to lengths to be on the allowlist.
3Landers
A collection of 10,000 NFTs that became instantly popular because of its great pre-sale Hype. The Collection has distinctly illustrated characters. The characters were created by the artist and co-founder 3LandBoy. The Collection was one of the most successful NFT projects in 2022(111).
The artwork is distinct and easily recognizable, one of the factors for its success. Each of the 3Landers lives in the Ethereum blockchain. The Holders of the NFTs became 3Landers and a member of the 3Lander community (112).
Capsule House
A collection of 10,000 unique Capsule NFT (113), they are the digital version of popular collectible toys in Japan. The Collection has 1220 variants and endless combinations of traits to create the NFT. The Capsule has verifiably rare Gachapon artwork.
The NFT holders get the perk of getting future drops. They also access CapsuleVerse and all the future events in the Capsuleverse. These capsules live on the Ethereum blockchain. The Capsule has characters from 100 species and 60 variants. The Capsule was transformed into PFP-style art by artists Seerlight and Kaejunni.
The Wicked Cranium
A collection of 10,762 Authentic AltNFT, this project focuses on experience, music, and events. The characters live on Ethereum-based blockchains. They are algorithmically-generated unique NFTs. They were launched in June 2021. The NFT sold out within 30 minutes of its release (114). The Wicked Craniums were named one of the badass generative NFT collections.
The holder gets access to the Cranium ecosystem and many in-person festivals. The NFT comes with a ticket to get access to a members-only club. This club is called 'The Cradle' (115). These are skull-themed NFTs with various traits; these craniums belonged to the island of Osseous.
Social & Meeting Hubs
Social media has become an important part of our life, and therefore in the past few months, there has been a rise in the usage of Social Media Apps. In the future virtual world, the social and meeting hubs will become an important part f our social and professional life. We can already see a rise in the social media users who use the platforms to interact with others, do business, explore and search for communities, etc.
Social and meeting hubs like Facebook, ticktock, etc., have become quite popular in the past few years, especially after the pandemic, where the internet has become an important medium to stay connected with the world outside. These hubs might become an important form of communication in the future (116).
The users can share information, interact with communities and friends, and create and distribute web content. Many users utilize these hubs to make personal and professional connections, keep in contact with friends, family, etc. In the future, people might shift their professional and personal life to virtual platforms.
Considering how many people believe that Metaverse and virtual reality will become the future of today's internet, it is obvious that they would shift their social life from the real world to the virtual 3D world. After Meta announced its future projects, many anticipated the change from a 2D internet world to a 3D virtual reality.
Questions like will social media be replaced by the Metaverse (117) have already been raised. However, there is still a long before these questions can be answered without uncertainties. Many companies developing Social and Meeting hubs have also started to prepare for this transition slowly. Many social media apps have already started changing to facilitate the future.
In the new report by Newzoo, where they mentioned about 500 companies already involved with the development of the Metaverse, there are a good amount of Social and Meeting hubs that have also been involved with Metaverse, for example, Youtube, Ticktock, Snapchat, Line, Zoom, Facebook, Discord, Telegram, Instagram, etc.
YouTube
YouTube is not a social media app; it is a video platform. It is also the world's second-largest search engine after Google. People use YouTube for various purposes; some use it to create and share content and earn money by monetizing their content; others may use it to gain information or to enjoy (118).
Youtube has various consumer features, including Shorts, videos, vlogs, live streams, etc. Many major businesses use YouTube to advertise, and Youtube generates revenue from these advertisements. Some use it to release music videos, short films, documentaries, movie teasers, audio recordings, news, etc. (119).
The viewers could subscribe to their favorite YouTubers and support them. The YouTubers get paid for the views, subscriptions, etc. if their content is monetized. One can assume YouTube has become a huge platform of entertainment with millions of creators and billions of viewers.
Tiktok
Tiktok became an instant success, the video-sharing platform was Launched in 2017, and it has taken the world by storm. It has seen a constant rise in popularity, with millions of content creators sharing content constantly. The platform (120) is used by people to create, share and discover content.
The young generation uses these short videos to express themselves, usually by dancing, singing, comedy, etc. Many creators also use this platform to promote their small businesses. People also delight in performing and recording themselves to various challenges and trends.
Creating, sharing, and gaining popularity over social media has become important for teens of the 21st century. The accounts in TikTok are public by default, so if the users want to have a private account, they'll have to change the settings manually.
Twitch
A streaming platform that enables people to broadcast themselves live. The users usually use twitch to live-stream themselves, playing video games, cooking, and any other activities that most come up with that they would like to share with others (121). They can chat with the viewers while live-streaming themselves.
It started with the name Justin.tv, which was later changed to twitch because of the large gaming-based audience. The app was launched in 2017 and changed its name in 2014; Amazon then acquired it for a hefty sum. Although gaming has remained at the center of the platform, it has developed in other categories as well. These categories are creating art, making music, singing, vlogging, cooking, etc.
Many esports organizations also utilize twitch to host tournaments. The viewers could support the streamers by donating money, subscribing to their channel, etc. Subscribing to the streamer requires the viewers to pay a small amount to watch ad-free content and support their favorite streamer.
Snapchat
Snapchat is a messenger app for sharing texts, photos, videos, etc. The main objective is that the shared content will disappear from the receiver's device after a few seconds. The users could share content and interact with their friends. They can even use it to make new friends.
All they have to do is click pictures using their phone cameras, select the people they want to share their Snaps with, and then decide on the time of visibility. The recipient will then receive the message and view it; the snap will be automatically removed after the time limit ends.
With new updates, Snapchat (122) has added many features; the users can add special effects and sounds to their videos and pictures, publish their pictures and stories, and upload and save their pictures as memories that they can visit. In 2017 Snapchat also added gaming elements to keep its users more consistent. If the users and their friends 'snap' each for more than three days, they get awarded a fire emoji, and the score beside would show the number of snaps.
Line
Line is a messaging app, this app was created in South Korea in 2011, but it gained huge popularity in the Japanese market. The messaging has evolved into a kind of super app, as it aims to become the life infrastructure of the users. The app was a reliable communication source during major disasters in Japan like the Tsunami.
The app (123) has developed into an entertainment hub where people can share their social and day-to-day activities. The app has become a hybrid version of many apps like Spotify, Whatsapp, Reddit, Uber, Youtube, etc.
The users can create private or public accounts to share posts, videos, stories, etc. The app is also used for audio calls and video calls. The users access articles, songs, videos, games, manga, etc. The app allows users to create and share stickers. They can even start open chat forums and threads like Reddit. Line app has become an all-rounder that strives to support the users in all ways possible.
Microsoft Teams
A chat-based collaboration platform that allows its users to perform multiple functions like sharing documents, Online meetings. The app has become an important part of many people's lives worldwide, especially after the pandemic. People have used the app for business, education, etc.
The app has a lot of functions like teams and channels, chatting functions, Sharepoint document storage, online video calling, screen sharing, etc. The app (124) is user-friendly with appropriate features to support the work environment. It provides a great environment for work collaboration.
Microsoft teams gained a lot of users in the pandemic with education utilizing its functions to conduct online classes and exams, etc.; it is also used to conduct webinars, it could accommodate about 20,000 people in the view-only broadcast. The app has become a daily part of our life in the past few years.
Zoom
A video conferencing app allowing users to interact with people during in-person meetings virtually is not possible for various reasons. Zoom has become immensely popular, especially after the pandemic. It's a cloud-based app that allows the users to meet with people through audio and video calls; the users can also use the live chat option and even record the meetings.
Zoom (125) has many features that could facilitate users to communicate with people successfully without hitches. These features include one-on-one meetings, group video calls, recording, and screen sharing. The app has often been used to conduct webinars; it could accommodate 1000 participants. The app has been used for multiple purposes, such as webinars, classes, business, and personal uses.
The app's concept is not new, but its simplicity makes it quite favorable for the user instead of other apps. It is very user-friendly and lightweight, with many features like Gallery view.
A social networking site where the users could communicate with others by posting short messages. These short messages are called 'tweets.' By posting these tweets, the users communicate with their followers. Through Twitter, they can explore and discover interesting people and communities.
They can track and read the post of Twitter users and even comment their opinion on their posts. It can also be used as a news forum; people can follow accounts to be updated about all the happenings in the world.
Twitter (126)was one of the first apps to enable its users to use the NFTs as their profile picture, which ultimately led to the development of NFT PFPs. Many use Twitter to promote themselves and their business. Twitter allows users to share their tweets on other social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
Linked is the largest professional networking site in the world; it facilitates its users by helping them find the right job and internship. The user also connects and strengthens their professional relationship with others.
The app (127) is very popular among job seekers, business professionals, freelancers, etc. Many businesses use this platform to recruit new employees and promote their businesses. The users can create their professional resume-like profile and even update others about their recent activities.
The app has many features to facilitate its users and support them in being discovered and searching for jobs and internships. The users can even write blogs, posts, etc.
Telegram
Telegram is a popular multi-purpose messaging app uniquely known for its focus on privacy, encryption, etc. Unlike many other apps, the app allows users to use their accounts from multiple devices and even manages multiple accounts from the same device. The users can use this app to chat with others, create group conversations, video calls, audio calls, share files, etc. (128).
Telegram facilitates its users with end-to-end encryption to ensure their privacy; the encryption can be used in calls and secret chats. It is a cloud-based platform. Therefore it is very easy to continue your chats from other devices. It saves the user's messages at a secured server and therefore is very multi-platform friendly.
The app also doesn't ask for the user's phone number; they can give their username and control how much of their information is exposed. While using secret chat, the users can't screenshot or forward messages. The messages can also be programmed to self-destruct, which would be convenient for some users.
Topia
Topia is a social experience metaverse where the users connect in real-time to communicate and play together. The users can create their world and customize it according to their needs; they could even bring their whole community to share the experiences.
The platform (129) can be used for multiple purposes like community meetups, events, conferences, etc. They can bring a whole community or organization into a persistent space and host real-time events to interact with people. They can hold conferences with attendees belonging to different parts of the world.
Other purposes that users utilize this platform for virtual offices, education, friends, immersive art, etc. They can also explore public worlds that other creators make; there are many worlds like coworking, product hunt community, etc.
A free-to-use photo and video sharing app where people upload their photos and videos to share and interact with their followers. The app also allows the users to chat with each other, comment on the post, etc. They can even upload stories to update their followers about their life.
With billions of users, Instagram has become an immensely popular app, especially among teens. The users can create reels, post pictures and memes, promote their business, etc. With the new update, Instagram has an additional feature through which content creators could be easily found by businesses looking for collaboration.
The artist can also showcase NFTs through their account to include the crypto community. The app has also made changes regarding the fake reviews issue, so only those who have genuinely used the products could be able to give their review. Like other social media apps, the app has become a great source for small businesses to promote themselves.
The users can use the app to (130) follow their friends, family, favorite celebs, fashion brands, etc. they can create professional and private accounts according to their needs.
Vriendly
A virtual environment for the "tech and startup industry in mastering sales education and collaborating efficiently" (131). The platform believes in virtual reality domination in the future; therefore, they have already started adapting to the changes. The platform provides a virtual 3D environment for the user to experience an advanced way of interaction and communication.
The platform provides multi-themed rooms that can be customized; the user can organize any event on the platform. The spatial audio function makes the process even more immersive. Users can use their customized avatars to engage in activities like work, meetings, events, etc. They can even use the common area to engage with others, work, learn, build futuristic experiences and share them with others.
