Microsoft v Facebook: Has the Metaverse truly arrived?

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  • January 19, 2022 at 9:44 am #11100
    Haamsaaveni (Hamsi) Kumar
    Moderator

    Today’s biggest news on Watson’s Daily is that Microsoft is to purchase video game company, Activision Blizzard, for $75bn! AB itself was born out of a merger between Activision (of Call of Duty fame) and Blizzard Entertainment’s parent Vivendi Games (Blizzard having done World of Warcraft, Overwatch and StarCraft).

    AB, having gone independent from Vivendi, became a powerful entity in the gaming industry and invested in many e-sports ventures. On the flip side, AB was also famously in the press for not being the best place to work (sexual harassment, employee discrimination, gender pay gap) as well as infringing patents and not paying royalties. It is this aspect that brought Activision’s shares down by almost 30 per cent and what made it a great buy for Microsoft.

    This acquisition comes after Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda Softworks, another game developer, as well also announcing its plans to blend the virtual and physical by allowing users to appear as their virtual avatars during Teams meetings. The metaverse has gained renewed traction after Facebook’s rebrand to Meta as well as recent patents granted to Facebook/Meta.

    All these would point to the redevelopment of the internet as we know it to an immersive experience. On the flip side, the online lived experience is not a new phenomenon such as the Second Life game by Linden Labs. Would you say that this is the latest bubble that will, unfortunately, burst eventually?

    Let me know your thoughts!

    January 20, 2022 at 12:26 pm #11121
    Jeremiah Amatare
    Participant

    I believe the Metaverse has truly arrived. Of course it will take a few more years to fully fresh out and develop. However, this will seem contrary to the view expressed by Blackrock’s CEO Larry Fink in his hugely popular annual letter where he stated that the next big investment opportunities will be within the net zero space; inventors and innovators working towards a more eco-friendly and sustainable future. Cryptocurrency and I assume, the metaverse (which I believe are intrinsically linked) are not known for their energy efficiency and as such will seem to be heading in the opposite direction.

    But as Peter stated in the podcast yesterday, we can not really deny or resist the advancement of technology. I see it as the inevitability of technological advancement and the insatiable desire for humans to consistently improve on what is existing. Thus, if it isn’t Meta collecting our data, it will be another company. As India also opined, it will become increasingly difficult to live a normal life without interacting with these platforms. I think we are past the point where we can really expect to be inoculated from these vices. Though there is always the option of retreating to the mountains and living as a hermit. LOL.

    January 24, 2022 at 8:01 pm #11263
    Haamsaaveni (Hamsi) Kumar
    Moderator

    I definitely agree that the Metaverse is something you can’t avoid for all the reasons you mentioned esp with Microsoft wanting to introduce it to Teams (and I personally believe Teams might win the Teams v Zoom rivalry)!

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