Meta kick-starts is metaverse economy.
Meta today announced that it has begun working on a handful of monetization tools for its Horizon Worlds platform that will allow select creators to sell virtual items and effects within their custom worlds, setting the stage for the company’s metaverse economy. The company is starting small with two new creator monetization features.
The first is in-world purchases. Participating creators can sell custom objects developed using the Horizon Worlds creator tools in exchange for real-world cash. These objects could be anything from digital clothing and avatar accessories to special tools and exclusive access to premium in-world locations. One example provided by Meta is a special key that, when purchased, unlocks access to additional adventures in the Secret Temple world.
The other monetization feature teased is the Horizon Worlds Creator Bonus, a program which will pay creators a certain amount of money at the end of each month depending on their progress towards a pre-defined goal. For example, creators may get paid more for utilizing a specific tool or feature. Creators will be able to sell items at their leisure using the new Commerce tab and gizmo while in Create Mode.
“If you imagine what some future metaverse [at] some point down the line [would look like], clearly the ability to sell virtual goods and take them with you from one world to another is going to be an important part of it. But first, there need to be things that people want to buy, to get that economy going,” said Mark Zuckerberg during a conversation with Vidyuu Studios hosted by Horizon Worlds creator Alex Chandler. “So I think that sometimes the stuff that ends up working in these digital products ends up being a little bit different from what you’d expect from the physical world.”
“So, it requires a lot of experimentation and creativity from the people who are building the worlds and building these experiences and all kinds of different things,” he added. “But this will be a really iterative process in terms of building this. It’s not like we just put something out there, and we’re done. You know, we’ll see what you all build. And then we’ll see what resonates with the people using the worlds, and then we’ll build the next round of tools based on that and keep on improving it. And so that’s what I’m interested in, is just how quickly we can learn and iterate on this and keep on making it better.”
As stated previously, Meta is in the early stages of this metaverse monetization initiative. The company is currently working with a handful of established community members to gain a better understanding of their individual needs in the hopes of establishing a long-term strategy. In addition to the aforementioned monetization tools, Meta today announced several updates designed to simplify the world creation process.
This includes an official world template for its original PvP mini-game “Arena Clash.” The company hopes that by offering creators a closer look at the scripts, gizmos, and art used to create the experience they’ll feel empowered to develop own unique games, worlds, and activities. Like the other templates included in Horizon Worlds, creators can build upon the original experience to create their own unique “remixes.”
Meta has also released a new analytics dashboard that developers can use to learn more about the habits of their visitors and how they can increase foot traffic within their worlds. The aforementioned updates are just some of the many forms of support Meta is offering creators. Last month the company announced plans to launch its own Horizon Worlds bootcamp designed to educate developers on the finer points of content creation on the metaverse platform.
For more information on today’s announcement check out the official blog post here.
Image Credit: Meta
