Months go by but the interest in the metaverse does not seem to fade. Epic Gamesthe studio that created Fortnite, has closed a round of millionaire financing in order to expand and accelerate its intentions in virtual life. For this, it has received the support of Sony Y The LEGO Groupwhich, combined, have disbursed nothing less than $2 billion.
According to the americans, said figure will be used “to advance the company’s vision of building the metaverse and support its continued growth”. And beyond the relentless amount of money it has received from its investors, Epic Games will not undergo changes at the driving level; Tim Sweeney, founder and current CEO, will retain control over the company.
Sony Y KIRKBIthe Danish company that controls The LEGO Group, will disburse 1,000 million dollars eachEpic Games explained in its announcement. According to Sweeney himself, the investment will “create spaces where gamers can have fun with friends, brands can create creative and immersive experiences, and creators can build a community and thrive.”
that the developers of Fortnite and Unreal Engine have added the interest of both companies for the metaverse is not a surprise. In fact, Sony has already made previous investments in said company, becoming a shareholder after allocating 450 million dollars between 2020 and 2021.
The LEGO Company, for its part, has confirmed a recent alliance with Epic Games to build a metaverse for kids. Both companies will “combine their extensive experience to ensure that this next iteration of the Internet is designed from the ground up with the well-being of children in mind.”
The Epic Games metaverse is guaranteed the support of big names
As we have said on previous occasions, we have heard about the metaverse practically ad nauseam. And since there is still no specific definition of what these projects imply (or mean) to bring life to virtuality, companies are usually quite vague in their considerations. It is also true that there are already several projects that exploit this issue and some, in fact, are tremendously lucrative; however, not all companies have been able to come to market with something too innovative.
What Epic Games seems to have going for success in the metaverse isn’t just millions of dollars from Sony and LEGO. The popularity of Fortnite would play a key role in the development of their vision, and therefore they would aim to drastically increase their player base. In addition, the game would no longer be considered as such to become an “experience”; and Unreal Engine would also play a transcendental role there, both for what its creators propose and in the initiatives of third parties.
In 2021, Tim Sweeney stated that the metaverse could become the engine of the world economy. He even said that would be capable of generating “several trillion dollars”, and that the next few years would be critical for the companies that want to lead it. And in addition, he assured that whoever first reaches one billion users in the virtual world will be able to establish the standards of the platform.
We’ll see if Epic Games’ plans for the metaverse really pay off. The truth is that having Sony and The LEGO Group on your side seems to give your proposal more legitimacy compared to the competition. And it is also giving it an interesting boost in the financial order, since the American company has reached a valuation of $31.5 billion.