Many people believe the metaverse trend is finally over. After all, Meta spent huge amounts of money on virtual reality worlds that did not catch on with the public. If you are one of the people glad to see the metaverse fade away, you might need to prepare yourself. The idea is not dead yet. Two massive tech companies, Google and Epic Games, are showing fresh interest in the concept. We are about to hear a lot more about virtual worlds.
Google and Epic’s New Virtual Plans
Right now, Google and Epic Games are finalizing a legal agreement. They are figuring out how new app store rules will work, which includes getting rid of the standard 30 percent fee. However, their legal documents reveal something else entirely. These companies are looking to do business together in the virtual space. They want to create more digital worlds that people may not actually want.
A recent report from The Verge highlighted a specific term sheet between the two companies. This document brings up a concept called “metaverse browsers.” If that sounds familiar, it should. It sounds very much like Meta’s Horizon Worlds project. Horizon Worlds was a virtual reality meeting space that struggled heavily to attract users. Often, only a handful of people were online at any given time.
Portability and Hidden Details
The legal documents about these metaverse browsers are heavily redacted. Many sections are crossed out. Still, the visible text gives us a clear idea of the goal. The main purpose of these browsers is to let users navigate and explore different metaverse worlds.
Another key feature mentioned in the documents is portability. The browsers will support virtual items and digital identities that you can carry with you. This means a user could take their digital clothing or avatar from one virtual world directly into another.
Because the text is hidden, we cannot know every detail. But one thing is absolutely certain. The tech industry is not finished with the metaverse. This is surprising, especially given how poorly Meta’s recent efforts performed.
The Fortnite Exception
It is even more surprising when you look at Epic Games. Epic Games already runs one of the few successful virtual worlds today. Aside from Roblox, Epic Games has Fortnite. Fortnite is a massive global success.
At first glance, Fortnite’s success might make Epic Games seem like the perfect company to build a broader metaverse. They already have a hit. Why not make more virtual spaces? But Fortnite works for a very specific reason.
Epic Games did not originally set out to build a metaverse. They set out to make a video game. That video game turned out to be incredibly fun for millions of people. Yes, Fortnite acts as a digital store. It sells silly character outfits, like skins from The Simpsons. But it is not just a digital shopping mall. It is a place where friends gather to play a game and compete. The entertainment comes first.
Why Empty Virtual Rooms Fail
The new legal language about “metaverse browsers” does not sound like a video game. It sounds like a blank virtual space. This is exactly where Meta went wrong.
There are many reasons Horizon Worlds failed. It was owned by Meta. It required a virtual reality headset to work well. The digital avatars looked terrible. But the biggest reason it failed was its core purpose. Meta tried to build a metaverse just to have a metaverse. They did not build a source of entertainment.
You cannot simply create a virtual room and expect millions of people to show up. Users need a compelling reason to care. They need a reason to log in. For Fortnite, that reason was the exciting battle royale gameplay. The funny outfits and big brand crossovers came after the game was already fun.
Times Have Changed Since Second Life
We can also look back at Second Life. Launched in 2003, Second Life was one of the very first functioning virtual worlds. It was basically an open space without a specific game attached. It worked back then because the idea of escaping into a virtual world was entirely new. There were very few options for digital escapism.
Today, the internet is completely different. You cannot be the only virtual world in town anymore. People have endless options for entertainment. A blank virtual meeting space is no longer enough to hold attention.
Conclusion
The truth is, the word “metaverse” already feels old. It was a shiny new buzzword just a few years ago. Now, it feels overused and tired. If a company is pitching a new product today, they should probably avoid using the word entirely. Using it immediately draws comparisons to failed projects like Horizon Worlds.
So, there is a simple counterproposal to Google and Epic Games’ new browser plans. It is a very direct idea: just let the metaverse go. The tech business would be better off moving on. More importantly, the everyday people who actually use these platforms would be much better off, too.
