The Immersive Wire - 31 July 2022 (Sunday edition)

The Immersive Wire - 31 July 2022 (Sunday edition)

July 31, 2022

31 July 2022 //

by Tom Ffiske

Metaverse and VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

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TOP STORYDeclining metaverse roles

Revelio Labs found that monthly job postings with 'metaverse' in the title dropped by 81%

  • Fewer metaverse jobs? Perhaps, but not quite. A Unity developer could be used for metaverse-related reasons, for example, or an AR producer. Only using a title may obscure the true drop in roles.

  • Even so, it shows tech's general slowdown. As the economic climate declines further, tech firms are tightening belts and reassessing their approach. Meta is a recent example after their earnings call this week. The hiring spring will slow to a hiring walk, followed by a considered consolidation of the workforce. Still, the companies have deep pockets to dip into.

 Snap unveiled their spooky

  • It's a cool concept. Players find a refurbished phone, which is configured to detect paranormal activity. The aim is to scour texts for clues and work out passwords to find out what happened to the owner.

  • It's an in-Snapchat experience, which tells me that it's for app engagement. AR is already a compelling way to bring in users, and an in-app game that complements social media is a good way to bring Snap browsers back. Snap is a camera company experimenting with its capabilities, and it's a neat example of its work.

The Senate cut the US Army's deal for custom Hololens

  • Technical issues are the reason why. The deal had initial promise, but after some development issues, the parties agreed to its budget being slashed a little.

  • The money may be flowing to the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, whose budget increased by $300m.

  • The agreement could halt further innovations with the Hololens, or impact the long-term strategy for Microsoft. If the US Army is less sure about the headset, then it may impact more deals in the future.

Are metaverse roles already out of fashion? Join the discussion and meet like-minded professionals on the

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Q&AMix it up for inspiration

Isabelle Brown-Bayliss, Project Manager Team Leader at Groovy Gecko

What is your background?I have nearly a decade of experience working in the global live streaming and AR industry, specialising at first in social streams (such as YouTube, Twitter and Instagram), but later expanding across all platforms, including bespoke streaming sites, and to in-person hybrid events. Since joining Groovy Gecko 6 years ago, I have managed over 200 events and projects. designing and delivering an array of projects with a number of high-profile clients, the likes of Facebook, Nike, Xbox, Virgin Games, Twitch and McLaren.What are you working on, and what’s a key learning that you’ve had from it?I am currently working with a global insurance broker headquartered in the US, to help bring their interactive visions to life for their 25th anniversary. Working alongside other specialists, me and my team have produced an AR experience, in which event attendees will be able to collect NFTs to win prizes through a ‘choose your own adventure’ style video experience, which has been so fun and different to develop. We’re also aiming to live stream some of the events to bring the in-person and virtual worlds together. I really enjoy creating bespoke solutions that combine the physical world with AR and virtual audiences, and have learnt that adaptability is key to taking the best of both worlds to make a standout event. Hybrid is something clients are increasingly demanding ever since the pandemic made the format more accessible and desirable. We went from live streaming entirely in-person events pre 2020, to being completely virtual during the pandemic, and now we are colliding the best of both worlds to create some truly unique experiences. One of my recent career highlights was working on the production behind the Spiderman No Way Home interview with Tom Holland. Tom was in LA and unable to physically attend a press event in Rome, so we created a ‘Hologram’ effect to transport him from one place to another. This looked like a gateway to the metaverse, with the ‘Dr Strange portal’ letting viewers in Cinecittà, Rome participate in a Q&A where it felt like Tom was in the room. If you had to give one piece of advice, what would you give? Keep imagining the impossible, because one day it could become the possible! In the last decade, technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds, there is no limit to what could be created in the future. To get inspired, I’d recommend thinking outside of the box, think of the things you see in science fiction films or shows. Try mixing seemingly unlikely combinations and see how they react – you might come across the next big thing.If you want to know more about Isabelle Brown-Bayliss, then click here to find out more.

That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!