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- The Immersive Wire - 6 April 2022 (News edition)
The Immersive Wire - 6 April 2022 (News edition)
The Immersive Wire - 6 April 2022 (News edition)
By Tom Ffiske
VR/AR and metaverse analysis every Wednesday and Sunday // 6 April 2022
TOP STORYAn Epic leap into the metaverse
Niantic acquired NZXR, another AR studio.
Firstly, Niantic is going on a shopping spree, then blurring out the costs to the public.
Secondly, this indicates that the team is bolstering their in-house talent as much as possible, and as fast as possible.
Epic Games released Unreal Engine 5, as the next step of their
The engine has a lot of hype behind it, with a lot of studios backing the tool. But the real meat is in Tim Sweeney's metaverse ambitions, where Unreal is a core part of his vision.
Unreal Engine is a robust tool that allows people to manipulate complicated assets and build virtual worlds, which lays the framework for an immersive space. It is an all-in-one suite where developers can cobble together their work and export it into a playable form.
While the metaverse itself might be interoperable, Epic Games would stand to make gains if they become the de-facto tool for creating immersive worlds. The company is already making inroads in film and media alongside gaming; the company is arming itself for the future as well.
Agora surveyed 300 developers on the future of the metaverse.
A pinch of salt; 300 developers is not a substantial number, so the survey may not be representative of the wider field. Still, here are some insights, and interpret them as you wish:
NFTs: Over half think NFTs will be prevalent in the metaverse;
Ownership: One quarter thinks Meta will not own it;
Privacy: A third believes that privacy will be the biggest hurdle in its construction.
Tomb raiding in the metaverse. Photo credit: Epic Games.
Creative technologists from Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, South Africa, and the United States will participate in PitchBLACK Forum: Immersive. The winner will receive $50K USD in funding, and the runner-up will receive $25K. Projects include AI, 360VR, 6DOF VR, projection mapping, and AR projects. Watch the contest on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 13:00 ET and 19:00 CET.
OTHER STORIESThe battle of VR city builders
If you have any news, then respond to this email or contact tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com.
Arkio, the collaborative spatial design tool, is now available on the Quest.
Art Collision opened the first Meta Gallery for the Canadian Art Scene.
Darabase partners with PSI and Ocean Outdoor to direct visitors on Piccadilly Lights to the nearby store.
FitXR partnered with Dr. Brendon Stubbs, a leading exercise researcher.
Heineken continues to play with the idea of the metaverse.
A smart meta-commentary, which works well due to the speed of its development and deployment.
Still, I think we have all seen the pass-through VR joke a few times before.
LF Expanded is now open for submissions.
Little Cities, a city building game, is out on 21 April.
Meanwhile, Cities: VR, a virtual reality interpretation of city builder Cities: Skylines, will launch on 28 April.
Who will win the hotly-contested area of immersive city-builder games?
MultiBrush now includes Oculus Avatar integration and Passthrough enablement.
Poplar Studio partnered with Rentbrella to produce and launch 3D and AR visualisations of their umbrella sharing machines.
Ready Player Me now has over 1,800 partners in its network.
The team also announced that they are working with adidas.
Terra Virtua announced that it is launching Terra Virtua Studios to create its own games.
VRHAM! is looking for entries for the XR History Award.
Jobs boardDISTRIBUTION AND TOURING PRODUCER. Marshmallow Laser Feast is looking for someone to join our team as a Distribution & Touring Producer. You will have a desire to work at the bleeding edge of immersive storytelling and help shape how that work is distributed globally. We see the development and distribution of MLF’s own work as key to the future success of the business, a key revenue stream and integral in building global brand awareness. This new role will be a vital part of the core team that formulates and realises this ambitious vision. Learn more. Find more roles here.
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!