Sony and LEGO have invested $2 billion to develop the Metaverse platform engine based on web 3.0 technologies. The concept and development of the project will be financed by the American company Epic Games, known for creating such game series, as Fortnite, Gears of War and Unreal Tournament.
Unlike competitors’ blockchain projects, the platform will be deployed on Sony’s centralized infrastructure, and decentralization is provided by a validation mechanism on nodes owned by project partners, says Cryptor.
The metaverse will not be limited to games, there will be marketplaces for buying virtual and real things, social networks, fan clubs, streams and brand representation. Epic Games will provide equal decentralized rights to all participants, as an alternative to centralized services.
In August 2020, the company faced app blocking by the AppStore due to attempts to receive payment for services directly, bypassing Apple. The Metaverse in this regard will give participants complete freedom to develop their own economy and payment systems inside or outside the platform, notes NIX Solutions.
Analysts attribute the Epic Games decision to an attempt to prevent competition from Meta and the DeFi industry. The growing popularity of NFT tokens and the “play to earn” model can “leave by the wayside” games without an economic storyline.