This article is a continuation of “Should businesses care about the Metaverse?”. If you have not read that article, please start here.
This plethora of Metaverse options begs the questions: “when we talk about the Metaverse, which Metaverse are we referring to? And what could be the future of the Metaverse?
To answer these questions, we envision three possible scenarios:
Scenario A: Continuing to live in islands involves a scenario where multiple disconnected virtual worlds exist independently. In this case, users and businesses continue to operate within their chosen Metaverse without a unified experience. While this allows for individual creativity and unique environments, it also poses challenges in terms of limited connectivity and cross-platform interaction. Users may find it inconvenient to switch between Metaverses, and businesses may struggle to reach a broader audience.
Scenario B: In this scenario, the focus is on integrated Metaverses. The integration of Metaverses becomes crucial to overcome the fragmentation and lack of interoperability. By establishing guidelines and protocols for Metaverse integration, users would have the ability to carry their avatars seamlessly across different Metaverses. This would enhance mobility and enable a unified virtual identity, regardless of the specific Metaverse being accessed.
Scenario C: In this scenario, one Metaverse wins over all others – and all users and activities converge into a single Metaverse, creating a massive digital universe. This unified Metaverse would eliminate the need for users to navigate between multiple platforms, simplifying their virtual experiences. It would foster a sense of global community and enable seamless interaction, making it easier for businesses to engage with a larger audience.
These three scenarios provide potential paths forward in the evolving Metaverse landscape. However, it's important to note that the exact shape and form of the Metaverse are still uncertain and will be determined by the open market, including drivers such as user user-preferences, differentiators between the main players, industry collaborations, and other.
Do we need a PSD2 directive for the Metaverse?
While PSD2 itself is specific to the payment services industry and driven by forces in Europe, it can serve as an analogy or reference point to highlight the importance of integration and interoperability in the Metaverse.
Just as PSD2 aims to create a more open and interconnected payment ecosystem by mandating access to customer account information and fostering collaboration between different financial players, a similar approach could be beneficial in the Metaverse. By establishing standards, protocols, and directives that promote the sharing of virtual assets, avatars, and experiences across different Metaverses, users would have the ability to seamlessly navigate between platforms and maintain a consistent presence and identity. This would enhance mobility, convenience, and user engagement within the Metaverse.
Drawing on the spirit of PSD2, one could argue that such “enforced” integration would allow for more business to take place in the Metaverse, establishing another area for economic growth as well as an area for societal change that would not be possible otherwise. Another person could argue that this is not necessary and that the market forces would eventually help shape the Metaverse. In addition, it could be that whilst intervention is needed, it is still premature for the involvement of a central authority like the EU’s commission or US regulators. Time will tell!
A very good article that lays out some of the key concepts mentioned here, can be found at
AI Disclaimer
Original content created by VFTee, with editing and expansion done using AI language model ChatGPT. While ChatGPT assisted in the content creation process, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s). We probed the system, and the content reflects our own research, ideas, opinions and insights, and we take full responsibility for its accuracy and completeness. ChatGPT was simply a tool we used to enhance our writing, and we retained full control over the content and editing process.