This Week in the Metaverse (W08.2023)

Weekly news roundup + latest on Into The Metaverse podcast: A conversation with Matias Rodriguez - SVP of Technology - Games & Metaverse Studios at Globant

Feb 26, 2023

Hey, Yon here! Welcome to Into The Metaverse. My mission is to help you understand what is the metaverse, how it will impact our lives, and what opportunities it unlocks. If you are a marketer, entrepreneur, investor or simply a curious professional, Into The Metaverse is for you. Subscribe to get access to every letter and podcast show that I publish.

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

Weekly News Roundup
Latest on Into The Metaverse podcast: A conversation with Matias Rodriguez - SVP of Technology - Games & Metaverse Studios at Globant

Let’s dig in!

(1) Weekly News Roundup

Platforms & Technologies

Roblox CEO: Enormous headroom ahead in the metaverse category
Microsoft and NVIDIA announce expansive new gaming deal
Spotify is testing playlists that could be unlocked by NFT holders
Use your fingers (not controllers) to swipe through the VR Interface on Meta Quest
Microsoft reportedly made an AI that plays Minecraft for you
Web3 music streaming platform Audius integrates TikTok
Jewel thinks the metaverse could be a mental health tool
Is it already ‘game over’ in the metaverse for Bondee, Singapore’s avatar-based app?

Brands

Fashion powerhouse Lacoste files 5 trademarks for metaverse-compatible brand

Entertainment

Horror filmmaker Blumhouse expands into games

Funding

Pantera invests $10M in metaverse game Worldwide Webb

People & Events

Pivoting into Web3: Sam Huber on acquiring LandVault & building the Metaverse’s biggest land developer
Gary Vaynerchuk and VeeFriends reveal first wave of web3 speakers at upcoming VeeCon 2023

Opinions

Why Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says this is generative AI’s moment
Metaverse winter sets in
The next hot housing market is out of this world. It’s in the Metaverse
Preparing for the world of generative AI (May Clinic)
Consumer, enterprise or industrial? The 3 main ways we are using the ‘metaverse’ explained (World Economic Forum)
Sci-fi becomes real as renowned magazine closes submissions due to AI writers
Tokenomics: The principles of design

Investing

BlackRock launches metaverse thematic ETF

Government, Legal & Regulation

NASA is hosting a competition to build a VR Mars simulator
Colombian Court holds hearing in the Metaverse
NBA-branded 'Top Shot Moments' NFTs may be securities, Judge Rules in Dapper Labs case

The US Copyright Office says you can’t copyright Midjourney AI-generated images

Joining me today is Matias Rodriguez, SVP of Technology - Games & Metaverse Studios at Globant - a global IT software development company operating.

As SVP of Technology at Globant’s Metaverse and Gaming Studios, Matías leads a worldwide multidisciplinary team of more than 1,500 people to build products for clients. For the Metaverse Studio, he is leading the journey of helping companies create and operate new virtual spaces where they can extend their brand presence.

We cover in detail the practice that Matias leads at Globant and the work they do with clients on metaverse-related initiatives, the opportunities and challenges for engaging with consumers and customers through next generation digital experiences, both in the consumer and industrial sectors, and especially why there’s so much potential for industrial and healthcare companies as a new category of platforms emerge.

Listen to the episode on: Apple / Spotify / Anchor.

Watch:

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