As Retailers Rush To The Metaverse, Can Virtual Malls Handle The Crowds?

As more companies are gravitating toward the intrigue and potential that comes with a launch into the metaverse, the biggest question is if there’s enough bandwidth to handle the shift into the augmented and virtual worlds that are becoming increasingly popular.

The first few weeks of 2022 show that the metaverse is becoming more a part of how business is done every day, with everything from vehicle crash testing to real estate investment taking its place in the virtual world, about which we’re all still learning, Financial Times reported Sunday (Jan. 23).

Perhaps more important to retailers and fans of nostalgic brands is the potential revival of Hello Kitty, which is dependent on building her brand and expanding her presence across the metaverse, the chief executive of Japan’s Sanrio told the FT.

Microsoft announced last week that it will buy Activision with the intention to “provide building blocks for the metaverse” and enhance the company’s gaming arm, according to the announcement by Microsoft’s chief executive Satya Nadella.

The problem, though, is there might not be enough capacity for all these companies to follow through on their metaverse-related plans. It could be that those behind the scenes will be the ones who dictate just how successful these brands can be in the new virtual, augmented-reality world.

“A fully working virtual world, or even just a real-time, high-definition immersive experience, will require far, far more capacity to transmit data between the consumer and network than is currently available in homes around the world,” the FT report says, raising questions on the practicality and logistics surrounding the establishment of the metaverse.

Related: Animal-Themed Metaverse Arkverse Prepares to Launch

That’s not stopping companies of all kinds from jumping feet first into the metaverse. One of the most recent entries is South Korea-based Arkverse, which bills itself as a metaverse created “by animals, for animals.”

Arkverse’s ecosystem will let users explore, design and share content related to animals in an interactive open world with play-to-earn games that lets users earn real money. The platform will roll out nonfungible token (NFTs) — the first batch will have 2,022 tigers — starting Feb. 1.