‍Everyrealm is a technology and infrastructure company that develops and invests in businesses related to virtual worlds, social video gaming, and the metaverse— an ecosystem also known as immersive media. Everyrealm's mission is to empower everyone to live their dream life, virtually. 

We are excited about the emergence of a new type of digital economy that is being built inside virtual worlds – one that is borderless, decentralized, transparent, and driven by true digital ownership – and we aim to be at the center of this growing immersive media category. 

Here are 5 trends to track in immersive media right now:

• Immersive media is the next frontier.
• People want a virtual identity that can be used across multiple platforms.
• NFTs will have a second coming.
• A.I. will be used to enhance user-generated content. 
• Virtual and physical worlds will converge.

1. Immersive media is the next frontier.

 Never heard of immersive media?  We’ve got you covered.

 Immersive media refers to digital media technologies and experiences that aim to fully engage users by enveloping them in a simulated environment, such as an interactive, social video game or virtual world. The goal of immersive media is to provide a more natural and intuitive interaction with digital content.  Immersive media is what happens when social media and video games converge, creating alternative realities that allow people to live their lives, virtually. 

2. People want a virtual identity that can be used across multiple platforms.

To those who love virtual worlds, we hear you!

For people who love virtual worlds and who have invested in building their own virtual life, their digital identity is just as important as their physical identity. Therefore, it is crucial for people to have control over their virtual information and reputations. Historically, users have had to create and maintain separate identities across different platforms.

Users have been left with the dilemma of not only needing to update all personal information fragmented across digital spaces, but also struggling to properly represent complete pictures of themselves in the virtual world. Cohesion and accuracy have not been prioritized and companies have not yet collaborated to create and implement a shareable universal identity system. 

With an interoperable identity, however, consumers can bring together all of their different online identities into a single, unified identity that they control and can use to represent themselves consistently across the digital world while taking full advantage of the benefits and opportunities available to their digital life.

3. NFTs will have a second coming–in the virtual world.

Blockchain and NFTs will likely store an individual’s credentials in a “DID.”

Decentralized Identifiers (also called “DIDs”) and non-transferable NFTs will showcase and leverage certain identity traits such as on-chain including reputation, credentials, achievements, and dynamic loyalty to a brand that transforms after certain actions, among others.  With this shift in utility, there will be less financial speculation around NFTs and they will not solely exist for trading.  Ownership will become more personalized, purposeful, and meaningful.  There will be opportunities to enable holders to be rewarded, meet others with similar interests, and discover virtual and physical experiences catered to them.

4. A.I. Will Be Used to Enhance User-Generated Content. 

I know; we’re getting tired of hearing about AI, too, but it’s a pretty big deal for social video games.

Building interactive, three-dimensional worlds has historically been expensive and time-consuming, and AI is starting to democratize game and content development. Using AI, users can easily generate their own material faster than ever before.   

For example, leading AI company NVIDIA is rolling out a handful of AI products that make it easy to create 3D assets and models. This includes avatars, accessories, and environments—the foundation of most (if not all) virtual world environments.
It is likely that AI will be used to enhance many aspects of virtual world building. Game development is an complicated process that involves social mechanics, 3D design, in-game economies, storytelling, real-time interactivity, and more. We expect generative AI to play an large role in these elements of game development over time.

5. Virtual and physical worlds will converge.

 Prepare for virtual hoarding–and lots of virtual cats.

There will be a smaller gap between the virtual and physical worlds than ever before. People and their avatars will be able to own the same items as their physical and digital identities merge.  Fashion, ticketing, and toys will lead the charge in adopting this new technology.

Online users will be rewarded digitally for attending in-person experiential events and in turn, they will also receive physical rewards for participating on virtual platforms.  Brands will be able to pre-sell digital assets to determine the quantity to produce in the real world while eliminating excess waste. In the process, they will turn their customers into both virtual and physical consumers.  

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these five trends and their impact on virtual worlds this year. We expect exciting progress in immersive media driven by technological advancements, increasing social adoption, and a video gaming-first mentality that has captured the heart, minds, and time of younger generations (90% of young people are gamers!)