Chris Curl,
Editor
Jan. 19, 2022
The term “metaverse” is rather vague.
It conjures up memories of “cyberspace” back in the 1990s.
But much like the internet, it has the potential to transform many aspects of daily life if utilized properly.
This also means there will likely be tremendous profit potential in the space moving forward.
What Is The Metaverse?
Put simply, the metaverse is a blanket term used to describe several trends.
Virtual reality (VR) is a big one. Augmented reality complements VR but integrates the real world into it. And these virtual worlds do not have to be accessed by one medium.
Many people assume that to utilize the metaverse they will have to strap on big VR goggles. But the truth is that these worlds will be accessible on many devices including PCs, game consoles, and even phones.
With this virtual world there also exists a digital economy. And this functions much like the real-world economy does — with users able to create, buy, and sell goods of various kinds.
Interoperability is another feature that many developers want to incorporate into the metaverse. This would allow users to move their virtual items – such as clothes and cars – from one platform to another.
With the ability to purchase virtual plots of land, users can purchase digital items – usually in the form of an NFT – and place them in their spaces. For instance, if I purchase a house in the metaverse, I can then equip it with items just as I would in the real world. If I have a tokenized Ferrari NFT sitting in my virtual driveway, I can theoretically sell that item in the open marketplace just as I would a car in the real world.
Gambling is an increasingly large part of the metaverse. Decentral Games was launched in unison with Decentraland and acts as a DAO (decentralized autonomous organism). Powered by the DG token, Decentral Games is a play-to-earn casino among other things. Users can play poker, blackjack, roulette, backgammon, and slots.
In October of 2021, Decentral Games released a new poker game called ICE poker. Players are able to earn money by completing daily challenges and competing against other players in poker. The game is free to play but requires an NFT wearable (much like a real-world casino dress code). These wearables have become increasingly desirable and often sell for many times their initial mint price.
Cryptocurrencies in the Metaverse
Sandbox (SAND)
In 2019, Sandbox created the decentralized gaming platform Lands. In it, users can purchase land in virtual space and do whatever they want with it. They are often populated with other digital assets and games, and the potential use cases are just beginning. There will only ever be 166,464 LANDS available for purchase.
Decentraland (MANA)
Launched in 2020, Decentraland is a VR platform. In Decentraland, people are able to purchase and sell virtual items including plots of land. These digital plots are 10 x 10 meters and, like LANDS, can be used however the owner wishes. Plots can include anything from stores to a skatepark. Decentraland currently hosts 90,000 of these parcels of land with some selling for as much as $2.43 million. Multiple parcels can be combined to form estates. Each of these is technically an NFT on the Ethereum blockchain.
And ultimately, that’s why many are flooding into the virtual real estate space. During the week ending December 6, 2021, 25% of all NFT purchases – over $300 million — were for digital real estate. Sotheby’s even opened a virtual auction house in Decentraland during the summer of 2021. Virtual property developers are also spending tons of money purchasing parcels of land and developing commercial property in Decentraland.
Axie Infinity (AXS)
Axie Infinity is yet another up and coming metaverse play. By playing the game, users earn Smooth Love Potion (SLP) tokens. These tokens are used to mint NFTs. These NFTs can be sold — often at a large profit. Many players have been able to make a living minting and selling NFTs on Axie Infinity.
Not only that, players will soon be able to acquire tokenized plots of land. This land holds SLP tokens that can be scavenged and mined similar to precious metals in the real world.
Gala (GALA)
Gala Games seeks to bridge the divide between metaverses. This includes everything from fantasy role-playing, survival and strategy, to business simulation. The options in Gala are endless. And people are taking note. Players recently spent $1.6 million on a palace in its Fantasy metaverse called Mirandus.
Enjin Coin (ENJ)
Many NFT games are powered by the Enjin network. Enjin does not have a metaverse of its own but does allow the minting of tokenized assets. Think of it as a way of investing in the underlying infrastructure of the metaverse’s real estate industry.
It is also moving past the metaverse and allowing clients to tokenize real-world assets. Through a partnership with Labs Group, a real estate NFT platform, real world real estate assets, will be tokenized and sold on the blockchain.
Bloktopia (BLOK)
21 floors, which is an homage to Bitcoin’s 21 million total coin supply, is the full scale of the Bloktopia metaverse. Its entire virtual world consists of a giant skyscraper with 21 expansive levels. In this neo-futuristic building lie many experiences and games.
In Bloktopia, users are able to purchase property and even rent space out to advertisers to earn income.
Ethereum (ETH)
Ethereum is the largest decentralized application (dApp) platform in the world. Thousands of projects, many with their own tokens, are hosted there. And this is the case with most of the metaverse.
Even though Ethereum doesn’t have its own real estate, it is commonly used to buy up metaverse property elsewhere. And it’s still the go-to blockchain for NFTs, which have been booming as of late.
And with the impending Merge upgrade, the Ethereum network will move to proof-of-stake. This will solve many of its problems but most important is scalability. Transactions will be much cheaper and will be able to process and settle quickly.
Stocks in the Metaverse
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: FB)
Mark Zuckerberg is so optimistic about the metaverse that he renamed Facebook to “Meta” in 2021. He believes that social media is going to evolve into the metaverse. Creating these 3D spaces where people can socialize, learn, and collaborate is Meta’s primary focus over the coming years. If the metaverse takes off, then Meta will likely lead the way.
Unity Software (NYSE: U)
Unity is a software platform for developers to create 2D and 3D content for many different mediums. These include mobile phones, PCs, augmented and virtual reality. This gives it utility beyond gaming.
Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET)
Cloudflare is among the top services used by websites around the world. Its largest function is that of web security being a DDoS mitigation service. It’s also a content delivery network. It has recently launched its Distributed Web Gateways. This product suite aims to simplify Web3 and metaverse applications for various developers.
Roblox Corp (NYSE: RBLX)
Roblox is a free online metaverse gaming platform. Most of its revenue is generated by selling in-game “Robux.” This in-game currency is used by gamers to enhance their experience and purchase items. Its revenue and user growth exploded during the pandemic, and even if it slows a little bit now, one should keep their eye on it.
Matterport Inc. (NASDAQ: MTTR)
Matterport is in the business of digitizing physical assets. They can then be used for various design purposes. Construction and real estate are just a couple of industries this technology is used for. The company went public in July of 2021 and is very new so there is some risk involved. But with that comes a lot of upside potential.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Microsoft is capitalizing on the metaverse for the business world. They are developing software that allows virtual meetings to move from video cameras to the metaverse. Users will be able to give presentations, walkthroughs, and meetings using AR/VR technology. This trend has accelerated over the last couple of years with the pandemic. The potential use-cases for this technology are massive. Then there’s the gaming side of things. Microsoft could have a lot in store for their robust Xbox and PC gaming communities in the future as well.
Less Than Two Weeks…
All of this is to say that the metaverse isn’t going anywhere.
Some aspects may prove to be fads but the underlying infrastructure is here to stay.
Investing in the right projects early on can be extremely profitable. As always, with any nascent asset, the risk is high. But with that comes high reward.
We’re less than two weeks away from seeking those high rewards as we start deploying $50,000 to purchase cryptocurrencies and other components of the metaverse.
You can follow the moves I make by subscribing to my Crypto Cycle. Click here to learn how to be notified when it’s available.
Keep coming back,
Chris Curl
Editor, Daily Profit Cycle