Has the Sony metaverse and the future of PS5's NFT plans just been teased? Perhaps. It comes as Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite and Unreal Engine 5, has raised $2 billion to fund its metaverse. Sony, and LEGO owner KIRKBI, are the two firms that chipped in with $1 billion each.
If you're reading this news of Sony's plans for the metaverse and asking, what are NFTs? then take a look at our guide. Equally, we have a feature on what is the metaverse – a planned connected internet of 3D spaces, VR worlds, games, art and more. What's important is that many view NFT art as the glue that will hold the metaverse together, and this investment suggests there could be a PlayStation NFT sooner rather than later.
In a press statement Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney said: “This investment will accelerate our work to build the metaverse and create spaces where players can have fun with friends, brands can build creative and immersive experiences, and creators can build a community and thrive.”
What will the Sony and Epic Games metaverse look like? (Image credit: Sony)
Epic Games' Tim Sweeney believes the metaverse can't be owned by one company. As reported on Decrypt, he said at a conference in Seoul: “[The metaverse] has the potential to become a multi-trillion-dollar part of the world economy. […] The metaverse is a term like the internet, no company can own it.”
While Sony has yet to stake interest in NFTs, Epic Games is more open to the idea of blockchain technology. “Epic Games Store will welcome games that make use of blockchain tech provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group,” Sweeney tweeted. “Though Epic's not using crypto in our games, we welcome innovation in the areas of technology and finance.”
As Unreal Engine 5 is primed to be the engine of the metaverse, it looks likely if it embraces NFTs it will open the door to third-parties such as Sony to take part.
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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creativebloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and leading video game title Official PlayStation Magazine. In his early career he wrote for music and film magazines including Uncut and SFX. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on AI, digital art and video game art and tech, and more to Creative Bloq, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5. He's also a keen Cricut user and laser cutter fan, and is currently crafting on Glowforge and xTools M1.
