Facebook announced on October 28, 2021 that it was pivoting to metaverse, something which that is still in the making. But from the data collated from November 2021 to January 2022, a total of 86 apps quickly added references to the 'metaverse' to their title or description on the App Store and Google Play.
This alludes to the fact that at least for some of them that metaverse could be just a marketing fad.
To date, there are 552 apps that include the keyword 'metaverse' in their description or titles, according to Sensor Tower App Intelligence data
Within this 522, the analytics firm Sensor Tower studied whether the apps also mentioned 'crypto', 'NFTs', 'AR' (augmented reality), or 'VR' (virtual reality) keywords. "Out of these four, crypto was seen the most in conjunction with metaverse—approximately 23% of metaverse apps mentioned the term," Sensor Tower said.
NFTs was the second-most mentioned term in conjunction with metaverse, representing 18% of the apps studied, while AR and VR accounted for 11% and 9%, respectively.
Basically, many apps are using these as buzz words to attract attention, it would seem.
Game apps too are keen on metaverse
Mobile game publishers have shown the most interest in joining the metaverse early, representing 19% of apps with the keyword in their title or description. "Microsoft and Take-Two both recently signalled their interest in NFTs and the metaverse as part of the impetus behind their acquisitions of Activision Blizzard and Zynga, respectively," the report said.
Finance category apps closely follow on the heels of Games as having the second-highest count of apps with the keyword, and the Social category saw the third-most apps referencing “metaverse”.
It’s looking more and more like navigating public sentiment as well as bleeding-edge applications of new technologies—and adding “metaverse” to everything—will be key to the success of companies hoping to make their mark in an increasingly meta-minded industry, the Sensory Tower report said.
Although it's still a relatively new idea, the metaverse is primarily defined as a shared digital space with digital representations of people, places and objects. One day, it could serve as a highly immersive extension of the physical world which would open up new possibilities for businesses.
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