Game developers say “meh” to metaverse

The gateway to the metaverse is supposed to be video games, but game makers aren’t so enthused about the concept.

A survey of more than 2,300 game developers found that about 45% think that the metaverse won’t deliver on its promise as a virtual world of interconnected communities where people meet, work and play.

Some developers say Fortnite-maker Epic Games is best positioned to deliver on the promise, while citing numerous barriers including the difficulty in defining what the metaverse is supposed to do and the high cost of hardware — particularly virtual-reality headsets — needed to experience it.

The Game Developers Conference released the results of the survey ahead of its upcoming March gathering in San Francisco.

Developers were even more skeptical about much-hyped blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies that some companies have proposed as a way to support games. Only about 17% thought that was a good idea.

The survey also found widespread concern over harassment and toxic behavior directed at game developers by some players.