How the market for meta universes, blockchain games and NFT will develop in 2022
The team at Paper Unicorn Games talked about five trends that can be observed in the market of meta universes, blockchain games, and NFT in 2022. Analysts believe that gamers will begin to gradually adopt these technologies, and major brands will be more active in buying up virtual land.
Gamers‘ attitudes towards blockchain games will change
At the moment, most cor gamers have a negative attitude towards NFT and blockchain. It is enough to recall the scandalous announcement of the NFT-platform from Ubisoft. However, Paper Unicorn Games is confident that this will soon change – including the emergence of games in this area with deeper gameplay and advanced graphics.
More and more AAA companies will start to be active in this market. For example, Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, said in a recent investor call that NFT „will be an important part of the future.“ Executives from other major companies are also actively talking about NFT.
According to Paper Unicorn Games, the entry threshold for new players into NFT titles should also drop in 2022. Right now, you have to pay hundreds of dollars just to start playing Axie Infinity. However, analysts are confident that such games will soon be available to an even wider audience.
More M&A deals related to meta-villages will be on the market
Like any other young market, metaclasses are attracting increased attention from investors. Large companies that are already developing in this direction will seek to strengthen their positions through new strategic acquisitions.
The same consolidation tendencies that have been seen in the gaming industry as a whole in recent years will be evident in the meta-universe market. Smaller players will also be looking to consolidate in order to stand up to the big companies.
In addition, it’s relatively cheap to invest in meta-connected startups right now. Analysts believe that the big players will forge the iron while the iron is hot and actively look for companies to take over.
NFT companies will become luxury brands
NFT is gaining popularity among celebrities – especially the Bored Ape Yacht Club digital monkey collection. Artists such as Eminem, Snoop Dogg and many others have already invested in it.
According to analysts, such interest from Influencers could increase consumer demand for NFTs among a wealthy audience. They can become a status symbol in society.
Social networks are also investing in this direction. Twitter, which is used by quite a few NFT evangelists, recently added the ability to display purchased tokens on its profiles.
Fashion brands will be at the forefront of this race
Apparel manufacturers are among the market leaders in creating so-called digital identities within the emerging meta-universes. Balenciaga, for example, has collaborated with Fortnite to release digital skins to coincide with a new clothing collection.
According to Paper Unicorn Games, such initiatives will play an important role in how players will express themselves within virtual worlds in the future. Collaborations between fashion brands and metaworlds will only increase this year.
Big companies will continue to invest in NFT. In December, Nike bought RTFKT, which specializes in digital sneakers. Adidas launched a virtual collection in partnership with Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Buying virtual real estate as a consequence of lost profits syndrome
Paper Unicorn Games notes that we are now witnessing the beginning of a gold rush to buy virtual land. Companies are increasingly investing in this area, trying to get a foothold in the still-emerging market before the competition.
Plus, the pandemic has made it increasingly costly for many manufacturers to maintain physical stores. So some retailers are looking to expand their presence in the virtual space to, in theory, gain access to an even wider audience.
Adidas recently bought land at The Sandbox, where it will host branded content. And Republic Realm bought a $4.3 million plot in the same game to build a virtual mall there. According to analysts, there will only be more such deals in 2022.
