Why metaverse is becoming a new stage in the industry
Introduction: From "platforms" to "worlds"
The metaverse is a network of interconnected digital worlds with sustainable identities, economies, and social rules. Unlike individual applications, it combines content, communications, transactions and creative activity in one continuous experience. The key differences are persistency (the state of the world is preserved), interoperability (transfer of assets and identities) and social density (many users at the same time).
1) Why now: Three growth engines
1. Hardware progress: affordable AR/VR devices, powerful mobile chips, graphics and motion tracking.
2. New UX: spatial interfaces (AR/VR), voice and gestures as "native" control, social presence.
3. Digital property: wallets, tokens/NFT, online provability of transactions and rights, portability of assets.
As a result, ecosystem platforms appear where content, economics and communities self-strengthen each other.
2) What distinguishes a metaverse from an online game or social network
Persistence: the world lives without you, and your actions leave a mark.
Creation economy: users not only consume, but also create scenes, objects, events, earning inside the world.
Interop: Identity and assets work across multiple applications/worlds (APIs/standards).
Multi-role employment: the user is a player, an author, a seller, and an event organizer.
Mixing verticals: entertainment, training, sports, shopping, iGaming/eSports, live events - in one environment.
3) Business value: where is the money
Selling digital merchandise and skins (not affecting gameplay integrity).
Premium zones and subscriptions (VIP spaces, closed events).
Transaction commissions (marketplaces, p2p deals, tickets).
Advertising as an experience: brand halls, sponsorship events, interactive quests.
Creator payments: royalties to the authors of scenes and objects → the network effect of content.
Online payments and economics: fast calculations, transparent tokenomics (without promises of profitability).
4) Technological stack of the metaverse (reference)
Client: WebGL/WebGPU, mobile SDKs, ARKit/ARCore/visionOS, PC/console, VR (Unity/Unreal).
Server: authoritarian simulation, world sharding, matchmaking, state synchronization, spatial-audio.
Data: telemetry of events, graph of social connections, content catalogs, moderation.
Onchain layer (optional): wallets, asset/ticket ownership contracts, blockchain analytics providers, oracles.
Moderation/Trust & Safety: anti-fraud, anti-bots, voice/chat/gesture filters, reports and audits.
Integrations: payments (fiat/stablecoins), KYC/AML, hosting and content certification providers.
5) User experience: what makes the world "alive"
Social presence: avatars, emojests, voice, joint mini-games.
Events: calendar of events, tournaments, exhibitions, concerts, training sessions.
UGC tools: low threshold for creating scenes/objects; preview and publish in a couple of clicks.
Spatial UX: gestures/gaze, teleports, sedentary mode, high frame rate and comfort.
Accessibility: subtitles, contrast modes, auxiliary UI, effect intensity regulation.
6) Metaverse and iGaming/Entertainment: Synergy
Immersive lobbies and halls: VR/AR formats with tables, slot zones and lounges.
Social tournaments: ratings, group missions, cross-game challenges.
On-chain transparency of payments and "passport" of the game/version/certificate (provable honesty and compliance with the rule "does not affect RTP" for cosmetics).
Frictionless commerce: a single account/wallet, quick payments (where allowed), portable profile/skins.
Responsible game (RG) by default: limits, timeouts, reality-checks, self-control panel anywhere in the world.
7) Regulation, privacy and security
KYC/AML: onboarding outside the immersive client; address filters and sanction lists; travel-rule for the chain (if applicable).
Advertising and age barriers: 18 +, prohibition of heroization of winnings/" easy money," correct disclaimers, control of influencers/streamers.
Privacy: minimizing biometrics/motion telemetry; role-base access; immutable audit logs.
Content and honesty: server RNG for gambling mechanics, technical certification, content version and change logging.
Geofencing: admission to verticals only where permitted; feature flags by jurisdiction.
8) Risks and how to cover them
Toxicity and abuse: voice/gesture moderation, quick "privacy bubble," reporting and sanctions.
Fraud/bots/multi-accounts: behavioral profiles, device-binding, velocity-limits, verification of sources of funds.
Speculation with assets: policy "utility, not profitability," caps of issue, protection of the secondary market.
Motion sickness and health: 72-120 + FPS, teleports, sitting mode, motion sickness reducing settings.
Regulatory "saws": modular architecture, fast release management, automatic alerts about rule changes.
9) Metaverse maturity metrics
DAU/MAU and social density: average number of concurrent users per scene.
UGC-output:% active creators/month, posts, time to moderation.
Attach to social features: share of voice/party/private rooms.
Economy: revenue share from UGC/subscriptions/events, ARPPU/LTV, withdrawal time.
Safety and RG:% of players with limits, reaction time to triggers, proportion of toxic incidents per 1,000 sessions.
Performance: FPS stability, early yields (<5 minutes), motion sickness indicators.
10) Launch Roadmap (6-12 months)
0-60 days: pilot
One main location (lobby + mini-games), stable FPS, spatial-audio.
Onboarding/KUS/wallet outside the world; inside - RG panel, privacy-bubble.
Marketplace cosmetics in "beta" (without affecting the mechanics of games).
60-120 days: beta
Directory of locations, private rooms, calendar of events.
UGC tools for users/brands + moderation.
Geofencing and feature flags by jurisdiction; the first online proofs of asset ownership.
120-180 + days: scale
Tournaments and sponsorship events, cross-platform (web/mobile/VR/AR).
Automated reports/audit trails, content technical certification, BI integration.
Partner spaces for brands and creators, road show events.
11) Frequent misconceptions
"Metaverse is only VR": no, it is a multi-client environment (web/mobile/AR/VR).
"It's one company/game": ecosystem = many worlds and integrations, ideally an interop between them.
"UGC will destroy quality": moderation, guidelines and economic incentives support standards.
12) What companies should do now
Generate cartography of market requirements (RG/advertising/taxes/payments/data).
Design compliance-by-design: RG panel, geofencing, audit log, server-based probability calculation.
Build creative tools with transparent monetization and royalties.
Choose a technical stack: engine, network layer, payments (fiat/stable), optional online circuit.
Set up Trust & Safety: voice/gesture/chat moderation and response plans.
Conclusion: a new "layer" of the Internet
Metaverse is the next step in the evolution of the digital industry: spatial UX + social density + provable economy. They combine content, communications and transactions in a living world where users do not just spend time, but create and own part of the ecosystem. Those who are already building modular, secure and interoperable worlds with compliance-by-design get a strategic advantage: a longer product life, a sustainable economy and the trust of users and regulators.