The metaverse, while far from mainstream just yet, is teeming with major brands and entertainment companies already. Not wanting to be left behind, several of the biggest US entertainment companies, like Universal Music, clothing brands, and even restaurant chains have carved out a corner or two in the metaverse with a virtual presence or through some strategic investments.
Major entertainment companies and brands are already present in the metaverse, which is still far from being widely used. Several of the biggest US entertainment companies, like Universal Music, clothing brands, and even restaurant chains, have established a presence in the metaverse through a virtual presence or strategic investments.
Warner Bros. Discovery made its big play in January 2024 with what has to be the most natural transition of entertainment IP to this futuristic digital landscape. The colossal entertainment company partnered with a newly-forged studio to realize the metaverse potential of the Ready Player One property. With the novelist behind the original story also involved, Warner Bros. Discovery could have a potentially huge stake in the metaverse.
Ready Player One was originally a 2011 science fiction novel by Ernest Cline. It’s set in 2045 and follows a gamer as they search through a virtual reality game for an Easter egg that would grant them the creator’s fortune. In 2018, the film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, and Simon Pegg hit the box office and did incredibly well.
With around a $160 million budget, its marketing campaign showcasing Warner Bros.’s massive haul of popular IPs that were thrown into the nostalgia-inducing flick helped to return over $579 million worldwide. Of course, tapping into popular IPs is a tried and trusted recipe across entertainment. Even at the top Canadian online casino, you’ll find major IPs like Jurassic Park, Rick and Morty, and Space Invaders.
Just as these slot games often collect the most clicks at online casinos, Ready Player One earned a colossal following for its epic collection of IPs. Now, Warner Bros. Discovery is teaming up with Cline, the film’s producer, and the AI and metaverse company Futureverse to forge Readyverse Studios. The developer has an exclusive license to bring the IP and additional brands to the metaverse.
Getting the Ready Player One metaverse experience will, undoubtedly, be a monumental task. Getting the initial setting in place is one thing, but then, it’ll likely need to let the user explore the virtual world similarly to in the movie and encounter a whole host of characters and settings from other Warner Bros. IPs. However, progress has been made, as indicated by the Open hero experience trailer for the Readyverse.
Said to be a multi-biome, multi-mode battle royale experience that infused multiple IPs, it’ll set the stage for the next phase of gaming in the metaverse. This will, reportedly, be one of many immersive experiences released as a result of the partnership between Readyverse Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery. At the end of the Open trailer, which was released on March 10, 2024, it says that those who are interested can join the waitlist.
At the time of writing (late September 2024), the Open page remains a landing page, with the game still ‘coming soon.’ Still, a project like this will take a lot of time, and the concept of Ready Player One certainly won’t lose its appeal in the metaverse as time goes on. When it does eventually open, though, it’s bound to draw in gamers.
