Ever since tech giants, led by Meta, have persisted in convincing us that the metaverse is the future of the Internet, brands are throwing themselves headlong into this virtual universe to try to reach a new community of users. Last year, we had already seen the Carrefour group organize recruitment sessions within a virtual campus in a rather risky, not to say chaotic way. Here Vivendi, with the agency Havas Play, is pleased to have built a clubhouse on the platform The Sandbox, which organizes, from March 23 to April 6, the French Weeks to highlight its French partners.
Within this virtual plot, acquired last year for the modest sum of €120,000, Vincent Bolloré’s group plans to offer a treasure hunt, during which players will have to find seven elements representing Vivendi’s professions (camera , bulb, pen, magazine…). Those who get their hands on all the objects will then be drawn at random to win gifts, such as a skin (avatar customization item) or a ticket for an exclusive event on The Sandbox.
The Mirage Fortnite
Through this approach, Vivendi no doubt hopes to follow in the footsteps of Fortnitewhich is a simple game of battle royale has become an entertainment platform where it is possible to shop, attend concerts and watch movies. But is not fortnite Who wants? Thus, Vivendi’s experience seems to come straight from the old world, and is more reminiscent of Second Life Or Minecraft that Fortnite.
Félicité Herzog, director of strategy and innovation at Vivendi, ensures in any case that this virtual space allows the group “to test, to learn from the community of players and to show creativity in what will be one of the fields of communication of tomorrow”. However, the momentum around the metaverse seems to be running out of steam lately. Success is very far from there on Meta’s Horizon Worlds platform and Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of the American giant, even made it known that the top priority was now artificial intelligence, ahead of the metaverse.
It must be said that investors do not believe in the potential of this virtual universe, any more than the general public. Quite simply perhaps because this type of experience does not meet any consumer needs. Because it must be recognized, what is today qualified as metaverse, are more gaming platforms that are transformed into larger virtual universes of entertainment than real digital doubles of the physical world.