Hey Humans,

The weekend is over, and it’s back to work for most of us. So, let’s get back to reality - but not before we’ve checked out what’s been going on in virtual worlds over the past week.

LFG!

📈📉Weekly Metaverse Moves

Metaverse Markets:

Last week, we showed that WEMIX had had epic growth of 123% - now, in the past few days, it has settled slightly, but is still riding high from that impressive surge. Meanwhile, AGI continues to drop, with over 50% loss in the past 14 days.

🌑Full Moons -

Mark Zuckerberg Doesn’t Care About The Metaverse?

In a surprising twist at Meta's Connect keynote, Mark Zuckerberg seemingly dodged the term "metaverse," emphasizing Meta's latest love affair with AI instead; acknowledging their metaverse financial fiasco, he showcased Meta AI, an assistant with personality-shifting prowess, and AI-centric features for Instagram.

All the while promising AI-packed hardware like Meta Quest 3 and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Zuck even envisioned a future metaverse where AIs, holograms, and humans coexist seamlessly, downplaying the prior avatar obsession.

AI's role extends to practicality, with AI-powered searches in Meta's smart glasses, promising a potentially useful metaverse. Meta seems to be saying, "Metaverse, who? AI is the real MVP!"

Pathfinders: Game Developers Paradise

Crucible and LAMINA1 are unleashing Pathfinders, a month-long metaverse extravaganza starting October 1st, where builders and creators can dive into open metaverse experiences.

They're sliding Crucible's Emergence SDK toolkit into LAMINA1's blockchain, creating a digital cocktail of creativity. Picture workshops, bounties, quests, and competitions – it's a metaverse carnival!

• Game devs, get ready for hands-on workshops linking your creations to the LAMINA1 blockchain and co-sponsored competitions to flaunt your metaverse prowess.

Plus, Emergence's plug-and-play Web3 magic ensures developers can focus on fun, not tech gymnastics. Join the Pathfinders party via LAMINA1 and Open Meta - let the metaverse games begin!

🔭The Scope

Even though Zuck hushes Metaverse news, it may also be a strategic pull from having an in-depth conversation about Meta’s plans on the metaverse ahead of their 10th October Meta Quest 3 launch. Moreover, earlier this week, he also appeared on the Lex Fridman “Metaverse” Podcast episode, displaying the true power of what’s to come on the edge of metaverse and VR tech!

🌓Half Moons

Fortnite maker Epic Games cuts loose 16% of its staff, blaming financial woes on overspending, with CEO Tim Sweeney admitting their grand plan to turn Fortnite into a metaverse hit a snag; on the flip side, they bag $2 billion for metaverse endeavors, sell Bandcamp, and venture into NFT gaming with Blankos Block Party.

Universal Music Germany dives into the metaverse trend, creating 'YOUniverse Berlin' in partnership with Rave·Space, offering a browser-based space for music enthusiasts to attend virtual listening parties, performances, and DJ sets, with avatars from Ready Player Me, music by Styngr, blockchain ticketing by twelve x twelve, and integrated merch drops from UMG's Bravado store, aiming to explore new avenues for music experiences in the digital realm.

Maybelline New York joins the virtual beauty party in Roblox, teaming up with Splash for a 360-brand campaign that invites makeup enthusiasts to experiment with virtual beauty looks, play mini games, and enjoy exclusive music, offering a dynamic experience that aligns with Maybelline's commitment to self-expression and empowerment in the digital space.

🔭The Scope

Even in the bear market with brutal job cuts and company shut downs, there seems to be growing interest in VR and Metaverse technology. Specifically in the area of virtual events and brand campaigns. This implies that there is STILL a growing audience onboarding into the future of tech.

⚪Total Eclipse

💫Shooting Star

This week’s shooting star is VERTIKAL Art Quest

VERTIKAL Art Quest is an on-chain multi-artist experiment with clever game mechanics, featuring 63 original pieces of art by 9 renowned partner artists.

This piece is Magnetic Selene III0II

🌚Dark Side of the Meme