The Metaverse is a next-gen internet bound together by a collection of 3D virtual worlds. That virtual nature is the reason why some are interested in the digital world. However, the city of Orlando, Florida thinks that it too can be the Metaverse, despite being a physical locale.
Why is Orlando, Florida interested in The Metaverse?
In order to stay popular and trendy, the city of Orlando, Florida is working to become the central hub of The Metaverse. Partnering with game engine company Unity Technologies, the government is hoping to make a complete digital twin of the city for virtual use.
Currently, Orlando is most known for being the home of Disneyland. However, the city wishes to move past that and become a beacon for the digital world. After all, Disneyland was opened in 1955, it’s about time Orlando had something else to boast about.
Speaking to VentureBeat, the city’s chief innovator David Adelson explained that the theme park industry and Metaverse industry could work hand-in-hand. This is despite the fact that Disney is working on its own Metaverse for its beloved theme park.
“The parks and attractions that we have are our anchor industries,” they said. “But that’s also where the metaverse becomes real. That’s where people first experience it through those experiential entertainment rides, environments, and the technology behind that.”
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What is the Orlando Metaverse?
Working with Unity, the Orlando Metaverse aims to be a massive 800km-squared virtual world. Inside the virtual world, users should expect a full digital recreation of the city that will be accessible in virtual and/or augmented reality.
To make that everything is correct, Unity Technologies will be using 3D scanning to recreate the virtual world. The time needed to fully recreate the city is expected to take between 10 and 15 years.
“[Most people] feel like [the Metaverse] it’s just gaming and that’s it. They don’t understand how many pieces touch the metaverse, and when you peel back those layers you see how it becomes a very real thing for Orlando,” said Adelson. “There is so much industry around it already. We’re not building new industries to handle the metaverse. We’ve had these industries in our pocket for a decade or more already.”
The city already has a strong partnership with Unity
Orlando and Unity already have a deep connection with development of services. Prior to the Metaverse deal, Unity partnered with the city for defence projects.
With the city having a $6 billion budget for Augmented Reality and Virtual Realty defence projects, Unity has benefited heavily. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that the company would want to partner with the city.