The EU’s metaverse launch party where almost no one came, or heard of

You’re more likely to hear about the EU’s metaverse launch party flop than that it was even taking place. The EU Commission’s foreign aid department spent €387,000 to build the platform, with the intent of informing the public (particularly 18-35-year-olds) of its Global Gateway Investment plan.

One attendant was a Devex journalist who, after speaking with the handful of attendants there, ended up being the last person standing.

The Global Gateway is a €300 billion initiative to build new infrastructure in developing countries by giving grants with the goal of reducing poverty, partly as a response to China’s Belt and Road initiative.

Discover the new #GlobalGateway digital platform – https://t.co/DHAdsfwbA1

Our shared digital space is the perfect place to get to know new people and reflect on global issues to make a difference for our shared future. #WhoWeAre pic.twitter.com/IAA01vIYbo

— EU International Partnerships 🇪🇺 (@EU_Partnerships) October 13, 2022

The EU’s metaverse ’24-hour beach party’ with a tropical island setting failed to draw crowds. A spokesperson for the European Commission did inform Euronews Next that according to their statistics, around 300 people connected to the gala which took place between 9 and 10pm, while over 5,000 people checked in throughout the day, and claims that the platform even performs better than their static traditional websites.

Whether the metaverse will play a big part in the EU’s future communication efforts is yet to be seen, but hopefully, it will be worth the price-tag that comes with it.