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