Metaverses are a big deal these days. Tons of companies are investing millions or even billions of dollars into developing their own metaverse, and even the South Korean government is investing heavily into a K-pop metaverse. I'm not sure what that means, but I assume it'll have a bunch of Korean pop music in it.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was recently asked if Nintendo has any plans for a metaverse. During the company's year-end investor Q&A, Furakawa said that Nintendo is certainly aware of all the buzz surrounding metaverses, but doesn't think that means it needs to dive into its own just yet.
“The metaverse has captured the attention of many companies around the world, and it has great potential," said Furukawa. "When the concept of the metaverse is introduced in the media, games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons are sometimes brought up as examples. In that sense, the metaverse is of interest to us.
“But at this point in time, there is no easy way to define specifically what kinds of surprises and enjoyment the metaverse can deliver to our consumers. As a company that provides entertainment, our main emphasis is on ways to deliver fresh surprises and fun to our consumers."
Furukawa added he might consider dipping his toe into the concept of a metaverse if he could "find a way to convey a Nintendo approach" to one. "But we do not think that is the situation at the present time."
A lot of companies are talking about a shared metaverse, but few are putting forth concrete ideas on just what a metaverse actually entails. Besides a shared social space in a virtual environment, which many MMOs already accomplish, nobody has really said what a metaverse needs to look like. And frankly, a lot of games--New Horizons included--already sound like they tick a lot of boxes for a metaverse.
Perhaps “metaverse” is just a buzzword that will go away in due course. That seems to be what Nintendo is betting on. In the meantime, can I interest you in a Joy Con chocolate? It’s fake. Sorry.