The word 'metaverse' stems from a 1992 sci-fi novel by Neal Stephenson called Snow Crash in which people use simulated forms called avatars to interact both with one another as well as non-human programs in a virtual space. The idea of the metaverse has caught on across the tech industry over the last decade, with multiple companies seemingly in a race to make it happen.īut what is the metaverse? And why does Sweeney, the head of a company that makes a video game engine and runs a battle royale game, believe Epic might be poised to make it happen? 'Their investment will help accelerate our work around building connected social experiences in Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys, while empowering game developers and creators with Unreal Engine, Epic Online Services and the Epic Games Store.'Įpic Games, and more specifically Sweeney, has been talking about the metaverse for some time now, though never quite so explicitly in the form of an announcement that they've raised a billion dollars for it. “We are grateful to our new and existing investors who support our vision for Epic and the Metaverse,' said CEO Tim Sweeney of the funding round. In Epic's case, we see something quite different - it's going toward something called 'the metaverse.'
