Meta’s Avatars Meet Instagram; Ubisoft’s Metaverse Missteps

Today, for the first time since the company’s rebranding, Meta Platforms announced a step forward for its metaverse ambitions that isn’t reliant on VR or AR. Meta’s avatar system—the tools it gives users to make 3D caricatures of themselves—is getting an update that brings the avatars into Instagram for the first time.

What use are these avatars, now mainly used in Quest apps, on a social media platform like Instagram? Just look at Snap, where distinctive Bitmoji portraits have become the default way for users to represent themselves on the platform. For Meta, this move makes clearer the connection between Meta’s Quest software and products like Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. But it is also a bet that Meta can popularize the use of its avatars before most people buy a headset or try to dip a toe into the metaverse with something like Horizon Worlds.