Metaverse Partnerships and Skepticism Trickle Out of SXSW

Why did Peter Moore, a former games industry executive who most recently enjoyed a few years as CEO of Liverpool FC, travel to a massive dance music festival in Las Vegas last fall? He was there on a mission, establishing a bond with the festival’s organizers Insomniac Events while drinking in the atmosphere—and wondering how it could be translated into something digital.

At SXSW, Moore, now senior vice president and general manager of sports and live entertainment at Unity, the gaming and 3D software company, just announced the company’s new partnership with Insomniac to build out a persistent virtual version of its festivals. The two companies are characterizing this as a metaverse move and promise to open this collaborative world up to fans in some form later this year. But in conversation with Reality Check, Moore acknowledged that building a virtual world that nails the feeling of being at a festival isn’t something Unity and Insomniac can do overnight.