Vogue launched a web-based ‘metaverse’ featuring artists, which is fun to play

The virtual world includes works from 24 designers, selected by editorial teams across Vogue’s editorial network. Pioneered by Vogue China, the Vogue Meta-Ocean will also feature NFT sales and new artists over time.

The experience itself takes time to load, and is missing a few sound effects. But other than that, the gameplay itself was surprisingly smooth – and it was relaxing to surf along the waves and see some great pieces of art. Overall, it’s well worth a go.

Firstly, it got me thinking about whether it *is* a metaverse experience. It can also be seen as a technically-impressive browser game, but it only lightly touches on the core attributes of a metaverse. I am leaning towards it being an impressive web-based experience over a wider metaverse, for now.

It also shows how in-depth some publishers are going in the space. What is clear is that the fashion industry has embraced the metaverse, and Vogue (alongside Condé Nast) is leading in the publishing side when it comes to metaverse reporting. Maghan McDowell from Vogue Business does fantastic articles on it. I also give credit to the team for immersing themselves so much in it, while experimenting as well. Over time, I am curious to see whether these initiatives lead to a financial impact for the publisher, or how it impacts the featured artists.

You can play it here: https://vogueworld.eu.viewofficial.cn/