How InfiniteWorld built “Web2.5” | AR Post

Extended reality technology is part of the “metaverse” – a materializing virtual/physical world that seems perpetually here and perpetually around the corner. Another important part of the metaverse is “Web3” – an interconnection of human and computer systems brought about by more universal, complete and personal data. In the middle is InfiniteWorld.

InfiniteWorld is a digital content management and strategy firm that works on emerging technology solutions with emerging technology companies. With a recent acquisition, they also plan to help users integrate Web3 technologies through games that will “bridge” Web2 and Web3. CEO Brad Allen called it “Web2.5” in an interview with AR Post.

Meet Brad Allen and InfiniteWorld

Allen’s story is, like the story of InfiniteWorld, born of apparently very different technologies and passions. He started out in the world of finance, before going into venture capital. In 1999, he created and resold a Web1 company.

“It gave me the virus of entrepreneurship”, Allen said. Fast forward a few years. Allen still works in finance and the web space. So, “In 2014, I put on an Oculus for the first time and saw the future.”

That same year, Allen became a board member of NextVR, a company specializing in virtual reality live entertainment shows. Six years later, the company was acquired by Apple. The same year Apple bought NextVR, InfiniteWorld was founded in Miami, a city that quickly became the physical epicenter of the metaverse.

The company has worked with a number of brands in XR, blockchain and legacy companies like McLaren. This spring, around the time Allen became CEO, they teamed up with the NFT game project Chibi Dinos to launch their virtual world. The company is also reportedly entering talks to acquire games studio Super Bit Machine – an acquisition that took place in August.

“We have been at the forefront of creating competitive cross-platform, multiplayer gaming experiences and we understand that the future of these interactions will take place in the metaverse,” Super Bit Machine founder Alexander Krivicich said in a statement shared with AR Post.

Web3, the metaverse and games

The Super Bit Machine team will lead a new “Infinite Gaming Group” within InfiniteWorld, according to Allen. This will help InfiniteWorld deliver games, gaming experiences, and interactive assets to customers. But it will also enable the creation of games with a specific goal in mind: to bring people into Web3.

“We are building bridges to Web3,” Allen said. “Ask someone to create a portfolio – it’s difficult. It’s like dial-up. … What is the easiest and most direct path to get people into the metaverse? That’s the game.

Right now, the two biggest incentives most people see for building a digital wallet are basically day-to-day cryptocurrencies and acquiring digital art in the form of non-fungible tokens. Another use case that isn’t as well publicized but is much more universally interesting is the gaming world. In games, NFTs aren’t just images, they’re tools with unique capabilities.

“NFTs go from collectibles to utilities”, Allen said. “One thing that’s really important to remember is that content is still king. What content will attract people? »

This is where all the crossover happens. Allen views Web3 as enabled by technological developments like blockchain, while the metaverse is the virtual world, enabled by Web3, in and through which people interact with each other. But, first, they must learn how and why to interact with these sometimes difficult media.

This new world

You might disagree with InfiniteWorld’s views on the Metaverse and Web3. Or their views on how and why to integrate people in the first place. But it is okay. It’s all part of the discussion.

“The metaverse is still being defined, so let’s define it in a positive way”, Allen said. “I love that we’re able to define this new world that’s coming.”