Metaverse Revolution: Multibillion-Dollar Virtual Universe

Metaverse Statistics

Metaverse Market Size & Industry Predictions

The Metaverse is going through a rapid expansion, and it’s expected to grow even faster in the years and decades to come. Currently, the market size is estimated at $47.48 Billion, which shows a significant rise compared to 2021, when the market size was $38.85 Billion. And the predictions for the future are even more astounding, as some go as far as to say that the market size could reach $783.3 billion in 2024. Some are even more optimistic, claiming that we can expect it to reach $1.61 trillion in 2030. Others are far more conservative in their estimates, predicting that 2030 will likely result in a market size of $678.8 billion. It’s no wonder that the market size is expected to reach such heights, considering how much an average person spends on the Metaverse. Take the US metaverse market as an example. The potential total consumer expenditure for 2022 was estimated at $8.3 trillion for 2022, with 30.4% of that money being spent on virtual real estate. Metaverse games are not far behind. In fact, they might be leading the bunch, with the virtual gaming world revenue sitting at $180 billion in 2020, with the estimates that it will rise up to $400 billion in 2025. Metaverse games often collide with Metaverse casinos because players enjoy experimenting with both. The latter requires purchasing Metaverse NFTs, after which the world of web 3.0 casinos opens up. Decentraland, which is a browser-based Metaverse, has reported revenue of $7.5 million for its metaverse casino. And that kind of revenue took place over the course of three short months.

Monetizing Metaverse

To some, making money from the metaverses sounds like science-fiction – but it’s everything but. There are many opportunities for monetizing your metaverse-related activities, regardless of the industry. Average earnings can range from $10 per month, and they can rise up to thousands of dollars each month. Refer to the table below as a way to get a better grasp on where each industry stands and how good of an opportunity you have for monetizing your Metaverse-related knowledge.

The industry category	The valuation	The prediction
Retail	8.3 Billion USD	2 to 2.6 Trillion USD
Real estate	821.9 Million USD	5953.6 Million USD
Entertainment	2.7 Billion USD	221.7 Billion USD
Education	4.39 Billion USD	32.39 Billion USD
Cryptocurrencies	27.5 Billion USD
Gaming	36.81 Billion USD	710.21 Billion USD

Launching NFTs

Metaverse NFT has become one of the frequently mentioned buzzwords in the world. They allow users to truly purchase the digital asset they are buying, after which they have complete control over it, allowing them to trade it, store it, or use it. Metaverse NFT projects have been in the making for quite some time, and we can even go as far as to say that they go back to the time when this buzzword wasn’t even slightly familiar to the general public. Many metaverses have resulted from NFT projects, including: Currently, there are 60,000 users of metaverse virtual worlds, representing a tenfold increase compared to 2020. Now, determining the actual worth of NFTs isn’t as easy as it seems. The easiest answer is that an NFT is worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay. But the more complicated answer is to say that NFTs can range in price from $0 to $94 million. That’s right. The real trick, though, is not in estimating how much an NFT is worth in the present moment – the trouble lies in correctly estimating its value in 6 months, 12 months, and five years from the present moment. The only way to succeed is by taking a deeper look into the project, the founders, the following, and the hype surrounding an NFT project. Looks alone won’t get you far; they won’t get you anywhere. When it comes to estimating the ROI of NFTs, it’s impossible to do it by looking at the concept as a whole.

The top NFTs have an impressive return on investment, with World of Women having an astounding ROI of 5,267%.

When it comes to being able to put a future price on your NFT, understand that this might not be possible. There’s no parameter that allows you to value NFT tokens in the same way that you can value a traditional investment. Instead, to estimate the cash-out value of your token in five years’ time, you need to look at its current value. There are five things you want to take into account if trying to put a price on your NFT – its rarity, utility, interoperability, social support, and cash flow premium. Likewise, you might be tempted to rely on different value calculators if trying to predict the value of your NFT in the future. Don’t – you might be able to get a rough estimate, but you should still trust your own research more than a random calculator.

Games (Play-to-Earn), iGaming

Making money in the metaverse is certainly one of the things people find most interesting about this concept. The system behind the Play-to-Earn concept is simple – you collect cryptocurrencies or NFTs, after which you can generate income by selling in-game NFTs or earning cryptocurrency rewards. Both iGaming and Play-to-Earn games can pay out a pretty penny, with new crypto casinos in the metaverse allowing you to collect significant rewards. Some of the games that allow you to make the most money include Lucky Block, Alien Worlds, Decentraland, Star Atlas, and Battle Infinity. Remember that the Gaming sector is among the leading ones in the world of metaverses. Therefore, there are as many as 54.1 million daily active users of Roblox games, which is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the collective number of users. The fact is that people are willing to pay eye-popping prices for NFTs, which is why this market was worth 2 Billion USD in 2021.

Art galleries

If one wants an experience that’s truly out of this world, he or she needn’t look further than the metaverse art galleries. NFT galleries allow you to enjoy art while providing the artists with a way to break free from societal stigmas. Big names in the art world have recognized the infinite potential of the Metaverse project, and even Sotheby’s auction house has their replica in Decentraland. SciArt is also a part of Decentraland – and quite an important one, we might add. Other metaverses feature other art galleries, and Multiverse is home to the 9/11 Memorial and WildSkil Gallery. The NFT digital art king Mike Beeple Winklemann is responsible for some of the most expensive pieces of art the metaverse has ever seen. However, it’s PAK’s ‘The Merge’ that takes the title of THE most expensive piece of art in the metaverse after being sold for $91.8 million. People are investing some serious money into metaverse art, which is why we hear of stories where a person bought an NFT for $50 a few years ago and sold it for millions of dollars in the present moment. At least, that’s what happened with a Bored Ape NFT. Remember that many artworks start to appreciate in value with time, and the same goes for NFTs. Although, if there’s anything the recent years have shown, it’s that the entire metaverse project is only going to keep on rising.

Advertising and billboards/posters/signage in the digital worlds

Just like regular marketing agencies help you establish your business, the ones existing in the metaverse will help you build your presence in virtual spaces. Moreover, it’s estimated that by 2024, the market size will reach $800 billion. If you are planning to transition your business into the metaverse world, it would be wise to work with one of the many prominent marketing agencies that are already established in the field. They include:

• • RNO1

• • Publicis Poke

• • MetaVision

• • Takeaway Reality

• • Virtual Brand Group

Logically, these agencies can boast some impressive net worth and quite a long list of well-known clients. Take Publicis Poke as an example. It currently has a rumored net worth of $1.04 million, but the exact number is yet to be determined. The second example is Virtual Brand Group, whose co-founder Justin W. Hochberg has built intellectual property into innovative consumer businesses, resulting in more than $500 million revenue.

Music venues and events

Since it seems like the whole world has shifted into the online realm, it’s only logical that people will rely on online music concerts to hang out and spend some time together. Those who have attended metaverse music events claim that the experience is unlike anything they have seen. Some major metaverse events in the world that you can attend are:

• • Ariana Grande and the Rift Tour

• • Warner Music and the Sandbox

• • Justin Bieber Virtual Concert

• • Roblox’s Virtual Festivals

• • Facebook’s First Metaverse Concert

The views for online concerts are reaching record highs, with Ariana Grande attracting 78 million players. With the pop industry in the Metaverse going viral, we can expect more artists to recognize the potential of the metaverse projects, as millions of dollars await those who venture into VR concerts.

How many metaverses are there, exactly?

At the moment, more than 160 companies are developing their own metaverses. Think about how many different websites exist nowadays. Asking how many metaverses there are would be the same as trying to count how many websites there are on the Internet – talk about mission impossible. With more companies immersing themselves in the world of the Metaverse (and everything that it entails), we can expect the cumulative number of metaverses to grow. And just like every website has its own purpose and niche, the same can be said for metaverses. And when it comes to the Metaverse as a concept, the future is definitely bright. The market size is estimated to grow by 13.1% every year. Another noteworthy prediction is that the market will be worth $800 billion by 2024. Likewise, by 2026, it is estimated that 30% of companies will offer products and services that are somehow related to the metaverse. With 400 million active Metaverse users, it’s no wonder that the market is expected to be on a steep rise. The experts suggest that by 2026, all active users will spend an hour on their metaverse of choice. And with 74% of US adults considering joining this mesmerizing world, that adds up to many hours. That being said, different metaverses have different numbers of daily active users. Roblox, for example, reports having 52 million active users. And Second Life has 200,000 users per day on average, even though they have around 70 million registered accounts.

The name of the metaverse	What each metaverse specializes in	Users each metaverse has
Decentraland	Buying or selling virtual land, in-game assets, and other NFTs	8,000 active users
The Sandbox	Building, owning and monetizing gaming content	9,640 active users
Aurora	Play-to-earn gaming	N/A
Axie Infinity	Play-and-earn gaming	548,030 active users
Roblox	Gameplay and creation system	200 million
Fortnite	RPG game	80 million

Table with main data

Decentraland

There’s a lot of debate about the precise number of Decentraland Metaverse’s active daily users, with some reports showing that there are only around 30 or so people who spend their time and money in Decentraland per day. However, most reports will show you that the number is far greater than that, and it sits at around 8 000 active users per day. As a metaverse virtual reality world, Decentraland lets its users purchase the in-game MANA currency, which they can later trade in for fiat currency. Therefore, the users have a win-win situation on their hands, as they can connect with other Decentraland users while having the opportunity to earn some money. Decentraland costs $150k per user, with the metaverse itself being valued at $1.2 billion. Currently, 1 MANA (Decentraland’s cryptocurrency) is worth 0.38 USD. The prediction is that this number will hit $16.65.

SandBox

The SandBox Metaverse and Decentraland Metaverse are oftentimes compared to one another, as they certainly share many similarities. However, these two metaverses are definitely not the same, as SandBox offers more land plots that are more affordable to buy. On the other hand, Decentraland’s land is more valuable as it is scarce, so it’s generally considered a better asset to sell virtually. SandBox is a metaverse that’s big on RPG gaming, with games such as Red Dead Redemption and Minecraft being among the top choices for those who live for this kind of game. Sandbox’s currency, SAND, is currently worth 0.55 USD, with the price changing somewhat daily. The predictions state that in 2028, SAND will be traded between $5.68 and $6.92, remaining to be seen.

Aurora

If you want to get yourself a piece of NFT real estate of the most basic kind, you might want to focus your attention on Aurora. Unlike Decentraland and The SandBox, you can’t construct buildings and launch games, but you can afford a piece of NFT real estate. As a virtual world that allows its users to interact with each other, Aurora is a metaverse that uses a variety of avatar customization options to help create a realistic user experience. While it’s still in the developmental stages, this platform has generated much interest from both the public and the developers. With one AURORA currently being worth 0.34 USD, it’s your chance to purchase a good deal of AURORAs and possibly cash in some money. After all, it’s predicted that by 2030, 1 AURORA will be worth between $1.51 and $3.29.

Popular games in the Metaverse

If you want to enjoy the digital real, Metaverse games are definitely the way to go. They are the best way to combine the social aspect of gaming with interactive gameplay and stunning graphics. Besides, they are also among the most efficient ways to make money from metaverse projects. The best metaverse crypto games allow the players to purchase NFTs and later on earn more than a mere portion of their investment back. That being said, some games are inherently more popular than others. Here’s a table listing how well different games do with different people.

The name of the game	Game Category
Decentraland	3-D virtual games
Sandbox	RPG
Cryptovoxels	RPG
Horizon Worlds	VR worlds
Slot games	iGaming/Casino games
Roulette games	iGaming/Casino games

Popular titles for RPGs	The number of players
Fortnite	80,000,000
Minecraft	165,000,000
Ember Sword	200,000