Meta Eying 2023 Rugby World Cup to Reignite Metaverse Campaign

Quick take:

• Meta will use the 2023 Rugby World Cup to reignite its metaverse campaign.
• The company is targeting the sporting world as an avenue to onboard masses into the metaverse.
• Meta is the official social media services supplier of the 2023 tournament in France.

Meta is bringing the 2023 Rugby World Cup to the metaverse. The company will use the tournament to offer immersive experiences across its legacy apps including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta thinks the move could open new ways for the fans to enjoy the sport. Meta is the official social media services supplier of the tournament.

The campaign is launched in collaboration with BETC Paris, Havas Play and Unit9 with Meta looking to showcase how the metaverse technology can immerse fans onto the field in virtual and augmented reality.

Commenting on the partnership, Olivier Apers, creative director at BETC Paris said: “It has been a pleasure working with the teams at Meta on these augmented experiences. While the metaverse isn’t here yet, we’re excited by its potential to bring excitement for the fans around the Rugby World Cup 2023.”

Meta has come under scrutiny from its shareholders amid its investment in the metaverse. Last year, Business Insider estimated that the company had spent more than $36 billion on metaverse-related projects dating back five years. In 2022 alone Meta spent an estimated $19 billion and is expected to invest a similar amount this year.

However, the company has struggled to make significant progress in the industry despite committing about 20% of its resources.

Wall Street Journal revealed last year, after gaining access to internal meta documents that the company’s primary Metaverse product Horizon Worlds struggled to keep hold of users for more than a year.

Could sports solve this problem? Sports fans are loyal to their teams and athletes, which is why several web3 companies are targeting the industry to onboard users to their platforms. Meta could find out how well it could use sports to further its campaign in the metaverse.

Several reports last year predicted the metaverse could be worth trillions of dollars by the year 2030. However, reports coming out this year are putting the figure at about $700 billion due to the impact of the crypto winter.

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