Metaverse in 2026

I think there is a small subculture who still wants to go deeper into online living. But it is very small. Most people are weary of the always-online culture social media brought, and AI is making online life worse, not better. A metaverse would absolutely appeal to that tiny crowd that disagrees, while most of the world would, frankly, find it cringe.

Whether or not you want to create something that only appeals to a small tech subculture is something you need to decide for yourself, but with a vague ask of "is it worth it?", without knowing what your actual goals are, I gotta just say: "No."

Do you mean "metaverse" as just a avatar-based game (like Second Life), do you mean that you'll link with what Facebook/Meta is calling the "metaverse," or do you mean adding other "web3" based things like blockchain/NFTs?

I know people who still play VR Chat (does that count as a "metaverse" game?), but they don't actually use VR since they don't have the room for nor can afford a VR headset. I don't know of any other "metaverse" games or anyone who plays them, though.

I think Facebook', I mean Meta's, idea of the "metavese" is dead, but there may be a spot for something new. I'm not one to discourage anyone from making something, so if you think you have a unique idea, why not go for it? Though, I don't know how many people have VR headsets and I'd say no one wants a blockchain/NFT game (I'm going to say "web3" is pretty much dead).