Eric D. My Games (managing director and general counsel for the King Estate) stated in an announcement that "We constantly strive to take Dr. King out of the history books" and "place his legacy in their lives." "Presenting his most famous speech in this interactive format allows me to achieve this goal," Eric D. Tidwell the managing director and general counsel of the King Estate stated.
Silicon Valley is betting that this dystopian sci-fi concept will become a reality.
It's the latest example of Fortnite bringing experiences that go beyond regular game play, and attempting to present itself as a metaverse rather than simply a video game. It hosted performances by Marshmello, Travis Scott, and three movies by Christopher Nolan last year.
The original concept of the metaverse was to be utilized in dystopian science fiction novels in which virtual worlds provide an escape from the deteriorating society and were created for fictional characters, the technology industry has painted a more positive image of the concept. The idea is to create a world like the internet where users can use to navigate and interact with each other via digital avatars.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was very proud to present Fortnite in a metaverse and as an "social event" when he stood in the high-profile lawsuit against Apple he filed earlier this year. The lawsuit was over the commissions that the iPhone maker takes from developers of apps. Sweeney's arguments were meant to support Epic's claim that Fortnite is more than a game. It also shattered Apple's assertions that Fortnite is not a monopoly, as Fortnite players can play on other devices, other than iPhones or iPads.
Epic however, in the opposite tried to position itself as one the millions of apps that are available on Apple's App store that are subject to strict restrictions and commissions for in-app purchases. (A decision in this matter is in the process of being determined.
Fortnite isn't the only well-known game to lean heavily on the metaverse concept.
Roblox is among the most well-known examples. It features games-within a-games created by users. In recent months, Roblox has expanded into television shows and concerts. Minecraft, owned by Microsoft (MSFT), has also worked on expanding its own metaverse, with the group Reporters Without Borders recently creating a virtual library within the game featuring articles that have been censored across the globe.
Roblox is seeking to rule the metaverse
Big Tech is also more open to the metaverse. The term was mentioned more than two dozen times during Facebook's recent earnings call. The social media company has been testing for years virtual reality features and services - including in the workplace - as it looks to expand beyond the realm of video calls that are two-dimensional.
A full-fledged metaverse is still likely years away for several reasons, but the gaming industry is currently the main force behind the revolution.