from andrew chen | by andrew chen

haters have come out for VR/AR, the metaverse, etc - as we see what kinds of R&D is required to build these kinds of platforms @JackSoslow has an amazing thread (charts attached) on the good trends: t.co/ZubWMtP2bi I'm bullish too, and here's what I'm investing in👇 t.co/ToK5fElzVY

First, the breakthrough in VR/AR will be oriented around multiplayer, not single player experiences. Here's why: - multiplayer creates varied, constantly hanging experiences - it creates word of mouth - big genres like FPS/MMOs/MOBAs all rely on this

There was a big mistake in the first gen of VR/AR to focus AAA single player experiences. They made these devices amazing things to demo for people, but it was all novelty value The industry needs to rotate towards long-term retention, now initial wow factor

This is why we've backed companies like @Gymclassvr - announcement below - which is on one hand a sports game, but really a social experience in disguise. But the vision is more towards casual, hangout play rather than hardcore competitive experiences t.co/v0BF5pmjef

Another company, @SandboxVR, is similar. You are able to have multiplayer experiences with your friends, all in the same room, and have unique gameplay that keeps you coming back. Example here: t.co/gxghEzMn1F

Orthogonal to multiplayer is user-generated content. We know this is powerful from Roblox, Minecraft, and the modding movement (which produced DOTA/League, PUBG via Arma, etc) The highly designed/stylized AAA experiences in VR don't enable the user to create as a form of play

The coming trend of generative AI combined with giving players powerful tooling will change the industry Players create cool experiences with cubes today in minecraft, but am thrilled to see what happens when they can tell stories, animate characters, etc - all with gen AI

Yes, the ecosystem is early, yet I'm a believer in VR/AR as the next major computing platform While it will take years for devices to sell, I think the mission-driven founders that believe in VR are building their products TODAY for big consumer pickup happening in 2023/2024

Again, take a look at @JackSoslow's epic thread on VR trends: t.co/ZubWMtP2bi We are sort of in year 1 of a new video game console, and it takes time. But I'm a believer. We've done 4 investments - at various levels - in VR over the past year, and plan to do more