In 2022, Metaverses received funding in 216 deals worth more than $2 billion.
A report by Nasdaq showed high investor interest this year in Metaverse projects. There were 216 deals during the year, and the sector received $2 billion in funding. The report’s author, Kelly Choo, Head of the TGV 4 Plus Venture Fund, highlighted that 29% of the investments in 109 deals attracted projects focused on supporting already existing Metaverses.
Therefore, digital architects and artists, game designers, AI developers, interface designers, and other Metaverse specialists received the most funding.
According to the report, aside from supporting the sector, funding this year also went to:
- Metaverse ecosystem “builders” (28%);
- specialized and thematic platforms: sports Metaverses, art and consumer brands, online education, virtual co-working space (22%);
- Web3 games (15%);
- NFT projects (5%).
Animoca Brands, a major online game developer, received the most funding this year as it actively develops Metaverse technologies. The company raised over $564 million in funding in 15 closed deals in 2022, which is about 28% of its total investment in the sector.
Recall that a recent study showed that Metaverses built on Web3 principles lag behind their centralized counterparts in user activity, although they outperform their total number of projects.
On the other hand, video game developers are highly interested in the segment. For example, a joint study of mobile game companies Coda Labs and Raptor PR showed that three out of four game developers expect to work on various Web3 projects, including Metaverses, in 2023. However, more than half of the developers surveyed believe that blockchain technology has the potential to “revolutionize the gaming industry.”
Around 40% of specialists said that integrating Web3 into online games can attract more users, and 36% believe blockchain will help keep players interested in the projects. But 32% of game developers, though willing to work on Web3 projects, still think that blockchain games are just “a fad” and “won’t be around for long.”
A survey proved that gamers remained skeptical about P2E games and preferred interesting gameplay over making a profit.
