The Death of the Metaverse: A Perspective from Improbable’s Herman Narula

Improbable CEO and co-founder Herman Narula is the featured guest on this week’s UKTN Podcast. Narula believes that the metaverse is already thriving, contrary to the idea that it may be over before it really began.

SoftBank and Andreessen Horowitz are among the backers of the London-based company, which specializes in designing, building, and operating metaverse experiences for brands. One of their recent projects involved showcasing a Major League Baseball game in a virtual ballpark.

The company has been working on virtual world infrastructure since 2012, long before the metaverse became a popular term following Meta’s rebranding in 2021.

In response to claims that the metaverse is already dead due to a focus on AI, Narula addresses misconceptions about the metaverse in this episode.

“If you’re under the age of 20 and someone says the metaverse isn’t real, you’d think they were silly,” Narula explains. “It’s like saying football isn’t real. There’s a disconnect between those who write about video games and the metaverse outside the industry and those immersed in it.”

Narula points out that while some projects like Decentraland and Sandbox have not met expectations, it’s “laughable” to judge the entire metaverse market on that basis given the success of games like Roblox and Minecraft.

Last year, Improbable sold its defence business and one of its gaming ventures. Narula discusses how these sales have made Improbable a more sustainable business that no longer relies on venture capital.

Narula also explores the role of web3 in the metaverse and highlights how individuals can portray themselves however they choose in the metaverse, even as a potato.

Listen to the full episode here, as well as past episodes of the UKTN Podcast.

The UKTN Podcast is sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking, which offers flexible banking solutions for startups, scaleups, growth businesses, investors, and those preparing for IPOs.

Throughout the series, the UKTN Podcast will interview key figures in the UK tech scene. Listeners will gain insights on growth strategies from established and emerging founders, hear investment trends from investors, and question policymakers on decisions impacting the country’s innovation economy.

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