Ever since Facebook announced that the company is changing its name to Meta and will focus on developing the metaverse, all investors have the metaverse in mind.
Billions of dollars have already been poured into all possible projects closely (or remotely) related to the concept of the metaverse.
To make your life easier, we've rounded up 8 easy ways to invest in the metaverse.
1. Metaverse (formerly Facebook)
Perhaps the most obvious way to invest in the metaverse for most investors is to balance their capital on Meta. Formerly Facebook, the tech company of American Mark Zuckerberg is currently the largest company to launch in the race to create the metaverse.
The concept of “virtual world” / metaverse fits very well with the company's very popular social platform and will, quite possibly, be the future of social media.
The company’s first steps towards the metaverse were in 2014 when the company decided to acquire virtual reality startup Oculus. A purchase that seemed a bit unnecessary to a large chunk of the company's investors has made more and more sense since the recent announcements.
In August 2021, the company released a first public version of the Horizon Workrooms app for the Oculus headset. This application allows users to participate in virtual work meetings “in person”. The app allows viewing of users' screens, keyboards, and several other options to make the experience realistic.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, in the future most of the world will work and meet in the metaverse.
In the long run, the metaverse could be a primary source of revenue for the company, which currently receives the majority of that revenue from all of these social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.).
Meta / Facebook stock is a safe long-term investment and is very conservative compared to the other options on the list.
2. Unity Software
Next on our list of the best ways to invest in the metaverse is through the action of Unity Software.
If you've ever played video games (mobile or otherwise), you've most likely played a game developed on the Unity Softwares platform. In fact, according to company data, more than 70% of the 1000 most popular smartphone games and more than 50% of all video games were created on the Unity Software platform.
Basically, Unity Software is comparable to the Shopify e-commerce platform, but for video games. Much like Shopify allows anyone to create an online store easily, without making huge investments. Unity Software allows developers to create video games quickly, without having to do everything from scratch.
3. Nvidia
Nvidia is a stock that is known to be a great way to invest in the vast majority of new technologies. Whether in artificial intelligence, video games or autonomous vehicles, Nvidia is a leader in all of these industries (and more).
And, as you can imagine, it's a big player in the metaverse area as well.
The company specializes in the development of GPUs (graphic processing units) which are the default standard for running video games and virtual reality platforms.
It is therefore no surprise that the tech giant is entering the world of the metaverse by introducing its Omniverse platform in 2019.
Omniverse can simulate almost anything in three dimensions (3D). Whether it's a table, an automobile, a mountain or a tree, engineers will be able to use this technology to create identical digital duplicates of physical products.
These digital products can then be used in the different economies of the different virtual worlds of the metaverse.
The CEO of Nvidia believes Omniverse provides some foundation that will be used to create the metaverse and fuel its economy.
In fact, Unity Software is a company that is developing a platform that allows anyone to create a virtual world from scratch. In this world, developers will be able to develop entire ecosystems in which players can buy and sell products and communicate with each other.
In addition, as an investor in Unity Software, you will benefit from the very beneficial Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model that Unity Software uses to monetize its platform. The company's income is therefore recurring and very predictable.
4. Axis Infinity
While Axie Infinity isn't the stereotypical game we usually think of when it comes to metaverse, it is still a game whose metaverse is the foundation of the world of Axies.
The Axie Infinity Network is mainly related to a fighting game. Players must purchase creatures called Axies, which are then used to fight other players. Much like Pokemon, Axies are cute creatures that are, too, NFTs. Those cis can become more and more rare if the players reproduce (by combining) several Axie NFTs in again more powerful and more rare thanks to the Smooth Love Potions or SLP (the token / cryptocurrency of the system).
Smooth Love Potions (SLP) can be earned by players by playing the game or purchasing them over the network.
But why is the Axie Infinity Network a good metaverse investment? In fact, players can not only buy SLPs and Axies, they can also buy in-game lands. These lands can then be upgraded and will have more and more usefulness as the game develops.
5. Star Atlas
Star Atlas is another decentralized metaverse project that comes in the form of a unique video game that takes place in space and is played through a virtual reality headset. The project is still very new, but is already very promising.
Star Atlas developers’ grandiose plans for the network metaverse are drooling thousands of risk-hungry investors.
Basically, the network offers an online game where users can choose their faction, have a spaceship (which will be an NFT by the way), explore the galaxy, and make their fortune through a ton of intricate and interesting mechanics, including the purchase and development of land as well as digital product markets.
Not only is the concept a classic loved by video game enthusiasts, the promised graphics are absolutely stunning and the game, if all goes well, will be awe-inspiring.
Many compare the game to Eve Online, but decentralized and with NFTs.
We strongly recommend that you take a look at the game trailer available on the developer website.
Investors willing to take the risk of investing in this project can do so with the ATLAS token, available on the vast majority of cryptocurrency exchanges.
6. Metaverse Exchange Traded Fund
If you're not keen on doing the extensive research to get involved in a metaverse project, why not invest in a basket of projects all at once?
Thanks to the specialized exchange traded funds in the Metaverse industry, it is possible!
These ETFs allow investors to limit their risk by investing in several projects at the same time.
A good example of this type of ETF is Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF. This exchange traded fund allows you to invest in Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, Roblox, Unity and a ton of other companies by buying just one share.
This is a great solution for investors who don't want to be exposed to too much risk, but still don't want to miss the metaverse train.
7. Roblox
Roblox and metaverse? In the same sentence? And yes, although the game is mainly popular with children, this online platform allows players to develop their own games!
With over 200 million monthly users (a significant increase from previous years), Roblox is a revolutionary metaverse platform that will continue to grow in the years to come.
Company CEO David Baszucki even took the time to mention that the Roblox team are “shepherds of the metaverse”.
With a bright future and having no real competition on the stock market, Roblox is a great investment in the long-term metaverse.
8. Decentraland
Decentraland is a virtual online video game developed by a team of Argentinian developers in 2016 and is based on the Ethereum blockchain.
Although, as you can imagine, you cannot physically visit the world of Decentraland, the land in the virtual world of Decentraland can sell for a lot of money.
At the time of writing, a virtual in-game land has been sold for nearly $900,000 worth of MANA (the cryptocurrency used to buy and sell NFTs in the Decentraland ecosystem).
Since virtual terrains are distributed as NFTs, cis ones are unique, transferable, and cannot be duplicated or even forged.
Whether you believe it or not, the metaverse is the future. As a good investor, it is natural to be interested in the industry.
However, as usual, be careful. The projects related to the metaverse are complex, very risky and, above all, very long-term bets.