Somnium Space Looks To Raise Funding For Cross-Platform VR World

Somnium Space is one of the companies attempting to leverage technologies such as Blockchain and cryptocurrency in an effort to create a shared, cross-platform virtual reality (VR) world. The company are attempting to raise funding by launching a seed funding round on Equity Crowd-funding site SeedingVR.

Somnium Space have developed an internal partnership with High Fidelity, JanusVR, Admix and other who are part of the Virtual Reality Blockchain Alliance (VRBA) as part of a joint effort to create an open VR world that is built and shaped by the users.

By blending the technologies of the various companies, users will be able to teleport in and out of virtual worlds and buy, sell and build almost anything they can imagine, from housing to cars to weaponry.

The world that Somnium Space and the other members of VRBA envision is one that is fully interconnected, seamless and accessible from any other device, VR or not.

Somnium Space founder Artur Sychov said: “We’re proud of what the team has achieved so far and humbled by the support of our high caliber partnerships. We are creating a virtual reality world where users can travel between other VR worlds seamlessly and enjoyably with transferable identities and assets. A fun, social virtual world where players can actually build revenue streams with real world value.”

Interested parties can invest in Somnium Space by visiting the SeedingVR page for the company. The minimum investment amount is £100 (GBP), and each ordinary share is priced at £16 per share, and investors are entitled to full dividend participation, capital distribution and voting rights. There is an additional offer available to those purchasing 25 or more shares, who will receive a virtual land parcel.

The company is looking to raise £400,000 in return for 20% equity and funds raised will go directly into further development of the Somnium Space VR world.

Further news on Somnium Space and other VR companies will be here on VRFocus.

Admix Joins the Virtual Reality Blockchain Alliance

There have been several companies who have been investigating various approaches to monetisation for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). One of those is Admix, who have created a monetisation platform for AR and VR. Admix are now working together with High Fidelity to bring new monetisation options to the High Fidelity virtual world.

The High Fidelity Marketplace will soon support the Admix solution, which allows High Fidelity domains to display brand-sponsored objects and adverts from the Admix network, allowing domain owners to share in the revenue.

Oasis Screenshot

In addition, Admix are joining the Virtual Reality Blockchain Alliance (VBA), which was co-founded by high Fidelity and JanusVR, which is aiming to allow for easier compatibility between VR developers by utilising blockchain technology.

“We’re delivering ads that make sense for virtual worlds,” said Admix CEO Samuel Huber. “We don’t use personal data to make ads relevant. We take our cues from the virtual environment itself, so everyone shares the same experience. It’s contextual data over behavioral data.”

High Fidelity domain owners will be able to use a simple drag-and-drop system to select ads from the Marketplace and choose the position, size and content. Admix then connects to an ecosystem of advertisers to display adverts appropriate to the virtual location, such as showing sports-related content in a virtual stadium.

“Advertisements in VR should respect privacy,” said High Fidelity CEO Philip Rosedale. “Admix is doing this the right way: showing ads without collecting any personal information about the users. It’s a great example of the kind of standards the VRBA can help create, and we are happy to work with Admix to champion the best practices for virtual worlds.”

A demo of the High Fidelity/Admix system in use is available to view in a video below. Simple ad formats will be available initially, with more complex ad placements being added to the platform as it develops.

For further news on use of blockchain and advertising in VR and AR, keep checking back with VRFocus.

Intraoperable VR Gets a Step Closer With BLOCKv and High Fidelity Partnership

High Fidelity have been very busy lately, after founding the virtual reality blockchain alliance (VRBA) alongside JanusVR, the company is seeking out new partners to help push the idea of an intraoperable virtual reality (VR) environment. The latest to join is BLOCKv.

As suggested by the name BLOCKv uses blockchain technology to create a platform for creating and publishing digital objects, by joining High Fidelity and the VRBA, BLOCKv will be able to be utilised on various different VR experiences.

BLOCKv users can create digital objects referred to a virtual atoms, or vAtoms, which can be taken into virtual environments created with High Fidelity. These assets can then be used or modified in-world similar to other 3D objects. Conversely, content created inside High Fidelity will be exportable to be used in BLOCKv.

“Imagine hunting for digital treasure in an Augmented Reality scavenger hunt, and then being able to bring that same object into High Fidelity to show your avatar friends. You could then combine it with other items and export it back into the real world where it can serve as a concert ticket, a rare collectible or a redeemable coupon at retail,” said Reeve Collins, CEO of BLOCKv. “The blockchain is the mechanism that will safely and securely connect virtual worlds, which will scale to hundreds of millions of users as consumer-ready VR and AR hardware continues to roll out. BLOCKv is pioneering how this change will intersect with users, companies and places in the real world, and we are delighted to be working with High Fidelity to reshape the digital consumer experience.”

“There is great potential for interoperability between virtual worlds, and also between real and virtual worlds,” said Philip Rosedale, CEO and founder of High Fidelity. “Many useful things will have meaningful representations in both places—real and virtual. And being able to bring virtual creations into the real world will create more opportunities and revenues for digital creators, growing virtual worlds faster.”

For further news on use of blockchain technology in VR and AR, keep checking back with VRFocus.

Somnium Space Joins Virtual Reality Blockchain Alliances

While many people are still not fully aware of exactly what Blockchain is or what it can do, many companies are turning to the technology to allow for shared virtual spaces that do not need to be maintained by a single corporate entity. One such initiative along these lines is the Virtual Reality Blockchain Alliance, or VRBA, which has just welcome Somnium Space as its latest member.

Somnium Space is a cross-platform virtual reality (VR) world which allows anyone to buy land, build or import objects to create a shared, user-created virtual universe. Somnium Space will be joining VRBS founders High Fidelity and JanusVR in an effort to create a blockchain-powered universal platform.

As part of the VRBS, Somnium Space will serve a node host for the High Fidelity Blockchain, so assets and identities created in High Fidelity or JanusVR will be recognised by Somnium Space, and users of those services will be able to control what information they share and how they are seen within each experience.

“We’re excited to join the VRBA to make travel between virtual worlds easy and enjoyable,” said Artur Sychov, founder of Somnium Space. “When VR users can access their identities and assets wherever they go in the metaverse, it will make digital content more valuable and accelerate the growth of the VR industry as a whole.”

“We believe virtual identity should be portable, private and completely under your control,” said Philip Rosedale, CEO and founder of High Fidelity. “By storing this data on the blockchain, we can provide access to your personal data anywhere, while ensuring that you, and only you, get to decide who to share it with.”

Users will be able to transport between VR worlds by utilising the Oasis plugin recently released by Somnium Space in partnership with Admix.

For further news and updates on how blockchain is being used in VR and AR, keep checking VRFocus.