Improbable Developed The Metaverse Before It Was Cool

The term ‘metaverse’ has been popping up a lot lately since Facebook announced its company name change to Meta. First coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 sci-fi novel Snow Crash, the metaverse is a virtual reality where people can log in and out as they please. In these worlds, you’re theoretically capable of anything. While Mark Zuckerberg is getting a lot of attention for the metaverse, it’s worth pointing out that Improbable was one of the first to develop it in earnest. 

“Improbable enables flexibility for developers to create environments where consumers can have increasingly complex experiences, shared in multiplayer simulations. 

“In the future, these virtual worlds could have near-endless possibilities, a metaverse where ordinary people not only have access to set experiences but agency – agency to consume and produce, agency to participate and create, agency to exchange and add value to the world itself.”

Lincoln Wallen, CTO of Improbable, joined the company in 2019 after successful stints at DreamWorks Animation and EA Mobile. Since age 16, Wallen has had an interest in software development and technology. 

“In the last few years, Improbable has made great strides on its mission to transform the games industry, driven by consumer experience. 

It’s an incredibly exciting time to be at such an innovative business.”

What Does Improbable Do?

Improbable is a British company that creates and powers virtual worlds. Founded in 2012, Improbable has a vision to “bring about rich, interactive environments that will transform economies to make people happier, safer, and more connected.” 

“Once people have environments with elements of agency it becomes more like the real world, where we enjoy entertainment, and pleasurable and meaningful experiences to love and nurture each other. 

“Ultimately, metaverse and virtual worlds hold possibilities for people to create new dimensions to what matters most to them, like the relationships we need to thrive. 

“Vital experiences can give humanity an entirely new world of possibilities and that’s what we’re striving to achieve at Improbable.”

How Is This Different From ‘Meta?’

As mentioned previously, Zuckerberg may be getting most of the attention, but what Meta is doing with their virtual reality is completely different from what Improbable is doing. Meta is creating its own digital space while Improbable is supplying that technology to the video game world with the aspiration to create one of their own. 

“Improbable is a company dedicated to providing technology for game makers to enable powerful virtual worlds and simulations designed to help solve previously intractable problems with a goal to build a metaverse of our own.”

“We work with customers who invent services, which we support and operate, and provide ingredient technologies. So in that sense, we’re a partner and service provider. 

“We’re also pioneers who experiment ourselves with services and develop content, but our primary business is to service partners who are doing this and our job is to provide the architecture, identifying the difficulties, and building solutions for the future. 

“We believe that it is from this supportive ecosystem that a true metaverse will emerge.”

Concerns About The Metaverse

With issues like video game and internet addiction being very real problems, it’s sensible to look at the metaverse with a cautious eye. If you’ve ever seen proposed virtual office spaces (known as the ‘Nth Floor’), they give off very Star Trek Borg vibes. 

While we live in a world where our reality seems to get increasingly dire, the drive to escape said reality becomes more and more attractive. But while that same reality is in trouble, escaping it can only hurt. So, why even dive into the metaverse? What benefits are there? 

It’s probably too soon to know for sure what the consequences of the metaverse will be. But it’s not too soon to have them in the back of developers’ minds. 

To quote Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they never stopped to think if they should.”

Not to, you know, bring the mood down or anything. 

What’s Cool About The Metaverse

While there are valid concerns about every technological advance, that shouldn’t be a deterrent. Jumping into the metaverse will launch us ahead in terms of how we experience the world and each other. 

“Being able to put 10,000 people in the same virtual space who can see and interact with each other in real-time is unprecedented and it creates a landscape for the design of services that hasn’t been achieved before. That’s very exciting.”

Any fans of gaming will surely jump into the metaverse with excitement and glee. Imagine World of Warcraft or Fortnite, only you’re “there.” It’s hard to imagine anything cooler. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with escaping reality. We’ve been doing it for longer than recorded human history. Do you think cave paintings were an attempt to stay grounded? How about books? Cinema? You get the idea. 

There are plenty of real-world applications to the metaverse that we haven’t even tapped into yet. Improbable is at the forefront of that mission. They have been developing this technology long before Zuckerberg ever got his hands on it. 

Improbable is marching ahead with this technology. It’ll be a treat to see how it all turns out.