The world is currently facing a once-in-a-lifetime race to define the metaverse, characterized by large corporations attempting to be the first to make the virtual world accessible to the masses. While these companies are at an advantage already having well-established communities, they are centralized and therefore lack compatibility with the blockchain technology that enables these kinds of interactions.
Furthermore, the need for decentralization is further demonstrated by the reference to the metaverse as “Web 3.0” or the next version of the internet. The internet, which is largely popular for being both open-source and decentralized, provides an example of why these same principles will become necessary for metaverse adoption.
Although the metaverse will have no formal owner, it will need a form of social concept to bring its different parts together, including monetary transfers, social interactions, and digital assets. Filling this gap is the Next Earth project, an effort aimed to change how metaverse projects operate by allowing users to buy NFT-based digital land without a middleman.
Reflecting on their project, Gabor Retfalvi, Founder and CEO of Next Earth, shares,
“10-15 years from now, we’ll be living in the metaverse. I’d rather live in a fully democratic world where I have true ownership and agency over what happens to me rather than a video game monetizing me to the bones, owned by a large corporation.”
Therefore, each participant in the Next Earth ecosystem can become a partial owner of the project, which will simultaneously allow them to be a part of this growing world from the inception.
Starting at the surface
The project itself is divided into four different stages, the first being the initial land distribution based on the surface of the Earth. As an NFT-based Earth replica, users are invited to purchase, mint and later sell a 10x10m tile of digital land, making them citizens of Next Earth. Users can select from several tiles, including famous places that will later become a focus of interest or a strategically located plot that can become a building block for the economy. Early participation is encouraged as the Next Earth pricing algorithm is designed, so value only increases over time. Based on current growth rates, with 326,500 NFTs minted since Aug. 17, the team has set their targets to 3.5 billion tiles sold by the end of 2023.
Following the initial land distribution, Next Earth’s second stage looks at building upon resources and the economy. As previously stated, each piece of land will produce different resources, which can be traded with other users or used as raw materials in product creation. This ability to create products gives users the chance to exercise their creative thinking, participate in a business-oriented metaverse and breathe real-life use into the growing NFT sector.
Catering to businesses, Next Earth’s third phase looks at developing the largest Digital/VR sales, marketing and services platform available today. Here, both real-world businesses and those operating in the blockchain industry will gain the opportunity to create their own venture in the metaverse, giving them a pathway to adapt to the virtual world.
The fourth and final pillar is focused on the environment. Core to the beliefs of the Next Earth team is that this project presents the chance to donate more to causes that combat the real enemy, climate change. To date, these donations have amounted to over $800,000 with recipients, including SEE Turtles and The Ocean Cleanup.
An autonomous platform
Now a growing community, including 30,000 landowners, 180,000 registered users and an actively growing social media community on Discord and Twitter, Next Earth shares that building a profitable metaverse is only “step one.”
Through the team’s release of the launchpad, collectibles, NFT skins, staking and additional charitable initiatives, Next Earth will be positioned for its end goal of becoming a fully decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that is completely self-sustained and can operate as a nonprofit. These efforts are being kicked off by the project token sale, which is set to occur on Jan. 27.
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