What the Metaverse Is, Who’s In It and Why It Matters: QuickTake

The metaverse is a virtual universe that blends aspects of digital technologies including video-conferencing, games like Minecraft or Roblox, cryptocurrencies, email, virtual reality, social media and live-streaming. Quite how these pieces will fit together is a work in progress, but some tech giants already see it as the future of human communication and interaction. It’s “the next frontier,” Mark Zuckerberg said when he changed his company’s name from Facebook to Meta Platforms Inc. Commercial opportunities in the metaverse are one reason why Microsoft Corp. is buying game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. in its biggest ever deal.

1. What will ...