EU throws party in €387,000 metaverse and hardly anyone turns up

The EU has reportedly built a nearly $400,000 digital metaverse, and only 6 people showed up to the gala celebrating it, Report informs referring to Gizmodo.

On November 29 night, journalist Vincent Chadwick went to the party and found his virtual avatar almost entirely alone.

“I’m here at the “gala” concert in the EU foreign aid dept’s €387k metaverse (designed to attract nonpolitically engaged 18-35-year olds - see story below). After initial bemused chats with the roughly five other humans who showed up, I am alone,” he tweeted.

The Global Gateway’s metaverse launched in mid-October with the intent of becoming a “shared digital space” where people disguised as lanky, anthropomorphic balloon animals can meet and “reflect on global issues to make a difference for our shared future,” according to the EU’s International Partnerships Twitter account.

The European Commission’s foreign aid department spent €387,000 (or around $400,000 at press time) developing the virtual world, according to Chadwick’s reporting in Devex.

And some within the department reportedly weren’t happy about the decision. “Depressing and embarrassing,” one foreign aid employee reportedly told Chadwick. The Devex journalist wrote that another described it as “digital garbage.” Twitter commenters weren’t much kinder to the European Commission either. “Seriously? There is a massive drought in East Africa, UNHCR doesn’t have enough funds for food for refugees in camps, etc etc and THIS is what you choose to spend money on?,” wrote one sustainable agriculture researcher in response to the EU’s official tweet.