Meta (NASDAQ:FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to make it easier for people to spend and make money on virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds, which is an integral part of Meta’s plan for creating a so-called “metaverse.”
In a video published late Monday as part of a blogpost, the tech billionaire said that Meta is testing new tools that allow creators to sell virtual assets and experiences within the worlds they build on Horizon.
“The ability to sell virtual items and access to things inside the worlds is a new part of [the] e-commerce equation overall,” Zuckerberg said.
“We’re starting rolling this out with just a handful of creators and we’ll see how it goes but I imagine that overtime we’ll get to roll it out more and more.”
Meta said someone could make and sell attachable accessories for a fashion-focused environment or offer paid access to a new part of a particular world, for example.
Horizon Worlds (formerly Facebook Horizon) is a free virtual reality, online video game that allows people to build and explore virtual worlds.
Meta published the game on its Oculus VR headsets in the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 9 but it’s yet to be rolled out worldwide.
Over the last few months, companies and individuals have been snapping up everything from art to real estate in virtual worlds on platforms like Decentraland and The SandBox. Hip-hop star Snoop Dogg has purchased virtual land and a fan paid $450,000 in December to buy a plot next door to him on The Sandbox.
FB shares began Tuesday up $2.23, or 1%, to $218.69.