The audience of the metaverse, like social networks, cannot be generalized. On each platform, users find their own content based on their interests. This can be games, creating and selling items, developing their brand, or learning new information.
Over the past few years, the audience of metaverses continues to grow. But this applies not to all platforms, but only to those that developers are developing, implementing new mechanics, and working on marketing.
With the return of players from all over the world to their usual rhythm of life, a decrease in online activity can be noticed in metaverses. But this doesn’t mean that these platforms have suddenly disappeared. And in this article, we will figure out what audience is currently hanging out in metaverses and what they choose them for.
Millennials Raised on Minecraft — 180M Monthly Active Users
Since 2021, the number of monthly active users on Minecraft has not fallen below 141 million people. Moreover, statistics show that the monthly online user count of Minecraft has increased by more than 10 million people each year. The largest audience growth in recent years was observed during the pandemic period of 2020-2021.
Over the 14 years of the platform’s existence, the number of registered accounts has exceeded 600 million people. The growth of Minecraft’s audience was influenced by streamers who created content on their own servers and attracted attention to the project. In 2021, Minecraft took first place in the popularity ranking among games on YouTube. Therefore, the community has the greatest influence on how many people play Minecraft.
The majority of the audience accesses private servers of other users that are created for entertainment. In Minecraft, you can find games for plot completion, interactive quests, and projects with role-playing games. There are all the necessary tools to create your own activities on the sandbox platform, which even children can master. This also influences how many people play Minecraft.
Developers of the project continuously improve new mechanics, graphics, and the physics of the virtual world. They also create free educational projects on the platform, among which activities for learning mathematics are especially popular.
The average age of Minecraft’s audience is 24 years old. Millions of children have been playing on the platform since 2012, for whom it became one of the first sandbox games. A decade later, those same gamers continue to play and develop their servers together with their friends. And the constantly growing audience of Minecraft, among which there are still many children aged 6 years and up, joins them.
The Audience of Children on Roblox is 210M Monthly Active Users
The Roblox metaverse is often compared to Minecraft due to its design and the fact that it attracts many children. However, these platforms differ in terms of their audience and content.
The Roblox audience consists of the Gen Z users aged 9 to 25. Until 2020, it was believed that only teenagers played the game. However, thanks to the platform’s growing popularity and the creation of new content, the average age of players has increased. By the end of 2022, the average age of the Roblox audience had risen from 12 to 13.
Developers of the platform aim to cater to the Gen Z generation by creating an interface and tools that are easy for teenagers to use. Thanks to the user-friendly mechanics, teens can easily learn how to create and develop their own content for Roblox. Brands also see potential in creating content on the platform to establish a memorable image among teenagers.
And if you want to promote your brand among these auidiences, then contact us at BeFuture Studio. Our specialists will help you move your brand to any of the projeсts from this article.
Millennials in VRChat — 37,000 Monthly Active Users
The average online user count of the VRChat platform has grown from 17 million to 27,000 users over the past two years. This metaverse, like others, gained popularity during the pandemic. However, it stands out with a higher level of user interactions and a focus on VR users. People primarily come to VRChat for socializing, paying less attention to gaming mechanics.
VRChat has the largest audience among similar VR platforms – 45 million users. They are predominantly young people aged 25 who want to take a break from studying or work and find like-minded people. For greater realism, they choose interaction through VR headsets.
The Sandbox Crypto Metaverse — 48,000 Monthly Active Users
The Sandbox metaverse attracts users with the opportunity to earn real rewards by participating in gaming events. The platform’s developers constantly collaborate with companies and celebrities on their lands. They organize large-scale events and seasonal passes with a specific theme, for which they create locations, storylines, designs, and mechanics. During these events, The Sandbox players earn points that can be exchanged for prize NFTs and cryptocurrency.
Major global companies interested in blockchain technology come to The Sandbox. They target a mature audience willing to spend hundreds of hours exploring a brand’s location in exchange for real rewards. The primary audience of The Sandbox is young people aged 18 to 35 who are interested in cryptocurrency and gamification of earning it.
The Largest Audience Among Metaverses is 234M Monthly Active Users in Fortnite
The Fortnite metaverse attracts children with its shooter gameplay and a vast array of skins and interactive features. To entertain its audience, developers collaborate with celebrities, anime studios, and brands. Through these collaborations, Fortnite regularly hosts events and shows and introduces new skins, for which players are willing to spend more time in the metaverse.
Fortnite has attracted the largest audience of Zoomers and Millennials among all metaverses, with 350 million people. Some of these gamers spend time in the game to pursue becoming a professional esports player and win significant cash prizes in tournaments. Among games with developed esports scenes, Fortnite is one of the youngest, with prize pools of up to $100 million.
TL;DR
The audience of metaverses has grown by several tens of millions of users in recent years. Companies achieve this by implementing new mechanics, attracting brands and marketing campaigns, as well as expanding opportunities for creators.
Among metaverses, several platforms stand out with the most active users:
- Minecraft is developing its platform together with dedicated users, with 180 million people online.
- Roblox targets a teenage and youth audience, with 210M people online.
- VRChat is developing social activity for Millennials, with 37,000 people online.
- The Sandbox is developing a gaming crypto community, with 48,000 users online.
- Fortnite is adding social activities for its audience to its successful shooter, with 234M people online.
Editor:
James Armstrong
Cover and illustrations:
Delilah Jones
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