Eric d. Tidwell
"We constantly strive to lift Dr. King from the history books and bring his legacy in the lives of younger generations," Eric D. Tidwell the managing director and general counsel of the King Estate, said in an announcement. "Presenting his most well-known speech in such an interactive format helps us in achieving that goal."
Silicon Valley is betting that this dystopian sci fi idea will become a reality.
It's the most recent example of Fortnite adding experiences beyond normal game play, and attempting to position itself as a metaverse rather than just a video game. In the past, it hosted musical performances by artists such as Marshmello and Travis Scott, as well as three films from director Christopher Nolan.
The metaverse was originally conceived as the setting for dystopian science fiction novels in which virtual universes offer an escape from crumbling societies. However, the tech industry has painted a far brighter image of the concept in recent months. The idea is to create a world similar to the internet in which users can explore and interact with each other via digital avatars.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was extremely proud to announce Fortnite in a metaverse and as an "social event" when he was a witness in the prominent lawsuit against Apple he filed earlier this year. The lawsuit was over the commissions that the iPhone maker takes from developers of apps. Sweeney's argument was a way to bolster Epic's case that it is more than just an online game, and also to undermine Apple's assertion that it is not a monopoly in the sense that Fortnite players can opt to play it on other devices other than iPhones and iPads.
Epic The app, on the other hand, sought to present itself as one of the millions of apps available on Apple's App Store that are subject to the company's onerous restrictions and commissions on in-app purchases. (A verdict in this case is still pending.
Fortnite isn't the only well-known game to lean heavily on the concept of the metaverse.
One of the most notable examples is Roblox, which features games-within-a-game made by users. It has also expanded into TV shows and concerts in recent months. Minecraft, owned by Microsoft (MSFT) has also worked to expand its own metaverse, with the organization Reporters Without Borders recently creating a virtual library within the game , which includes articles that have been banned across the globe.
Roblox is seeking to rule the metaverse
Big Tech is also more open to the metaverse. The word was mentioned almost two dozen times during Facebook's recent earnings call. As it seeks to go beyond the traditional video call the social media company has been using virtual reality capabilities and services for a long time.
A full-fledged metaverse is still likely to be years away for a variety of reasons but the gaming industry is the main force behind the revolution.