EU’s €387,000 metaverse party attracts just six guests

EU's metaverse is not meeting expectations. Photo: Chris Delmas

EU's metaverse is not meeting expectations. Photo: Chris Delmas

By Jack Parrock in Brussels

December 02 2022 02:30 AM

A European Union plan to throw a virtual party in the “metaverse” to engage young people in its policies flopped spectacularly after only six people turned up.

The EU Commission’s foreign aid department spent €387,000 to create the metaverse, where people could log in to a virtual concert to meet people and learn about the bloc.

The event, with its own virtual DJs, was supposed to be so enticing to young people that once they were there the EU would be able to tell them about its development policy.

However, a correspondent for international development website Devex exposed the disappointing turnout.

“I’m here at the ‘gala’ concert in the EU foreign aid department’s metaverse. After initial bemused chats with the roughly five other humans who showed up, I am alone,” Vince Chadwick posted online.

The metaverse is a new social media platform of online meeting rooms such as those from Meta, the company that runs Facebook.

The event’s target audience, according to the Commission, was 18- to 35-year-olds “who identify as neutral about the EU and are not particularly engaged in political issues”.

Brussels unveiled the metaverse in mid-October, but it has struggled to gain support from even those working in the EU department behind it. Devex reports that one source from within the European Commission called the special metaverse “digital garbage”.

Responding to the criticism, an EU spokesman admitted: “The metaverse is not meeting our expectations.” (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2022)