Metaverse tokens have pumped in the last 24 hours following the announcement that Facebook will rebrand to Meta, as the company shifts its long-term focus from social media and messaging, to immersive 3D virtual environments.
At time of press Decentraland (MANA) is up 54.8%, Axie Infinity (AXS) is up 15.5%, The Sandbox (SAND) is up 23%, and Decentral Games (DG) has recorded gains of 13.8%.
Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the change in focus during his Connect 2021 keynote presentation, delivered on October 28th. Appearing initially from the real world, Zuckerberg then bathed in an otherworldly blue light before being transported to a simulated virtual reality.
“Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards,” he said. “It is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything that we do, to reflect who we are and what we hope to build.”
A suite of new features will be rolled out by Meta over the course of the coming year, incorporating Facebook and Instagram into metaverse work environments as well as offering multiple user accounts, allowing users to keep their personal and work lives separate.
While the metaverse is already big news in the cryptosphere, Facebook’s branding change naturally brings greater exposure within the sector and beyond.
Facebook, Meta and Diem
The recent Facebook rebrand is not the first time Zuckerberg has aligned company interests with crypto-related technologies. In 2019 the Facebook CEO set the crypto world into a frenzy when he announced the launch of a new cryptocurrency dubbed Libra.
The plan drew Congressional scrutiny and has since languished in development hell, losing key founding members of its board, paired back its ambitions, and rebranded as Diem.
Zuckerberg and Meta will undoubtedly hope that their next brush with the cryptosphere is less fraught with difficulty.
What do you think about this subject? Write to us and tell us!