Hyper-Realistic Metaverse Gets NFT-Gated Alpha Release

Looking Glass Labs’ House of Kibaa is preparing for the Alpha Release of its hyper-realistic metaverse, Pocket Dimension. The next step of the staged release will be on Nov.1, 2022, and will enable the project’s NFT holders to stress-test the virtual world.  

Looking Glass Labs is hoping its realistic take on what has previously been a less visually impressive medium will help it capture some of the forecast multi-trillion-dollar future metaverse market. 

Pocket Dimension metaverse assets get Alpha Release date

Despite some metrics suggesting that the 2021 boom in metaverse interest was a passing fad, efforts to deliver a shared virtual space underpinned by blockchain tech soldier on. One of the more promising is a hyper-realistic metaverse called Pocket Dimension. 

Pocket Dimension is an ambitious project to build what a recent press release describes as “the highest resolution and most realistic metaverse experience technically possible today.” Leading the effort is House of Kibaa — the flagship studio of the Vancouver-based NFT and metaverse startup Looking Glass Labs.

The Gutter Cat Gang-, HAPE- and Polygon-partnered House of Kibaa has been developing a range of metaverse assets centered around 11 hyper-realistic environments built using Unreal Engine 5. During the Alpha release, House of Kibaa will encourage participants to stress-test the environments ahead of the metaverse’s public launch, which is planned for 2023. 

The press release states that the Alpha Release will give NFT-gated access to early versions of the multiplayer lobby, text chat, NPC hosts, in-game minigames and other features. Those eligible to participate in the Alpha will be holders of the project’s Pocket Dimension Earth collection.

Dorian Banks, Chief Executive Officer at Looking Glass Labs, commented on the Pocket Dimension Alpha Release: 

“As the metaverse and NFTs continue to see rapid growth and adoption, it is important for HoK to make Pocket Dimension available to users as soon as possible. Early adopters who purchased Pocket Dimension are keen to begin building their virtual spaces and establishing their presence in the metaverse.”

Is hyper-realism the golden metaverse ticket?

Built using the latest version of one of the most popular video game engines, Pocket Dimensions contrasts other crypto-backed metaverses. For example, Decentraland and The Sandbox are lower-resolution virtual spaces. 

Pocket Dimensions’ beautifully crafted worlds span ten different environments, including Archipelago, Countryside, Dale, Dunes, Fjord, Marsh, Savanna, Tundra, Woodland and Zen. Additionally, the Genesis Moon environment is reserved for Genesis Membership NFT holders

House of Kibaa is hoping its highly realistic virtual world will attract a healthy share of what consultancy firm McKinsey & Co. estimates will be a $5 trillion metaverse market by 2030. Commenting in the Pocket Dimension press release, Banks stated that established brands and entertainers would also make or break any metaverse space:

“believe that collaborations with well-known music, sports and entertainment entities to come will be a catalyst for both the HoK metaverse as well as the broader metaverse ecosystem on a global scale.”