In case you didn’t notice, Meta really wants you to try out its 3D avatars, and its evolving avatar interaction tools.
Why? Because it’s through these avatars that more people will be able to engage in its 3D VR environments, which, eventually, could help to migrate them across to its more immersive metaverse experience.
Which still feels like a way off, but despite Meta seemingly easing back on the metaverse hype, that’s still very much the direction that the company is heading in. And as such, you can expect avatars to remain a key focus moving forward in its apps.
Along this line, Meta has announced a new, Halloween-themed update for its avatars, which provides additional options for customizing your digital character.
As you can see in this example image, now, you can give your avatar a Halloween makeover, including purple skin, and expanded hair color choices.
As per Meta:
“Announced as part of our v57 update, we’ve been rolling out some exciting new changes to make Meta Avatars more expressive, customizable, and fantastical than ever before. We’re introducing new skin colors like purple, so you can relive the Grimace Shake fad in the metaverse. New support for two-toned hair color means you can replicate your IRL highlights or ombré style. Both hair and skin color options now allow for near-infinite customization, with multiple base options and sliding gradients. A new customization category offers a variety of distinct face art designs and looks. You’ll notice new makeup offerings like lashes, eyeshadow, blush, and lip customizations. And we’re introducing new hair styles and adding new ways to part your hair.”
And beyond Halloween, Meta says that these new customization options will provide more capacity for users to express themselves in different themes, like, for example, to showcase their sports fandom.
“Want to express your love of the game during football season? Your avatar can sport body paint, a jersey, and a helmet. Reinventing your image? Use your avatar to try out new identities. In the mood for some roleplaying? Be an astronaut! The sky’s the limit for how you can reinvent yourself in the metaverse.”
See, even though it’s talking about the metaverse a lot less, Meta is still high on the concept, and these additions are all designed to guide users toward the next stage of digital interaction.
On that front, Meta also recently added mobile access for Horizon Worlds, which will enable VR and non-VR users to engage in selected experiences.
As this type of integration expands, your avatar will become an increasingly important representation of your digital self, and a port key into the next stage, which, really, is more focused on the next generation of users.
Because the metaverse is still a way off, but youngsters, who already conduct a lot of their social interactions via character avatars in game worlds, will be more accustomed to this type of engagement.
And if Meta can create a next-level gaming experience that draws people in, that could be the most effective advertisement for its VR worlds, and its expanding metaverse space.
It’s still a way off, and things will evolve a lot in the coming years. But this is the metaverse roadmap, away from the initial hype.