A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Brands Are Entering the Metaverse with ZeroSpace

I recently had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of ZeroSpace, a partner of YW3 and metaverse and web3 lab in Brooklyn, New York to learn more about how ZeroSpace is creating unique ways for brands to enter and interact in the metaverse. What initially piqued our interest in ZeroSpace was its Avatar Distribution Network, a network of digital avatar influencers consisting of digital celebrities. While at ZeroSpace, I not only got a behind-the-scenes look at how the digital influencers are created, but also how ZeroSpace’s entire operation works to bring brands into the metaverse in various, integrated ways.

ZeroSpace HQ is a huge warehouse that consists of three rooms, dubbed internally as studios, which was fitting considering the kind of work being done throughout the various spaces. In Studio A, I saw people working away behind giant monitors, other people dressed in motion capture suits—think of a wetsuit, but designed for the purpose of capturing movement to replicate on digital avatars—and TV screens where the digital avatar version of the real person in the studio was being projected into a digital environment.

ZeroSpace engineers showed me a never-been-done-before capability featuring digital avatars on a Twitch livestream. Essentially, ZeroSpace could manipulate virtual avatars, in real-time, during a Twitch livestream event. Livestream viewers could input commands into the Twitch chat, and see the virtual environment immediately adjust based on their commands. I tested it out for myself by inputting commands in the chat of a demo live streamed experience. The engineers also showed me how real people can enter a digital landscape via the XR Stage, appearing as though they are in the same space as a digital character.

After the demo in Studio A, we moved on to Studios B and C, where in-person events and concerts take place. What I found most interesting about the entire experience was how ZeroSpace’s technology could bridge the divide between real-life and digital experiences in the same space. For example, the ability to integrate digital capabilities to an IRL concert: While an in-person concert could be taking place in Studio B, that same performer could be simultaneously live-streamed onto social platforms like Twitch or TikTok by using ZeroSpace technology to insert the performer into a virtual environment, unbound by the constraints of real-life, thus allowing people from all over the world to tune in to a unique, digital experience. During this same concert, ZeroSpace is even equipped to utilize Snapchat’s newest custom landmarkers feature to allow in-person participants to engage with the live performance through an additional layer of digital engagement shareable to social media. In this way, in-person concert viewers could be having one integrative experience while viewers streaming in could have a completely different, yet equally as incredible, experience as well.

As web3 technology becomes more widely adopted by the public, the technical capabilities of studios like ZeroSpace will be a great asset for brands to be able to leverage as an extension of in-person and digital consumer touchpoints. For brands looking to be at the forefront of innovative opportunities and at the pulse of youth culture, a partner like ZeroSpace helps push the envelope of what’s possible, bridging the divide between real-life and digital experiences to offer brands first-to-market, mixed reality opportunities that reach young consumers.