• by Colin Kirkland , Staff Writer, January 5, 2024

Ernest Cline’s 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One established a blueprint for the virtual-reality world that has become known as the metaverse.

Cline, in partnership with Dan Farah -- who produced the book’s film adaptation, and technology company Futureverse Studios -- is announcing “Readyverse Studios,” a “multi-world, multi-IP, interoperable open metaverse experience for mass consumers.”

Readyverse Studios intends to build a "destination for fans to explore their favorite stories and IP in the metaverse, leveraging web3, metaverse games and experiences, augmented reality, and virtual reality technologies,” the company said in a recent statement.

The creators say they have already partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery for a “Ready Player One” franchise in the studio’s “Readyverse,” “a dynamic interactive platform of interconnected digital experience” that “will champion the principles of the open metaverse made known in the original book and film. 

These principles include “provable digital ownership, community-owned infrastructure, decentralization, security, and interoperability,” with the ability for IP holders and consumers to build immersive experiences using AI-generated content creation tools designed by technology Futureverse Studios has been developing for the past five years. 

The studio says The Readyverse is setting out to “pioneer the metaverse market.”

Similar attempts have already been made by major technology companies, like Meta’s ongoing Horizon Worlds experiment, often costing them billions with less-than-positive results. However, the growing popularity of virtual gaming and communication platforms like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft may prove hopeful, especially among younger users. 

While Readyverse Studios maintains exclusive web3 rights to all future IPs from Cline, it says additional brands and franchises joining The Readyverse will be announced soon.

The creators of Readyverse Studios see the launch as a way for Hollywood studios, talent and brands to create new revenue streams, bringing franchises into an immersive world while ensuring the protection of intellectual property rights.

“This is just the beginning of our collaboration with both Hollywood and global brands as we set out to develop a path for beloved commercial IP to shape the future of online entertainment, gaming, and social experiences,” say Shara Senderoff and Aaron McDonald, co-founders of Readyverse Studios.