As part of the initial stage of duplicating Abu Dhabi in the virtual world, Yas Island has been reconstructed in the metaverse. Visitors will have virtual access to the many attractions on Yas Island thanks to the initiative, which involves the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Aldar, Miral, twofour54, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, Flash Entertainment, and Yas Island.
The Yas Island Metaverse will allow users to build and purchase digital homes, discover cultural attractions, enjoy theme park adventures, special events, premier golf courses, and the Yas Marina racing circuit.
“As the emirate’s offerings evolve, this project provides a new and compelling perspective which allows the world to discover Abu Dhabi in their own time and space,” said Saood Al Hosani, undersecretary at DCT Abu Dhabi.
“The innovative, interactive platform is perfect for highlighting the exceptional lifestyle, cultural and entertainment experiences that Abu Dhabi presents to all visitors and will give both virtual residents and travellers the power to curate their own unique Abu Dhabi itinerary – within a whole new sphere of reality.”
The project is currently in the development phase, DCT Abu Dhabi said.
It added that the island is being recreated using “multiple world-leading metaverse platforms, including The Sandbox and Roblox, and is powered by Super League Gaming”.
It will be operational and fully available to digital visitors once completed in the first quarter of 2023.
Organisations across the UAE are expanding their involvement with the metaverse, in line with the nation’s digital push.
The UAE Ministry of Economy last month unveiled its new headquarters in the metaverse, where it will provide its full portfolio of services to more users in the virtual world. In June, Ajman Police set up a metaverse platform that allows users to interact with officers.
And in May, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority entered the metaverse with the establishment of its Metaverse HQ, making it the first regulator to have a presence there.
It announced at last month’s Dubai Metaverse Assembly that Dubai is considering plans to implement a new economic output metric – “gross metaverse product” – to measure the contribution of the metaverse to its economy.
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