Anya Kanevsky (Second life) "Second life's annual GDP is $650 million"<

While Facebook displays his desire to transform into Metaverse, what becomes of the second Life, the first of these universes on the web?Its product manager returns to his failures ... and his successes.

JDN.What can you look at the recent interest of the public and the media for the Metaverse, a term from the field of science fiction used to describe a fictitious virtual world?

Anya Kanevsky.It is interesting to observe this interest in the Metaverse from the announcements of Epic Games and Facebook.Second Life was created 18 years ago.The platform therefore acts as a precursor and reference on this subject.Many thought at this time that metovers would be the future of the Internet and that it would be possible to do almost everything on the web.This vision is now back in conversations.A metaverse is a set of connected virtual worlds.In a sense, Second Life is a full -fledged metoverse.A place of life in which, in the form of an avatar, you can walk in shopping centers, go to the beach, visit art galleries, etc.Second Life also has its own economy and its own currency, the Linden Dollars.

What do you think of Mark Zuckerberg's vision vis-à-vis the Metaversse?

Mark Zuckerberg is surrounded by many smart collaborators, including a number of alumni from Linden Lab.But I believe they have realized that the reputation that Facebook forged over time could represent an obstacle.This lack of confidence in the company exists and there will have to be a certain number of levers of trust to allow those who wish to explore these virtual worlds.But it is still too early to get a precise idea.

Within Second Life, we ensure the protection of the privacy of our residents.For example, some assume their homosexuality in Second Life but we know that some may live in regions in the world where their sexual orientation could lead them in prison.We are therefore extremely vigilant about this issue of data security.With the immense data windfall in the hands of digital giants, it will be necessary to ensure the protection of the privacy of users of these virtual worlds.

Since the Metaverse has made the headlines, Second Life has returned to the center of the discussions.Where are you today, after the takeover of Linden Lab in 2020 by an investment company?

Second Life is doing very well.Nearly 73 million people have created an account since its creation and less than a million of them connect to it at least once a month.We identify 200,000 daily active users.The platform experienced a peak in activity during the pandemic crisis since many people felt the need to keep social ties.While we gradually come out of this crisis, we observe these people return to Second Life, even if they spend less time there.

How is Second Life's vision different?

Second Life belongs entirely to its users.We also call them "residents" because they live in a way in this virtual world.All the elements present there were created by our residents and not by the employees of Linden Lab.We simply play the role of facilitator.This represents our vision of the metaverse.I do not see how to create different games that would be connected to each other could be akin to Metaversse.In my eyes, it is content created by companies for users.For the Metavevers to exist, it must be created and managed by the people who live there.

In March 2020, Linden Lab sold his platform dedicated to virtual reality withoutar to Wookey Technologies.Where are you in the development of your VR projects?

If a number of early adopters have shared their enthusiasm, we have also observed resistance from certain users.Many were not thrilled at the idea of carrying these fairly heavy VR headsets which require having enough space at home to be able to use them.If virtual reality allows you to live an immersive and incomparable experience, we have observed that few of our residents were ready to wear these helmets more than thirty minutes.We therefore plan to continue to try new things around virtual reality but the VR is not the only possible future for Second Life.

The other asset of Linden Lab is called Tilia Pay.How is this payment system important for the operation of Second Life?

Tilia ensures payments between second life residents but also converting Linden Dollars into real silver.We benefit for its use of all the necessary licenses allowing us to operate in each of the fifty American states.The annual GDP of Second Life, which represents all of the transactions, amounts to nearly $ 650 million.This figure gives an idea of the volume of transactions made.It is for example possible to buy virtual objects such as clothes for your avatar, but also to acquire properties.Users can also pay for services such as building or decorating a virtual home.Many of our residents identify with their avatars and therefore spend money to customize them.

What role do you want to play in this Creator Economy?

In 2020, the creators of Second Life received nearly $ 73 million.Many of them use the platform as a completely or have their main source of income.Today, we observe the birth of marks born in Second Life.You can for example see avatars wear clothes or accessories designed by creators.

How is Second Life paid?Is Linden Lab profitable?

Linden Lab is a fairly unique company in Silicon Valley.Not only has our product have existed for 18 years but our company has also been beneficiary for a long time.In the past, our model was mainly based on the sale of land, which represented the majority of our turnover.When the price of these land has become too high, we have looked for other sources of income.We take a commission from all the transactions carried out, which includes the sale of digital objects but also the sale and purchase of Linden Dollars.Finally, we also offer a premium subscription to benefit from exclusive advantages.

Second Life still affects a fairly limited audience today.Do you think you have the ability to expand your audience, as Facebook has done in particular?

To reach this wider audience, we will have to make a second life accessible on all platforms and on different devices.Experience does not need to be identical on all these supports.However, we have noticed over the years that the population as a whole was not necessarily open to living this immersive experience in a virtual world.Once the media threshing around the Metaverse is behind us, I think we will observe that everyone is not necessarily interested in experimenting with virtual worlds.

Anya Kanevsky heads the Product Division of Second Life, owned by the American company Linden Lab based in San Francisco.It takes care of the growth, economic balance and community management of the virtual world of Second Life.

JDN.What look at the recent interest of the public and the media for the Metaverse, a term from the field of science fiction used to describe a fictitious virtual world? Anya Kanevsky directs the product division of second ...

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