The Metaverse? Bring it (Back) On!

Everyone is talking about the metaverse again thanks to Facebook’s recent name change.

We’re more than a little excited about that.

The metaverse. It’s why we started this company. It was our initial inspiration. It was even in our name: Metaverse Mod Squad.

In 2007, virtual worlds were cropping up everywhere. We saw them as the next step in our online evolution. Would these three-dimensional virtual worlds overshadow or replace our two-dimensional web? 

Savvy brands bet on the metaverse. Some staked their claims in these new worlds. Others built their own. Some brands created virtual models of their products to view and try. Others just made virtual stuff. Companies built stores and workspaces. They conducted meetings, they held events. Virtual worlds became a place for training and education. Travelers visited virtual destinations. Musicians performed — the concerts were amazing.  

Second Life was the king. Popular culture took notice. We watched SL appear in the plot lines of iconic TV shows like The Office:

“I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great that I literally wanted a second one. Absolutely everything was the same… except I could fly.”
— Dwight Schrute, Assistant (to the) Regional Manager, Dunder Mifflin

We saw the potential: the new experiences, the content, the real-time interaction. 

We saw the challenges: Who was going to moderate all that UGC? Who was going to build communities and drive engagement? Who was going to help customers?

Metaverse Mod Squad, that’s who.

We rented an office in Virtual London, nabbed metaversemodsquad.com, and got to work.

The metaverse kept us busy.  We hosted sims, including Gossip Girl for The CW Network and acted as a virtual street team, teleporting around the metaverse to promote Zane’s Chronicles for Cinemax. We were the official greeters for Second Life’s Orientation Island. There was government work: keeping the peace for the Speaker of the House at a virtual Capitol address and working with military families in the Army One Source sim. We kept kids safe in places like National Geographic’s Animal Jam, Webosaurs, and the NFL’s Rush Zone. It was a blast.

After work, we would teleport to our virtual hangout — The Thirsty Tiger — to unwind. We still party in Second Life at least once a year.

But the metaverse never grew the way we expected it would. Steve Jobs gave us the iPhone. Social media boomed. People preferred scrolling and posting, retweeting and liking. We love that stuff too, but…

We can’t wait for the metaverse to come roaring back!

We’re eager to explore all the next generation of virtual worlds, and to spend more time in our old favorites. Look for us — we’ll be there.

But you won’t find us changing our name. We like ModSquad. “It’s cleaner.”

Amy Pritchard
Founder & CEO