The NBA introduced an interactive LED court during All-Star weekend, featuring a giant screen, but it was the floor, expand all our imaginations about how virtual content and the real-world might mix together in the future.

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, a popular mobile game, is shutting down after a successful 10-year run, and Engage XR is quietly developing enterprise VR tools, which may be leading the way towards realizing the potential of the metaverse.

In the Playable Media Report this week

• The NBA debuted an interactive LED court during All-Star weekend.

• Kim Kardashian quit’s “Hollywood”

• Engage XR is actually building the metaverse, I think

Let's get started...

The NBA debuted an interactive LED court during All-Star weekend.

The NBA All-Star Weekend featured a futuristic LED court, essentially a giant LED screen that can change its design and color. It is a unified surface where all the designs are provided by the LED panels, giving the court a different look for each event. Joe Pompliano shared a great video showcasing the court in action, and, in my opinion, it is very cool.

The NBA utilized the LED floor for various All-Star weekend events, including the Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game and the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night lineup, featuring the Kia Skills Competition, the Starry 3-point Contest, the AT&T Slam Dunk contest, as well as the shooting matchup between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge. However, the LED court was not used for the actual All-Star Game itself.

The court displayed elements typically seen on the jumbotron, directly on the floor, including:

• Player tracking animations

• Design and color changes

• Live replays/video content

• Real-time stats

• Interactive games for fans

The technology allowed the NBA to rotate through various styles, colors, and notably sponsors of the events. Given the brands listed above, we can all appreciate why that real estate matters.

Is this what the future will look like?

Definitely, maybe.

The league currently has no plans to use the LED floor for regular-season or playoff games. As it is currently assembled in a warehouse in Indianapolis, it would be "essentially impossible" to install during the regular season or playoffs due to the lead time required. However, the NBA is considering using the LED floor for other events, such as the In-Season Tournament, games played overseas, or neutral-site games where they can control the beginning and end of the event.

I love this as an example of Playable Media. Although I have yet to confirm this, I bet the NBA All-Star Weekend Court - built by Germany-based ASB GlassFloor (who supplied the same surface for last summer’s FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup) - has graphics powered by Disguise. Disguise makes use of its own RenderStream solution for controlling third-party render engines such as Unreal. We also know designers often rely on Unreal to build large, beautiful, dynamic virtual scenes. And finally, to come full circle, we know that Unreal is built by Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite. So, in summary: The NBA Court is Fortnite.

Kim Kardashian quit’s “Hollywood”

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, a popular mobile game, has been announced to be shut down, disappointing some of its dedicated fans. Developed by Glu Mobile and launched in 2014, the game features Kim Kardashian's likeness, voice, and creative input as part of an exclusive partnership with her. Notably, the game famously drove $1.6M in revenue during its first five days on the market. It is set to shut down on April 8, 2024.

For those unfamiliar, the mobile game involves various in-game activities, such as completing tasks within a time limit and earning rewards. The game's development and support have been part of an ongoing exclusive partnership between Glu and Kim Kardashian.

TMZ broke the story. Kim tells TMZ,

The decision to sunset the game comes after the end of the exclusive partnership between Glu and Kim Kardashian West, who was extensively involved in the game's development and support. While the specific reason for shutting down the game has not been officially disclosed, it seems to be a strategic decision following the end of the partnership and a shift in focus for both parties.

Why you should care?

Does it surprise anyone that the Kardashians were excelling in this medium before the rest of us were widely talked about it?! Nope, not at all.

The game's success helped pioneer a trend of celebrity partnerships with mobile games, with Glu collaborating with other stars such as Katy Perry, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Britney Spears.

Did I mention it made $1.6 million in its first five days? Overall, the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game may have peaked in 2015, generating $220 million from 67 million installs that year, making it Glu Mobile's most successful game ever.

So why are they shutting it down?

My hunch is that they never expected it to be this successful over a ten-year period. Now, the market has matured, and Kim Kardashian knows there are new ways to monetize her ever increasingly valuable ‘intellectual property’ in new virtual mediums. Don’t be surprised if Kim K pops back into a new Playable Medium before the end of the year.

Note to all: To follow the Kardashians is to follow the money. It’s just damn hard to execute the way they do!

Engage XR is actually building the metaverse, I think

Engage XR is quietly building viable enterprise VR tools.

ENGAGE XR has recently released an update they are calling EXPO Island. "Engage VR" is a metaverse platform designed for professionals, event organizers, and corporations to build their own virtual worlds. It is used for remote training, collaboration, events, and marketing, enabling clients to directly engage with employees, customers, and suppliers in virtual locations and digital twins. The platform is utilized by well-known companies across various business verticals, educational organizations, and event organizers.

In an announcement heavy on buzzwords and hashtags made on Linkedin by CEO David Whelan:

And apparently, EXPO Island is so large that it even has its own transportation inside. Now, if that doesn't sound like Neal Stephenson's vision for the Metaverse, then I don't know what does?!

Why should you care?

Back when it was not impossibly boring cool to talk about the Metaverse (or metaverse), one of the key points of consideration related to “portability” and “interoperability”.

In the context of the metaverse (and Web3, if I dare introduce a new but relevant term), portability refers to the ability to transfer or carry digital assets, identity, and data seamlessly across different virtual experiences and platforms. It encompasses the interoperability of identity, data, and digital assets, allowing users to move their virtual identities, ownership of digital assets, and data from one virtual environment to another. This portability is essential for creating a cohesive and interconnected metaverse, enabling users to have consistent experiences and ownership across various virtual worlds.

So, it follows that if Engage is building a multiplatform solution that brings people into a virtual world, where there are businesses, events, customers, suppliers, and educational opportunities, then they might very well be the first to actually deliver on this meta-promise.

The market does seem to be buying this story, as they are trading around 2.70 GBP per share on AIM:EXR, but I would suggest they might be closer to the vision than they are given credit for.

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