The Metaverse continues to advance, building its history block by block, even as some cryptocurrencies suffer this year. The blockchain-based virtual reality envisioned to transform our world, perhaps more profoundly than the internet once did, carries on, learning to measure progress by tangible outcomes rather than only headline numbers. It is developing by embracing, not erasing, the flaws and traditions rooted in the real world.
Although the adoption curve is still in its early stages, real estate speculation has already become a reality in metaverses where digital property can feel real enough to spark a market. Experts consulted for this report confirm the trend, inviting readers to observe the prices for plots offered for sale or rent in active virtual worlds.
Names like Gucci, Prada, Warner Music, Ubisoft, Adidas, JPMorgan, and HSBC appear among participants, signaling broad interest across luxury brands, entertainment, and finance.
In moments long past—roughly five years ago—those who invested modest sums in virtual land faced skepticism and ridicule. Today, the same individuals are digital landlords earning income from rental activity within these spaces.
At a metaverse conference hosted by the University of Alicante, Íñigo Gastón, director of Crypto Partnerships and head of Metaverse at Bit2Me, Spain’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, shared a case: a young buyer who leased virtual land on Decentraland at a time when plots cost less than 20 euros. Recently, some parcels were leased to a company for 1,500 euros per month. The story is not isolated.
Bit2Me has even established a presence in Bloktopia, a promising metaverse project centered on towering multi-story spaces designed to reflect the future value of digital assets.
don’t miss the train
The majority of metaverses are finite; space grows scarce as interest rises, pushing ongoing reevaluation of value. Metaverse Group, a virtual real estate investment firm, bought a 2.27 million euro plot in Decentraland last November to host digital fashion events and sell virtual apparel for avatars. The familiar rule that says what exists online has to be part of the conversation remains, but now it applies to a metaverse rather than the traditional internet. Even as interoperability advances and security concerns are addressed, questions remain about which platforms will dominate in the long run.
Joaquín Pedreño, founder of Meta Software Factory SL, Alicante, a startup focused on space construction, intelligent virtual assistants, and user interactions within metadatabases, expects intense competition. He notes that Horizon World, backed by Meta (formerly Facebook), offers substantial upside if a portion of its metaverse gains traction, given the billions of users on Mark Zuckerberg’s platform.
Gastón agrees that the metaverse will have a strong appeal to the general public, driven by a sense of approachability and relevance. The two most popular metaverses today, Decentraland and The Sandbox, together register a few million users, yet they are already operating as decentralized platforms aligned with Web3 goals.
Decentraland presents about 90,601 plots of virtual land minted as fungible tokens and controlled by the MANA token. As land availability declined, prices dipped during the crypto downturn, with the lowest-cost parcels previously below 3,000 euros and higher prices observed before the downturn. It is important to note that pricing depends on factors such as centrality and proximity to neighbors, which can influence perceived value in the virtual map.
In the United States, Nourmand & Associates lists a Beverly Hills mansion for 9.5 million dollars, offering a copy of it in the Decentraland metaverse for an additional 100,000 dollars.
The comment from Pedreño remains prudent: many observers are waiting to see what unfolds, yet the climate is not unfriendly to investment. In the last 30 days, Decentraland alone recorded thousands of sales, including lands, avatars, names, and apparel, signaling sustained activity across virtual markets.
Video games stand out as a primary channel through which the metaverse enters daily life. The gaming industry moves substantial capital, while new ventures emerge to guide firms into the metaverse and even help establish stores or headquarters there. Alicante has already become a hub for firms like Walcon Virtual or Meta Software Factory SL, among others.
Sergio G. Gómez, co-founder of Free Leaders On Collective, a decentralized community of creators and developers, notes that for many companies the aim is less about direct business and more about marketing actions to reach a new kind of user. Building a metadatabase presence demands significant upfront investment and time, with ongoing content creation and testing, and the current conversion rate remains modest.
As the landscape evolves, new metaverse platforms will appear, existing ones may narrow in scope, or specialize in work, entertainment, or education. This ongoing exploration reflects the intent to establish enduring brands in Web3, with Alicante referenced as a notable center in this transformation.
The global market for virtual and augmented reality has grown rapidly, from tens of billions in previous years toward the trillions forecast for the next decade. The metaverse is not merely entertainment; it represents a broader shift in how people live, work, and interact in digitally connected spaces.