Guitar nerds who can’t quite cough up the dough for a weekend excursion to this massive guitar shaped hotel in Florida may now have a lifeline…in the metaverse.
Fender, maker of all-time six-string classics like the Stratocaster and Telecaster (as well as whatever the hell this is) announced they’ve teamed up with Meta to create a guitar-inspired virtual word in Meta’s Horizons metaverse platform. Fittingly, the world takes place a giant Statocaster-shaped island floating high in the clouds.
Users can hop into The Fender Stratoverse and jam together with their legless avatars. They’ll have to do a little work before they can rock out, though. After sliding down the giant guitar’s neck, users engage in a “scavenger hunt” where they find hidden guitar chords scattered around the world in the shape of a guitar pick. Once they’re acquired, they’re sent back to the world’s “Riff Maker.” Once the chords are collected, users can then manipulate them to create their own tasty jams and loopable riffs. The Stratoverse also has spaces to play air guitar if music theory isn’t your thing.
“Collaboration and experimentation are essential ingredients to the musical journey, and we’re looking forward to seeing what creators can do with the unlimited potential of the Metaverse and our first Fender Stratoverse experience,” Fender Chief Marketing Officer Evan Jones said.
Of course, a fancy Guitar Center in the metaverse really wouldn’t feel right without some powerful rocker drip. Users interested in looking the part may have some more options soon thanks to Meta’s recently announced avatar clothing store.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the new paid, virtual clothing store on Friday saying the idea behind the project was to eventually create a space for users to design clothing and sell it for real money.
“What we do is all about people expressing themselves and connecting and a huge part of how people express themselves is through what they wear and fashion,” Zuckerberg said.
Balenciaga, Prada, and Tom Brown are the first three brands to start selling their products in Meta’s avatar store. Zuckerberg went on to have his own avatar walk through an awkwardly cringe “fashion show,” demonstrating how some of the new clothes look.
I wouldn’t necessarily pick any of those looks for my guitar fantasy, but hey, what happens in the metaverse stays in the metaverse.