How the French government is preparing for the rise of the metaverse

The French government takes a close interest in metaverses. To prepare for the rise of these digital worlds in virtual reality, the State commissioned “an exploratory report on the development of metaverses” from three experts in February 2022. Produced by researcher Camille François, researcher Rémi Ronfard and l lawyer Adrien Basdevant, the report has just been submitted to the government. It lists a series of 10 proposals intended to outline the French strategy around the metaverse.

“This report is an important step in the development of metaverses in France. […] Metaverses will be decisive for the future of digital and Web3, for which France must play the leading roles at the global level by relying on know-how, world industrial leaders and an exemplary entrepreneurial spirit,” says Jean- Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for the Digital Transition.

As part of this report, more than 80 personalities were interviewed by the researchers, such as entrepreneurs specializing in virtual reality and blockchain, video game professionals, artists and even experts in artificial intelligence. Sebastien Borget, co-founder of The Sandbox, for example, was involved.

“The Ministry of Culture will rely on these recommendations to support these new uses”, declares Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture

The initiative follows one of Emmanuel Macron’s campaign promises. Shortly before his re-election, the presidential candidate had pledged to “build a European metaverse” in order to “not depend on Anglo-Saxon or Chinese players or aggregators”. More recently, the French government has repeatedly reiterated its intention to make France one of the hotspots of Web 3.0, this supposedly decentralized version of the Internet. As part of this strategy, the state plans to attract even more players from the cryptocurrency world and support the non-fungible token (NFT) sector with public funds. As a reminder, digital currencies and NFTs are among the cornerstones of the future of the metaverse.

Make a place for yourself in the metaverse

The exploratory report first recommends that the government take advantage of the rise of the metaverse to “regain leading positions in global digital services, in France and on the European continent”. Thanks to “strategic investments”, France would be able to “limit the risks of loss of sovereignty or loss of value” for the benefit of foreign actors, in particular Americans. After having missed the Internet revolution, France must not miss that of Web 3.0, suggests the report. To achieve this, France can count on several recognized French start-ups, such as Ledger or Sorare, the football game based on blockchain technology.

More concretely, the document advises the government to take advantage of the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be organized in Paris, to set up “concrete projects” with French actors from the metaverse. These initiatives should highlight “the French territory and heritage”. Last April, Emmanuel Macron had already assured that “the metaverse has immense potential in culture”. Asked by our colleagues from The Big Whalethe President of the Republic specified:

“France through its language, its heritage, its towns and villages, its monuments, must also exist in the metaverse. I hope that we can think about what a dematerialized museum of the history of France would be like in this universe”.

Ensuring metaverse interoperability

With this in mind, the report also encourages the government to “support hybrid linkages between French technological structures and cultural institutions”. The report also mentions the creation of a research and coordination institute. This institute will be responsible for researching the metaverse and designing immersive worlds with the support of national artists. He would come to assist cultural institutions wishing to experiment with the metaverse.

It is also recommended that public authorities “bring out common and essential services” to support the creation of “a plurality of interoperable metaverses”. Interoperability is one of the major challenges of metaverses. To guarantee the compatibility of the different digital worlds, around thirty companies, including Adobe, Alibaba, Epic Games, Huawei and even Ikea, have created the Metaverse Standards Forum consortium.

Mirroring this coalition, which also includes Meta and Microsoft, the French government is called upon to ensure the creation of standards ensuring that the various metaverse technologies work together. The State must also ensure that French actors have a voice in the establishment of these standards.

Read also: Orange and the major European operators want to make Big Tech pay to prepare the metaverse

Regulation and environmental impact

Unsurprisingly, the researchers also recommend preparing the regulation of the metaverse now. The State is advised to start adapting European texts dedicated to digital technology, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Digital Services Act, to “metaverse issues”. These regulatory frameworks will have to evolve as virtual and augmented reality develops.

Finally, the government should consider the environmental impact of the metaverse. In order to respect “climate requirements”, the State must imperatively measure how digital worlds affect the environment. Many detractors believe that the metaverse, as dreamed of by Mark Zuckerberg, will be accompanied by an increase in digital pollution. Asked by Les Echos last MayFrédéric Bordage, expert in digital sobriety, explains:

“If everyone gets a VR headset, it’s like doubling the number of smartphones in the world.”