Late last year, enterprise remote collaboration platform Spatial announced a major pivot “to become the metaverse for cultural events such as NFT exhibitions, brand experiences, and conferences.” The platform recently made good on that endeavor in a major way, hosting the “first-ever metaverse film screening.”
The premiere of the documentary film GameStop: Rise of the Players took place in a custom Spatial room on March 1 and included a screening of the film, a director Q&A, selfie opportunities and, of course, an NFT giveaway.
Remembering Recent History
In January of 2021, GameStop stock was struggling. Around a year earlier, the company had announced that it would be closing many locations, and many expected that the entire chain would soon follow.
Members of the Reddit group r/wallstreetbets made a run on the stock. Stock value jumped from under $20 on January 8 to $325 on January 29. Some stock-trading apps prevented new users from buying stock. Some argued that the Reddit page constituted unfair trade practices, while others argued the same of trading apps that picked and chose which stocks not to sell to whom.
In the months that followed, stock in the company continued to swing up and down and, as of this article, is trading at around $115. All of this and more is explored in the film GameStop: Rise of the Players, directed by Jonah Tulis.
Spatial’s Film Premiere in the Metaverse
For the historic premiere, Polycount.io created the experience produced by Super and “new-breed production studio” Decrypt Studios created a lunar landscape within Spatial – a reference to the “to the moon” rallying cry common in asset trading.
“The GameStop WallStreetBets saga felt like a tipping point into the world of crypto, setting off a chain of events that introduced everyday consumers to concepts like the metaverse and NFTs,” Decrypt Studios founder Alanna Roazzi-Laforet said in a release shared with ARPost. “We’re thrilled to bring this film to the metaverse, where we believe the ascent has only just begun.”
Visitors to the Spatial room have the opportunity to take selfies in front of a backdrop, with or without virtual props including a rocket and a space helmet. The room also contains giant screens where visitors can watch the official film preview.
Initially, visitors could also collect a “proof of attendance protocol” or “POAP”- a specific kind of NFT keepsake – but the limited run has already been collected. The launch event also incorporated a question-and-answer segment with the director and some of the subjects of the film.
“The community of GameStop investors, crypto enthusiasts, and NFTs are all interconnected. People learning to trade at home ended up creating a movement that started a financial revolution,” Tulis said in the release. “Similarly, so many people are now interacting online, which has helped to really accelerate the true launch of the metaverse.”
Visit While You Still Can
The premiere may be over, but the Spatial room created for this experience will remain open until March 9th. While it’s too late to attend the Q&A and pick up a POAP, you can still see the world, interact with other visitors, and take your selfie.