- The Washington Times - Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Move over, Disneyland. “Walmart Land” wants to become an entertainment destination in the metaverse, the virtual reality arena for people to play games and pass time.

Alongside its physical and online stores, Walmart said its virtual presence is available on the gaming platform Roblox, which the retailer said had 52 million daily users.

Walmart Land will feature a variety of immersive experiences, including a virtual store of merchandise, or ’verch,’ for your avatar; a physics-defying Ferris wheel giving users a bird’s-eye glimpse of the world; and unlockable tokens and badges that can be earned in various games and competitions,” the company said on its website on Monday.

Walmart said the virtual Walmart Land debuts with experiences including a virtual dressing room and an “Electric Island” that has an interactive piano walkway. 

The major retailer also said its “Universe of Play” experience will involve users discovering toys. Walmart said people will use hoverboards in the virtual reality experience that will encounter Sharper Image drones to help them find toys ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Walmart is the latest company to join tech platforms shifting attention to the metaverse, an alternate experience for people using augmented and virtual reality devices and platforms accessible via headsets, wearable technologies, and handheld devices like smartphones and tablets.

Facebook and Instagram reorganized under the parent company Meta last year, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in 2021 he has plans to pivot from being primarily a social media company to a metaverse business in about five years.

• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.

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