As we’ve no doubt mentioned a few times before, casual and social experiences are going to be fundamental to the growth of virtual reality. Despite whatever level of quality, people are inspired to engage with experiences they can share with their friends. First reported by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed via regulatory filing, social platform High Fidelity is raising $22 million in fresh investment.
High Fidelity is led by Philip Rosedale, founder of Second Life, so the social interaction pedigree is plain as day. Second Life is one of the most well-known Internet-based social phenomena and Rosedale is no doubt working hard to create another heavy-hitting experience. The immersion of virtual reality can deliver a second life more true to the name, transporting users into new worlds in a way non-VR just simply can not.
As the number of virtual reality users grows and more headsets make their way into the wild, social platforms like High Fidelity will be able to grow their audience and add new features. Thus, the $22 million will be useful in creating those new options while also hiring new faces to help with the growing workloads.
You can download High Fidelity’s beta right now for Windows or Mac OS X and create or explore the shared virtual worlds.
