Just six people attend the European Union’s Metaverse Party costing €387k

A virtual reality rave set up by the European Union attracted an utterly underwhelming crowd of just six people. 

The metaverse-hosted project set the European Commission’s foreign aid department back €387,000, including development and promotional costs for the event, which aimed to educate people about their Global Gateway investment plan – according to Devex reporting.

The Global Gateway campaign was launched in October via the EU International Partnerships Twitter account, with a message reading: “Our shared digital space is the perfect place to get to know and reflect on global issues to make a difference for our shared future.”

Inside the metaverse, users entered as a digital avatar, where they could attend a beach party playing dancefloor-focused house music. Devex’s Vince Chadwick, who attended the event, posted online: “I’m here at the ‘gala’ concert in the EU foreign aid dept’s €387k metaverse.

“After initial bemused chats with the roughly five other humans who showed up, I am alone,” he added.

He also reported that staff within the Commission were not happy, with one person branding the metaverse “digital garbage” and another calling it “depressing and embarrassing.”

The Global Gateway scheme, which the Commission had hoped to promote through its metaverse party, is its flagship strategy for foreign aid. It claims that €300 billion will be invested in infrastructure across the globe in order to “connect Europe to the world.”