The metaverse, despite its singular name, will span millions of metaverses by 2030. Some will be standalone virtual destinations. Others will be open so visitors can easily move between them, leveraging their digital identities, assets and payment options across environments. Even in its current nascent form, the metaverse has the potential to significantly impact the way we work, learn, shop, socialize, and do business.

Technological advances are converging to make the metaverses possible, but technological limitations still prevent a full version. In its most basic form, a metaverse has a sense of immersion, real-time interactivity, user agency, and persistence: it’s always on. A fully-fledged metaverse will be interoperable across platforms and devices,…