5 AR companies with great potential to dominate the metaverse

What AR companies will help build the metaverse? The metaverse will offer virtual worlds for human beings to interact through avatars, and it will likely disrupt many different industries. Major corporations like Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), and Epic Games are stepping into the metaverse. 

Many experts believe, while virtual reality has its applications; the metaverse will be mostly built from augmented reality tools. Let’s examine five AR companies that may end up dominating the metaverse.

Magic Leap

https://www.magicleap.com/

If we are going to talk about augmented reality startups, we have to bring up Magic Leap. Magic Leap markets itself as an enterprise-level augmented reality platform. Magic Leap has been building wearable augmented reality products since 2010. It remains one of the most established AR companies in the world, recently raising $500 million.

The Magic Leap 2 is arguably the most anticipated AR headset in the world, and it’s expected to debut this year. The company has focused on its enterprise AR platform since tapping Peggy Johnson as CEO.

Naver Z

https://www.naverz-corp.com/

One of the world regions that seems to be the most interested in the metaverse is Asia. Naver Z is based in South Korea, and the company is the operator behind Zepeto, a 3D avatar platform and metaverse. With over 200 million users, Naver Z will certainly be a significant metaverse player.

Naver Z is a conglomerate that operates other messaging and communication platforms such as LINE, SNOW, and BAND. Zepeto has also forged strategic partnerships with the entertainment industry and remains the biggest metaverse in Asia. The company recently launched a $100 million fund for metaverse creators. 

Niantic

https://nianticlabs.com/en/

Niantic is a San Francisco-based software development company, and it’s already one of the most well-known AR companies in the world. The company developed and released Lightship, an AR developer kit to help make augmented reality experiences more accessible.

Niantic is already a valuable company, recently raising $300 million at a $9 billion valuation. The company began as an internal startup within Google but spun out after its Alphabet restructuring. It’s most known for the fact that it created Pokemon Go.  

8th Wall

https://www.8thwall.com/

8th Wall is a web-based augmented reality platform that makes it easier to build immersive AR experiences. The company recently partnered with Ready Player Me to bring custom avatars into web-based AR/VR experiences. 8th Wall already boasts clients like Nike, Lego, and Netflix.

8th Wall recently launched Reality Engine, which enables AR-based metaverse-like experiences across a range of devices. Given that the metaverse will require interoperability, 8th Wall can prove to be one of many AR companies to benefit from its growth.

Spatial

https://spatial.io/

Spatial is a startup that was focused on creating AR/VR experiences to encourage remote work collaboration. The co-founders have previously stated they wanted to make the “Google Docs of augmented reality,” and offer a virtual space where remote workers can work together. The company has since pivoted to NFT art and metaverse events.

Unlike other AR companies, Spatial is open about embracing the metaverse and its future. The company was founded in 2016, and is currently focused on creating cultural events in the metaverse.

Can AR companies dominate the metaverse?

There’s a lot of debate about who will dominate the metaverse, and there are several factors to consider. Will Apple, Google, or Meta end up establishing themselves as major metaverse players? Will other major companies like Nike or Snap end up grabbing more market share than expected? What jobs in the metaverse will be in the most demand?

AR companies will undoubtedly be critical to the expansion of the metaverse. While these five companies might not be household names, they certainly have the potential to dominate the metaverse over the next several years.