on 3D avatars for games and virtual worlds
He tells us Tea that Netflix bought Ready Player Me. Look at you! When we thought that 2025 year there were no more surprises regarding avatars 3D to game and social virtual worlds… Well, you see, this year I was still hiding that nice ace up my sleeve.
We’re writing this right now, in our heads, because the three of us think it’s a cool way to end the year. 2025 year about avatars 3D for games and social virtual worlds. Do you think I’m firing questions at the kids like an impromptu random interview? Cool, let’s go there.
1. We know Mikeldi Rodríguez for his work with augmented reality in recent years at Telefónica Innovación Digital, but you may not know that he also has extensive experience in television, broadcasting and games. Tell us, Mikeldi, what do you think this transaction means from Netflix’s perspective?
Well, this presents an interesting panorama for Netflix subscribers, as they will be able to create their avatars based on the technology developed over the years by Ready Player Me to play games on the platform. And Netflix wants to make video games a key part of increasing its subscriber retention and enriching the value of its services beyond movies and series.
Its strategy is based on integrating games into the same app without ads and microtransactions, launching many titles (including narrative, casual and based on its IP) and using its huge user base to offer a more complete and permanent entertainment experience, not just passive content.
2. Now ask Tsai. News reports that the current Ready Player Me services will be shut down on January 31st. What might this mean in the current ecosystem? From your experience as CEO of Union Avatars, how do you see this operation in terms of Ready Player Me?
I think it could mean, first of all, a break in the continuity of many products that depended on them as a base level of digital identity. There are studios, games and platforms that have built their experience or part of their implementation assuming that the avatar part has been solved.
Figure 4: For the Horde! I thought “disappearing” was something else!
(Spoiler: just kidding).
3. Mickeldi tells me to answer the question too. Well, ask me. How do I see it as a skeptical but kamikaze entrepreneur?
Some time ago, during that first conversation, we commented that the sudden absence of Ready Player Me on active platforms could create a “hole” in the market that could be “filled”… Let’s see, those of you with a good sense of humor, you can laugh at my lame jokes, I have no problem. But I’m thinking more of an ACME brand hole that a coyote threw up a mountain to create a tunnel. A tunnel that leads to nowhere, a hole that closes itself, a highway that you will never catch.
And it has no backlight. But what if someone had the technology to replace Ready Player Me in that niche? What if that someone managed to sneak him through that hole before the last words “here, here, here, friends” are heard? Yes, I said push it through that hole. Laugh, laugh sick minds XD! But in any case, most likely, this “closure” will not be perceived sharply from the point of view of users. The truth is that we do not know the specific conditions of this disappearance or termination of service on active platforms.
Figure 6: Butterfly effect. Sometimes the first step
in industry it lets you slide near…
With that end-of-the-year surprise, Ready Player Me being acquired by Netflix, what do you think if we take a quick look at 2025 regarding 3D avatars for games and virtual worlds? so? But I’m warning you it won’t be zero common, you have three people who enjoy getting into dough more than writing fake viral recipes XD
4. Tsai, can you tell us about any milestones or experiences with 3D avatars in 2025 that you will surely remember in the future?
If I had to sum it up in one paragraph: 2025 is the year that 3D avatars stop being pure aesthetics and become product infrastructure. They’ve gone from pretty skins to systems with logic, skills, and a permanent identity.
Figure 7: Kai and Maria during the Telefónica Innovation Day 2024 broadcast
via spatial.io.
They have been normalized outside of games as useful interfaces for customization, business, or education; and the sector has suggested, rather crudely, that real interoperability is complex and strategic rather than simple exportation.
For me, this was the year when it became clear that avatars are not a product, but how users feel about it.
5. Mikeldi, can you tell us about the summary of 3D avatars and virtual worlds for 2025?
In 2025, a big trend in 3D avatars and virtual worlds is the integration of artificial intelligence. We’ve seen Ready Player Me where they integrated AI to create textures in clothes, how Union Avatars created 3DAIS (a mini virtual environment with your avatar where you can have a conversation with that avatar) or how Genies launched their B2B platform for creating AI avatars.
In virtual worlds, Horizon Worlds and Viverse are advancing AI-powered scenario generation, opening the door to hyper-personalized experiences, though still in their early stages.
On a personal level, the year was marked by several milestones: the creation of virtual worlds for Telefónica at MWC, especially the Universo TU environment in Spatial, one of the most popular and beloved projects; participation for the third year in a row as a speaker at Meta World Congress/Open Expo Europe, this time with Maria; and completing a master’s degree in product management with TFM focused on AI-enabled compatible avatars.
Figure 11: TU Universe on spatial.io and part of the team that created it.
On the left sits Ninoska Correa, standing in a white Eduardo Gallego T-shirt,
next to me in a purple t-shirt is Daniel Estival and his back is turned with a shirt
Honestly, the team created an incredibly beautiful environment based on Maria’s original concept that made me want to stay there. Of all the environments I’ve entered in Spatial, Universo TU is and will always be my favorite without a doubt 😉
Figure 12: Cover of the defense of the final master’s project that
I spoke at the end of June at the European University of Madrid.
And suddenly, just at the end of the year, Netflix announces an explosion: they are buying the Ready Player Me platform to integrate their technology into their games. And if Ready Player Me shuts down its current services, what will happen to all the virtual world platforms that use its services? As Maria and Kai say, wouldn’t we have a “hole” that needs to be “filled”?
6. What can I tell you that you don’t already know? Wow, three milestones this year for me:
I started the year by updating my Second Life avatar, Irma Marama, with a LeLUTKA head that was given away for free during the Christmas campaign and an eBODY Reborn body with all physics. It seems unbelievable that a year has passed. My avatar Irma has been with me since 2006 and in 2025 she has starred in many of my videos. As I call it, I’m already thinking about heading out into the world and seeing what they’re dishing out this year…
Figure 13: My Second Life Avatar by Irma Marama. where do you see a
Beautiful face, I see the inventory for almost 20 years. You would be crazy.
The second milestone came between April and March, with my first successful import of my own Ready Player Me based avatars into spatial.io. A key moment was the day I finally managed to download a fully customized Ready Player Me avatar for dr. Dr. Zlakasny, at the beginning of April.
My third milestone was without a doubt the Open Expo Europe / Metaworld Congress at La Nave in Madrid, where I met Gerard Fuget and Dr. Dr. Evil in person. Yes, and I talked about transactions around avatars and digital fashion with Mikeldi Rodríguez. It was terrible. Not Mikkeldi, me. But Mr. Fuge invited me for a toasted beer, Philippe took me to a VIP cocktail party, and I met Molinho, ea. Now I can hit whatever I want, whenever I want.
So you see. All products and services related to online gaming, multiplayer 3D gaming and social virtual worlds are changing dramatically. Fluctuating. Amazing roller coaster. You’re either up or down, no one cares that a giant comes and buys you, who opens a hole in the wall and catches you next to him with a trowel in his hand.
Greetings from three… From four p Dr. Dr. Molyneux! ‘F3l1z_N4V1D4d;—-
