When it came to building next-level burrows for your Flufs, the question arose: where can we find a talented, incredible team to help us bring these to life. The answer?

To infinity and Beyond!

Beyond Studio, that is.

Wellington-based wizards and pioneers of VR gaming, Beyond are on a mission to bring the future of fun to life through award-winning gaming and virtual experiences. When we floated the idea of burrows, they were all in, and so began a shared venture down the rabbit hole, to give Flufs an incredible new place to call home.

Amidst all the kerfluffle, we sat down with Beyond to chat inspiration, virtual spaces and their vision for our shared metaverse.

Inside BeyondVR

When it comes to talent, Beyond have it in droves. Their team has developed an impressive collective resume, with experience at leading entertainment and tech companies like 8i, WingnutAr, Weta Digital and StarNow. But it’s Beyond’s unique brand of fun that’s really helped them burrow into a creative niche of their own. Part magic, part community; an experiential collage of theatre, arcade games and theme parks rolled into one, they bring the communal energy of live experiences to digital entertainment in truly immersive fashion.

For Beyond, this is what the Metaverse should be; a term they’re no stranger to, having hosted Neal Stephenson (the man who coined the term Metaverse) at a Creative Realities event in their home of Wellington. Inspired by the Fortnites, Angry Birds and GTA 5s of the industry, bringing people together to have fun is the name of their game.

Building your Burrows

With burrows, their approach has been no different. A labour of love, constructed atop a foundational theme of good vibes only, punk bars, tech, music and theatre all fed into the architecture of spaces set to have your Flufs living the suite life.

They also put themselves in your Fluf’s shoes, (or bare feet, if we’re getting technical), asking the question of “just what features a Fluf would need in a furever home?”. They dove deep into our lore, shading between the lines of your burrow walls in incredible detail. From eco-friendly design materials like rock, wood, earth and foliage, to bachelor-burrow essentials like DJ decks, hot tubs, sculptures and speakers aplenty… it’s safe to say the party’s at your place.

Into the Metaverse

It’s always been Beyond’s mission to bring VR to the masses. Through social experiences, they aim to spark joy and bring people together in magical, immersive environments. The metaverse is integral to this mission, with NFTs a new, but exciting tool in their community-building arsenal.

‘’Being new to the NFT space we are curious about its ability to ignite creativity’’, says Anton Mitchell, Beyond COO. ‘’We are watching NFTs enable artists to build out their own communities, then empower that community to take ownership of IP and further build on it. It’s putting the power in the hands of creators which is awesome.’’

A quote from the CEO of Roblox stands out to Beyond as capturing the true power of what the metaverse can and will do for our world:

“What the internet is for information, the metaverse is going to do for social connections. I’m no longer bound by physical distance or all these constraints in terms of who I interact with or how I represent who I am. All these things are suddenly unleashed. It’s insanely disruptive.” — Craig Donato — CEO, Roblox

At the end of the day, inviting people to try VR is Beyond’s true passion; the chance to engage that childlike sense of wonder, where curiosity, play and discovery collide in spectacular fashion. With each new project, they deliver a powerful message, that Beyond the world we know lies exciting new territory. Spaces of endless fun, imagination and freedom, where opportunity awaits and connection breeds purpose and community.

This is Beyond.

A note from Non-Fungible Labs CEO, Alex Smeele

“We’re incredibly excited to work with the local Kiwi VR wizards at Beyond on these burrow spaces. This is very much our first step in building out an open, engaging, and immersive metaverse, and we couldn’t imagine a better partner to take this journey with”.

Who’s ready for the grand tour?

https://burrows.fluf.world/

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