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Abu Dhabi: Soon, experience Yas Island's attractions in the metaverse

The personalised adventure, expected to go live in 2023, will include customisable avatars and surprise rewards for every user

Several key Abu Dhabi entities have come together to take Yas Island into the metaverse, as part of the first step of placing Abu Dhabi in the virtual world, authorities have announced.

This pioneering initiative is a first for the UAE in their recreation of an entire physical destination across multiple world-leading immersive 3D platforms. The result will be a full-featured metaverse ecosystem, allowing visitors from all over the world to access the joys, wonders, and attractions of Yas Island from home.

The Yas Island Metaverse is a collaboration between the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Aldar, Miral, twofour54, Abu Dhabi Motorsport, and Flash Entertainment. The virtual experiences conceptualised by these dynamic businesses will enable users to gather, socialise, play, create, and transact. From building and purchasing digital homes, to discovering cultural attractions, to enjoying theme park adventures, special events, premier golf courses, and a world-class motorsport racing circuit – individuals will be able to experience all that Yas Island has to offer in a digital-first journey. Customisable avatars and surprise rewards will be part of every user’s personalised adventure.

Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Innovation is central to DCT Abu Dhabi’s commitment to be at the forefront of what is possible. With the Yas Island metaverse, we are inviting the world to experience the excitement of Abu Dhabi’s incredible leisure and entertainment destination - virtually - like never before. As the emirate’s offerings evolve, this project provides a new and compelling perspective which allows the world to discover Abu Dhabi in their own time and space.

The innovative, interactive platform is perfect for highlighting the exceptional lifestyle, cultural and entertainment experiences that Abu Dhabi presents to all visitors and will give both virtual residents and travellers the power to curate their own unique Abu Dhabi itinerary – within a whole new sphere of reality.”

Talal Al Dhiyebi, Chief Executive Officer at Aldar, said: “Aldar is proud to be part of an ecosystem of partners on Yas Island that have played their part in developing the island into the iconic global destination it is today. The metaverse project is the next evolution of Yas Island and presents a unique and exciting proposition for each partner to seek new ways to deliver world-class experiences to digital explorers around the world. Through this project, we are firmly placing Yas Island and Abu Dhabi on the global metaverse map.”

Mohammed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral, said, “We are proud to announce that people from every corner of the globe will soon be able to enjoy captivating and immersive experiences across Yas Island in the digital world. Spearheading the leisure and entertainment industry, we have collaborated with key entities to offer visitors a new way to explore and discover all that Yas Island has to offer, from world-class theme parks to attending global events.This extraordinary metaverse project will further reiterate our commitment to position Yas Island and Abu Dhabi on the global tourism map as we aim to get closer to our customers by embracing digitisation.”

Saif Al Noaimi, CEO of ADMM said: “As we continue to develop our ‘digital world’, building on the various e-sports programmes over the last few years, we look ahead to new platforms, building new audiences and taking key pillars of the Yas Island product mix, like the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to new levels. This new platform will allow us to connect the full island proposition and its incredible experiences to the world. We anticipate this new project will provide our global audience with the ideal virtual starting point to explore the world-class facilities of Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Island as a whole, and we look forward to engaging closely with fans wherever they may be across the globe.”

Currently in the development phase, the island is being recreated using multiple world-leading metaverse platforms, including The Sandbox and Roblox, and is powered by Super League Gaming, a global leader in metaverse gaming and experiences.

Once completed in Q1 2023, the Yas Island Metaverse will be operational and fully available to digital visitors.

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