The Dutch brewing mogul, Heineken, as a joke, launched virtual beer in the metaverse as a way to highlight the length businesses will go to in order to receive a piece of the pie.

Journalists were invited to the virtual mock launch at a virtual brewery in Decentraland – a virtual world owned by its users.

The beer was described as being brewed with “binary-coded hops grown by non-player character farmers”.

“We know that the metaverse brings people together in a light-hearted and immersive way but it’s just not the best place to taste a new beer,” said the firm’s global head of brand, Bram Westenbrink.

“Our new virtual beer is an ironic joke. It is a self-aware idea that pokes fun at us and many other brands that are jumping into the metaverse with products that are best enjoyed in the real world.”

Brands have been increasing their presence in the virtual universe. According to the article in the BBC, the hype around the metaverse began when Facebook rebranded to Meta in October last year and Mark Zuckerberg outlined his vision of inter-connected virtual worlds where people would work and play.

When it opened a virtual lounge in Decentraland, investment bank JP Morgan Chase said that it believed the metaverse would eventually be a trillion dollar industry.

“I first spoke to the bouncer where I gave my age. Then I went into the hall,” he said. “There were an array of interactable items, including a tasting card,” said Tom Ffiske, editor of Immersive Wire.

“In the group chat there were a lot of people who were confused about the experience and were unsure what to do,” he added.

“I felt a bit perplexed by the end because I was unsure if it was intentionally bizarre or not – though by the speech’s end I felt it was the case.”

Graphic courtesy of Heineken