Telekom has prepared another Metaverse experience. Beatland presents itself as a virtual world which has been equipped with a club, a cinema, an avatar shop and a record store. Players should also be entertained with interactive game events. But what exactly can you expect from the virtual experience?
According to the German telecommunications company, it is the first in the world to offer a Metaverse experience on Roblox. Simply building a virtual space would barely take advantage of today’s technological possibilities. In order to attract users to Beatlands and to celebrate the opening, Telekom has prepared a few things. On the one hand, DJ Boris Brejcha is supposed to hang up in avatar in the virtual club from April 22 to 24. In addition to the club, users can experience a record store and watch animated shorts in the virtual cinema. This animation art is said to include works by Jack Sachs, Haein Kim, and Aleksandra Bokova, among others.
Beatlands wants users to actively participate in what is happening. In addition to playing, dancing or working, it should also take the form of role-playing and mini-games. For example, in minigames, avatars can take on various nightlife jobs around the world, including record store managers, promoters, or club bouncers. Matching outfits for the avatars as well as other digital items, called Verch, can be purchased from the Record Store or the Telekom Shop. Payment is made with Beat Coins, a form of virtual currency that players can earn with tasks in Beatlands. The company wants to invest the proceeds Telekom earns from Beatlands directly into expanding the Beatland experience.
Beatlands – the first impression
We had the chance to visit the Beatlands even before the official launch of Roblox. The Metaverse experience that Telekom has prepared takes place on an initially manageable map size. All the major main buildings of the game world, the club, cinema, record store and an avatar shop are all accessible via the main square. What first catches the eye is the large countdown with which Telekom counts down to the performance of the DJ in the Metaverse. Getting around the world works seamlessly as long as you have a reasonably powerful computer or at least a mid-range smartphone. Problems can still arise when the server is very busy, but pure hardware performance doesn’t require gaming.
Overall, the game world is quite detailed. Various graffiti can be found all over the walls, there are information boards and writings as well as a few NPCs. The first mission players are allowed to start upon entering the Beatlands is a small hidden object mini-game. The area is wonderful to explore in search of the letters of the word “Beatland”. What’s nice is that the world doesn’t look cut off, but there are roadblocks and fences where players can’t go any further. Since Telekom has a possible expansion of the Beatland metaverse in mind, these paths could have already been tactically planned as connecting elements.
Beat coins and in-game jobs
Various Beat Coins are hidden around the game world for players to collect. A little intelligence and patience are needed here and there. For example, you can jump over small jump zones on constructions to collect coins there. The little minigames in the game world are pretty well designed, but they still don’t work perfectly. Playing in the Beatlands is fun, but with the features unlocked so far, it quickly becomes monotonous. To avoid this, Telekom seems to have planned several daily missions. After completing the search for letters, a countdown begins, which counts down to the next day for another task. However, it is not yet possible to say what form these tasks will take. So far, Beatlands can be seen as a nice gimmick with potential. However, his ability to secure and retain long-term interest will be highly dependent on scheduled events and player employment opportunities.