UPDATED! A Report from the IMMERSIVE X Convention, Nov. eleventh, 2025 – Ryan Schultz

If something, I urge everybody in our business to construct our digital areas the way in which we design cities: with stream, gathering spots, coronary heart and soul. Locations that invite folks to linger, not simply scroll. It’s not nearly what folks see—it’s about the place they really feel seen.

—Andy Fidel, State of the Metaverse in 2026 keynote presentation, IMMERSIVE X Convention, November eleventh, 2025 (in ENGAGE).

Yesterday, November eleventh, 2025, I had the chance to attend three classes of the IMMERSIVE X convention, held on three completely different platforms:

• IMMERSIVE X 2025 Heat-Up: Curator’s Remarks (held in VRChat)
• Andy Fidel’s keynote, The State of the Metaverse in 2026 (held in ENGAGE)
• Julian Reyes’ presentation, Preserving the Legacy of Digital Tradition: The Digital Worlds Museum™ Residing Archive (held in Spatial)

Heat-Up: Curator’s Remarks (Thomas Zorbach)

Set in a custom-built theatre surrounded by lush rainforest. Thomas Zorbach set the tone and agenda for the convention classes to observe over the hree days of the convention. My good friend Carlos Austin was the videographer for the occasion (as he little doubt can be for lots of the convention classes!), and he produced the next video of Thomas’ speech, which was posted to the IMMERSIVE X YouTube streams channel (I additionally took some pictures utilizing VRChat’s built-in digital camera, however I first have to determine switch them from VRChat to my weblog!).

UPDATE Nov. thirteenth, 2025: I used to be lastly in a position so as to add some pictures I shot whereas in VRChat to this part of my weblog submit (please see the images above).

The State of the Metaverse in 2026 (Andy Fidel)

Andy’s keynote was prefaced by a half-hour purple carpet awards session the place varied folks had been launched, and several other awards got out (I arrived late for this half, however right here’s the 35-minute video from IMMERSIVE X’s YouTube channel). Right here’s the blurb from the convention program:

What an entrance! Gown your avatar to impress and flash your most dazzling smile for the picture. As soon as once more, the trail to the Opening Keynote leads throughout the legendary purple carpet of the Polys Theater, dwelling of the annual Polys Awards. Due to Ben Erwin and his unbelievable Polys crew, this festive occasion marks the official begin of IMMERSIVE X 2025. Don’t miss this prestigious social occasion within the Metaverse — you would possibly simply be in for a shock or two.

After the purple carpet, all of us moved over to the primary stage the place Andy Fidel, the founder and artistic lead at Spatial Networks, shared her insights on the place the metaverse stands immediately and the place it may be heading.

As a result of I attended the occasion in my Vive Professional 2 VR headset, I didn’t take written notes of her speak, but it surely was wonderful! Additionally, Andy has requested that her speak not be streamed to YouTube, a choice which I can completely perceive and respect. Nonetheless, Andy was glad to share her speech notes with me, so I didn’t should depend on my notoriously defective 61-year-old reminiscence to share a number of quotes which particularly resonated with me!

Andy began her presentation off with a sigh, stating:

I’m bored with the [metaverse] hype cycle. I don’t know what we’re all ready for. As a result of I’ve seen us create actual, human digital experiences—moments of presence—each day for the previous ten years. This isn’t a sci-fi episode. The metaverse is already right here. It’s in your browser tab. It’s not only a idea, a sport, or a spot. It’s how we’re selecting to indicate up on-line.

And my favorite [metaverse] false impression? We’re not escaping actuality—we’re extending it.

There have been extra of Andy’s quotes which I actually appreciated. In speaking in regards to the shift away from large metaverse platforms to micro-communities, she mentioned:

We’ve acquired to search out new methods of measuring success after we discuss connection. Each social metric measures visibility, impressions, clicks, followers…that’s exercise, not authenticity. And I don’t learn about you—however I’m accomplished chasing mass engagement and empty distribution. As a result of connection isn’t content material. It’s presence.

And he or she talked about how, maybe, we’re a bit of too narrowly centered on what the “metaverse” is:

Let’s be sincere—the metaverse didn’t begin with VR. We’ve been constructing shared digital worlds for many years: Second Life, World of Warcraft, Minecraft…The one distinction now? The brand new rising tech lastly lets us really feel presence. VR, AR, digital—these are simply new layers on one thing deeply human. “Metaverse” is only a new identify for one thing we’ve at all times accomplished: to assemble. And to assemble, we want area to take action. What’s completely different now? Now we have the know-how to do it remotely, and really feel like we’re proper there. With embodiment, physique language, haptics, even phantom contact—we’re tapping into all of the little issues that make our digital area really feel extra immersive and actual.

And:

Digital presence has develop into its personal type of togetherness. We present up not simply in particular person, however in-world. As a result of let’s be sincere—why present up in any respect? As a result of you’ll be able to really feel it.

The metaverse isn’t right here to switch the true world. It’s right here to layer it with new types of which means. It’s not only a playground, [and] not only a market. It’s a brand new layer of human communication.

And look—in case you say, “the metaverse isn’t for me,” {that a} bit like saying “the web isn’t for me” within the Nineties. You don’t have to like each nook of it. You simply have to search out the half that resonates. As a result of this isn’t about tech for tech’s sake. It’s about connecting—extra intimately, throughout area, time and medium.

UPDATE Nov. thirteenth, 2025: I used to be lastly in a position so as to add some pictures I shot whereas in ENGAGE to this part of my weblog submit (please see above).

I need to thank Thomas Zorbach for shoehorning me into this avatar-packed session, after I personally begged him to let me in, despite the fact that the occasion was absolutely booked and now not accepting signups. I didn’t need to miss Andy’s speech, and I used to be not disenchanted!

Preserving the Legacy of Digital Tradition: The Digital Worlds Museum™ Residing Archive (Julian Reyes)

I used to be unsure if I used to be going to have the ability to attend this session (I used to be having every kind of bother getting Spatial to work for me, and I finally threw my palms up, gave up on attending in digital actuality, and as an alternative visited by way of my flatscreen monitor on my Home windows dwelling laptop as an alternative). Nonetheless, I’m so, so glad that I did! A video stream of the 45-minute presentation has already been posted to the IMMERSIVE X YouTube channel, however I can even add a few of my very own remarks (since I used to be on desktop, I took written notes).

This blogpost can be up to date as I add photos and extra of my impressions, so examine again later immediately for these updates! I loved all three classes, and I’m very a lot trying ahead to the classes I can be attending immediately and tomorrow!

With the deepest due to Andy Fidel for sharing her talking notes with me. Thanks, Andy!

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