Meta, Adobe, Microsoft join metaverse standards body — but Apple does not

A new Metaverse Standards Forum aims to encourage the development of open standards for metaverse technology, but it has not managed to sign up Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously said he takes the metaverse seriously enough to invest in it, but separately others are as yet regarding it as meaningless hype.

Now a new standards organization hopes to help rid the metaverse of this meaningless image and instead "foster interoperability standards for an open metaverse." Formed by around 35 companies, the group's most prominent members include:

• Adobe
• Epic Games
• Meta (Facebook)
• Microsoft
• Nvidia
• Qualcomm

"Adobe is excited to join the Metaverse Standards Forum," Stefano Corazza, vice president and fellow of AR at Adobe, said in a statement. "It is in our history to contribute to the industry by defining foundational standards for digital experiences, as we did with PDF and DNG."

"Establishing standards is essential to foster collaboration in the Metaverse," continued Corazza, "and to allow this new ecosystem to truly flourish."

"Building a metaverse for everyone will require an industry-wide focus on common standards," said Vishal Shah, vice president of Metaverse at Meta, in the statement. "Creators, developers and companies will all benefit from the technologies and experiences that will be made possible by common protocols."

"Our goal is to build an open metaverse that enriches humanity and is home to a thriving, fair ecosystem with millions of creators," added Marc Petit, vice president of Unreal Engine ecosystem at Epic Games. "We are thrilled to help launch the Metaverse Standards Forum, a collaborative industry-led effort founded to accelerate the development and adoption of interoperability standards."

Apple is not a member, though the Metaverse Standards Forum notes that membership is "open to any organization at no cost." It's not clear if Apple was invited to be a founding member, or not.