Second Life, the original metaverse app, is getting a mobile release

After two decades, Linden Lab is bringing its virtual world to mobile devices

By Alfonso Maruccia March 17, 2023 at 9:04 AM

Linden Lab recently posted a brief video on its community forum to announce that Second Life will soon have a mobile counterpart. For the first time in 20 years, the virtual world where "residents" enjoy their low-polygonal internet life is expanding its reach beyond traditional desktop platforms.

The mobile version of Second Life will (run) on Android and iOS devices. Linden Lab chose the Unity engine to create their Second Life mobile "viewer" (likely, a dedicated app) and port their online experience to tablets and phones, which is easier to maintain across different platforms.

According to the San Francisco-based company, Second Life Mobile will provide a virtual world which is on par with the one available through desktop systems. The developers had to make some small compromises, but the "complex behaviors" of users' avatars and the "rich" 3D world of Second Life should still be there for residents to enjoy.

The original version of Second Life was released in 2003 and experienced rapid growth and popularity over the years. By 2013, the virtual world had one million regular users but by 2017, the active avatar population had declined to between 800,000 and 900,000 users.

To outsiders, Second Life always felt like a MMORPG game with fewer polygons and interaction opportunities than World of Warcraft. Linden Lab has always insisted that their creation is not a game though, as there are neither "manufactured conflicts" nor set objectives.

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