Metaverse Engineering: Epic v. Apple , Ontopolitical Play, and Gaming the Law

Through an examination of Epic v. Apple , this article defines and traces the project of metaverse engineering: a long-term, large-scale reorganization of the games industry at technical, organizational, and governmental scales. Metaverse engineering as a games industry project seeks to redefine regulatory and market landscapes to redefine what counts as a platform, as data ownership, and as games themselves. Epic Games′ goal of the platformization of gaming production software like Fortnite and the Unreal Engine will require more than just using game engines to develop financialized 3D worlds. It will require the production of enticing legal and monetization models to encourage content creation, and competing for influence in regulatory and governmental regimes. Gaming platformization is not only technical, it is ontopolitical: the material realities of platforms shape and are shaped by rhetorical, social, cultural, and institutional forces. Epic's court successes have already moved us into a post-metaverse world.