Tencent quietly updates QQ with Unreal game engine in possible metaverse move
- New feature called Super QQ Show launches on QQ allowing users to socialise and interact as they would in games like Animal Crossing
- Analysts say QQ engine update could be a major move by Tencent into metaverse-related projects
Tencent Holdings has quietly embedded video game engine Unreal Engine into its increasingly obsolete messaging platform QQ, according to an updated version of the app, and analysts say the move forms part of the social media and gaming giant’s foray into the metaverse.
The Shenzhen-based company updated QQ this month and the new version, which was traditionally a chat app, includes parts of video games engine Unreal Engine, according to analysis by LibChecker, a third-party app analysis tool.
The update coincided with Tencent’s launch of a new feature on the app called Super QQ Show, which is a 3D interactive space where users can socialise, watch shows and play games. As such, analysts say the move marks Tencent’s latest effort to build its presence in the metaverse.
The metaverse, already one of 2022’s hot tech trends, typically refers to a shared, immersive 3D virtual space where people can interact and trade their assets, seen by many as the next iteration of the internet.
The move also signals Tencent’s determination to revitalise QQ, its second-most popular messaging platform after WeChat with 590 million monthly active users, after it lost relevance amid a broad move by Chinese netizens to short video and new platforms in recent years.
Tencent declined to comment on the new update and Super QQ Show.
The metaverse is gaining popularity in China. Although the country has yet to roll out a nationwide strategy in relation to the concept, like South Korea has, some major city authorities have asked companies to explore the idea. For example, Shanghai’s next five-year plan lists the metaverse as one of four frontiers for exploration.