Here comes the Torment Nexus: They're making a 'metaverse' based on Ready Player One

GamesVRHere comes the Torment Nexus: They’re making a ‘metaverse’ based on Ready Player OneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Readyverse Studios)

Readyverse concept art - pixellated Parzival

“The future has arrived even more quickly than I imagined,” Cline said. “With Readyverse Studios, we have the opportunity to leverage the revolutionary technology Futureverse has been building for several years to bring to life the best possible version of the metaverse. I’m confident with this team, we have the brightest minds and biggest hearts in place to lead us into the next chapter of our collective future… a future that would make Wade Watts and James Halliday proud.”

That future sees Watts living as an impoverished orphan in “the Stacks,” an overcrowded, crime-riddled shantytown made up of trailers and mobile homes piled on top of each other in the crumbling US of 2045. He spends his time wandering around the virtual world known as OASIS, searching—alongside countless others—for the solution to a puzzle that will grant him ownership of OASIS and the immeasurable wealth that comes with it. His quest revolves around being good at old videogames and knowing lots of ’80s pop-culture trivia, but there’s plenty of violence and death too, as current OASIS owner Innovative Online Industries isn’t too keen on surrendering control—probably the most believable part of the whole thing.

Ready Player One was a New York Times bestseller and widely praised for its enthusiastic embrace of nerddom, but underneath all the Pac-Man, Blade Runner, and Monty Python references it’s a tale of a world gone very, very wrong. Even when Watts ultimately triumphs—and yes, spoiler there, but come on, of course he does—the world still sucks: All that’s really changed is that now a different guy has all the money and power.

“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of technology, embracing its potential while continuously exploring new and exciting ways to integrate it within fan experiences across our brands and franchises,” said Josh Hackbarth, Warner Bros. Discovery’s SVP of franchise development. “Ready Player One has become a cultural touchstone, inspiring technology innovators, creators, and visionaries and we’re excited to be partnering with Readyverse Studios to introduce these unique characters, immersive environments and more, to the metaverse across web3.”

It’s not terribly surprising that Warner would jump into this: For one thing, it produced and distributed the 2018 film based on Cline’s book. But the company has also recently expressed a desire to turn its major franchises into"always-on” live-service-style games, with the goal of “more players spending more time on more platforms.” And from a bottom-line corporate perspective, I suppose that’s laudable: The implicit fourth part of that goal is “more money,” after all.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

But then there’s the Torment Nexus angle to consider. For those not familiar withthe joke:

(Image credit: AlexBlechman (Twitter))

Maybe this isn’t exactly that, but even Ready Player One ends on a cautionary note: After taking control of OASIS, Watts decides to shut it down on Tuesdays and Thursdays because people really do need to get offline now and then. Despite his sometimes embarrassingly enthusiastic embrace of the kitsch and ephemera of his youth, even Cline knew that overdosing on digital disconnection isn’t good for you. Will Readyverse follow suit? I suspect not.

Readyverse is set to go live sometime in 2024. If you’d like to get a good seat for the dystopian decline, you can sign up for early access atreadyverse.com.

More about vrEight years after arriving on Steam, VRChat just hit a new peak concurrent player countVR gaming was one of my favourite hobbies of 2024 and it’s because I’ve noticed myself using it as a meditation exerciseLatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

More about vr

Eight years after arriving on Steam, VRChat just hit a new peak concurrent player countVR gaming was one of my favourite hobbies of 2024 and it’s because I’ve noticed myself using it as a meditation exercise

Anime characters, bearded men, and a lizard gather around a treehouse

Eight years after arriving on Steam, VRChat just hit a new peak concurrent player count

A Meta Quest 3S, alongside a Quest 3 and Quest 2, on a stack of PC Gamer magazine.

VR gaming was one of my favourite hobbies of 2024 and it’s because I’ve noticed myself using it as a meditation exercise

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

Wordle answers

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

See more latest►

Most PopularPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anythingIf you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 offAMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fabI tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bayFinal Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their altsTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

Most Popular

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

If you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 off

AMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fab

I tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bay

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals