The next Internet is 3D

Feb 19, 2025

TL;DR

The Internet grew from basic text to richer image and video content.
Social media and user-generated content made people crave more immersive experiences.
Generative AI and cloud tech have drastically lowered the barriers to creating 3D.
3D is shaping up to be the driving force behind the Internet’s next big leap.

ㅤ

For decades, the Internet has been woven into our daily lives. Back in the mid-1990s, it was mostly text-based, and streaming images or videos felt like a futuristic dream. Even so, those early home connections were enough to spark global excitement and launch a massive content ecosystem.

Once web browsers started appearing in the mid-’90s, internet usage went into overdrive. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer hit the scene around 1994, fueling a massive wave of new users. Services like Yahoo and Google quickly stepped up to index and categorize the exploding number of webpages, making it easier for everyone to find and share text-based information. By the mid-2000s, blogging platforms and social networks such as Twitter and Facebook let anyone publish their thoughts with just a few clicks. Email and instant messaging also went mainstream, reshaping how people stayed in touch and formed relationships.

But text alone got dull fast. In 2004, Flickr introduced the world to easy photo sharing, and soon smartphones turned all of us into amateur photographers. Instagram made snapping, editing, and uploading second nature, while Pinterest gave us a whole new platform for visual discovery.

Then video took center stage. YouTube shook up old-school TV by letting anyone upload content and directly interact with viewers. Netflix popularized on-demand streaming, TikTok made short-form clips practically effortless, and Twitch built fanatical live communities around gaming (and more). As Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts joined the scene, we all jumped headfirst into the “video era.”

What’s next?

So, what comes after text, images, and video? Our team sees 3D and the metaverse as the next frontier. Thanks to booming computing power, cloud infrastructure, and generative AI, the cost and complexity of building 3D experiences have plummeted. Tasks that once took specialized teams hundreds of hours can now be turbocharged by AI—making 3D creation more accessible than ever.

We’re also seeing huge strides in hardware and streaming tech, letting high-fidelity 3D run smoothly right in your browser or on a phone—not just on a beefy gaming PC. Imagine if 3D content became as common as YouTube videos or Instagram posts—only you’d be strolling through immersive environments in real time instead of flipping through flat feeds.

All signs point to the next big wave revolving around interactive 3D spaces. Neal Stephenson, who coined the term “metaverse” in Snow Crash, famously said that “in the metaverse, magic becomes possible.” Moving beyond text, images, and video opens the door to deeper human connections in digital worlds, reshaping everything magically from gaming and entertainment to commerce and social media.

Big tech has seen this coming and is pouring in resources. While AI is today’s hot topic, it may also fix the biggest hurdles—like weak content libraries and clunky user experiences—that have held AR/VR/MR back. Just as ChatGPT took off when GPUs and big data aligned perfectly, the metaverse might soon reach its own tipping point, proving its mainstream potential.

Apple's Vision Pro, Google's ARCore, Meta's Horizon, and Microsoft's HoloLens

If history is any guide—text led to images, images to video, and now 3D is next. But this time, people won’t just be watching from the sidelines. They’ll be creating and inhabiting entire virtual worlds. Gaming has already shown that users love creativity, interactivity, and a sense of presence. It’s only a matter of time before 3D dominates how we experience the web.

Why people want 3D worlds and content?

Creativity & Fun

TL;DR

Minecraft and Roblox show that 3D worlds unlock immersion and creativity you can’t get in 2D.
Real-time collaboration in 3D boosts engagement and sparks vibrant communities.
3D feels natural enough to be intuitive, but open-ended enough to fuel new kinds of value creation.

ㅤ

When most people think “3D,” gaming usually pops into their heads first. But there’s a reason we gravitate toward spaces beyond flat screens. Humans evolved in a three-dimensional world, which is why we navigate and learn so naturally in 3D. It’s also why game developers keep ramping up 3D graphics—deeper immersion taps right into how our brains perceive reality.

Sure, text, images, and videos can take us pretty far, but they still only engage part of our senses. Three-dimensional experiences bring that extra layer of depth. Imagine walking through an architectural model in a virtual space: reading about it or staring at 2D images is fine, but it can’t compete with the feeling of stepping inside.

Consider Minecraft, one of the biggest builder/open-world games. It’s projected to hit 175 million monthly active users by 2024. Roblox clocks in at 79 million, Fortnite has topped 100 million, and GTA has sold over 160 million copies. That massive audience has sparked endless creators and new in-game business models. People love “3D creation” because it lets them build their own worlds and share them in real time. And as more folks dive into 3D online, the opportunity to actually make money from it will only grow.

But it’s not just about profit. When fun, creativity, and immersion collide on the internet, people feel a powerful sense of connection through “building something together.” In the past, social networks linked us via text and images, but 3D worlds enable a whole new level of social interaction. That’s exactly why so many are drawn to 3D spaces and everything they have to offer.

Not just for game

Gaming proves just how far 3D can go, but the potential stretches beyond entertainment—think medical training, virtual concerts, museums, and more. Picture a surgeon rehearsing a complex procedure in a lifelike 3D simulation, or a musician performing live to millions in a virtual arena.

As a16z partner Kirwin points out, more and more industries are blending game tech into real-world applications. Anduril uses game engines for defense simulations, Tesla simulates virtual cities for autonomous driving, BMW explores AR in heads-up displays, Matterport revolutionizes real estate tours, and Traverse3D offers interactive training experiences.[2]

Ultimately, 3D calls to anyone looking for environments that feel real but aren’t limited by physical constraints—unlocking new ways to collaborate and create. While gaming and entertainment might lead the charge, 3D’s influence is already branching into countless sectors. The future is spatial, and it’s coming faster than we might expect.

So, what are we going to build?

First step: Minecraft+GTA+AI

TL;DR

We’re starting with a browser-based open-world game that blends Minecraft-level creativity, GTA-like realism, and AI-driven 3D generation.
By making it dead simple for anyone to create and share 3D items and spaces, we aim to build a thriving creator community.
Eventually, we’ll evolve into a platform for user-generated worlds, powered by the same AI and “builder” tech that drives our game.

ㅤ

DayBreak founder Rex Woodbury summarized the future of gaming as follows [3]

Games will be generated, not rendered.
Games will be infinite, not finite.
And the line between player and creator will blur, as games become participatory—players will make decisions that change the game in real-time.

We couldn’t agree more. Believing that “the next internet is 3D,” we’ve mapped out two phases. The first is Space Zero, a browser-based open-world multiplayer game. Most games follow strict storylines and curated experiences, but we want to flip the script—minimize planning and maximize freedom. Think the creativity of Minecraft meets GTA’s realism, powered by AI that lets players generate and remix 3D items at will.

Traditionally, making 3D assets took specialized designers and tons of resources. Now, generative AI can spin a single line of text—“a floating castle made of rainbow glass”—into a workable 3D model. This crushes the barriers to creation.

Our top priority is frictionless access. No installs or big downloads—just one link to jump into a shared space and start exploring. Imagine if sharing a 3D world was as easy as dropping someone a YouTube link. That’s our vision: instead of sharing static images or videos, you share entire interactive environments.

“Why start with a game?” you might ask. Simple: consumer products die fast if they’re confusing or dull. Games are naturally fun and creative, solving the cold-start problem by pulling in both creators and players. Our immediate mission is to make Space Zero more than a flashy tech demo—it should be a compelling, replayable experience that keeps people coming back.

Second step: Space builder and platform

We’re kicking things off with a game in Phase 1—because fun is a powerful way to draw in users. From there, we’ll take the AI and builder tools we’ve developed and turn them into a platform where anyone can create 3D spaces. This “fun → creator community → platform” roadmap is the core of Space Zero. Essentially, we want every player to be able to build their own 3D world. It’s similar to how Roblox or Minecraft grow via user-driven content, but we’re making the creation process simpler through AI and more accessible by running entirely in the browser. Starting on the web also makes it much easier to expand into mobile or MR down the line. Ultimately, we’re aiming for a vast 3D ecosystem—thousands of user-generated worlds all connected by a single link.

So, what might this platform actually enable? Brands could set up 3D showrooms to display and sell their products. Musicians might host virtual concerts, inviting fans from all over the globe. Indie devs could roll out mini-games for profit, and people could even chat and collaborate with AI-modeled historical figures. Since it’s all web-based, it’s basically another website—just in 3D.

Here’s a personal daydream: AI agents roaming around in Space Zero, where I could invite da Vinci, Einstein, Picasso, or Feynman (inspired by Sparks of Genius) for virtual chats about science, art, and philosophy—all while building 3D worlds together. A few years back, that might’ve sounded far-fetched. But with tech advancing so quickly—and interest in these ideas growing just as fast—it might be closer than we think.

At the end of the day, we’re aiming to create a space that goes beyond mere “gaming.” We want a 3D realm where people can explore, create, and share virtually anything they can imagine. To pull that off, we’ll need to seamlessly integrate AI, browser engines, server infrastructure, and the spark that makes people want to collaborate. Figuring all that out—one step at a time—is what really matters.

We’re taking our first product live

Our team is small, but we’re laser-focused on Space Zero. Because we’re not weighed down by decades of gaming-industry baggage, we can push boundaries freely. Think of it as a bite-sized “Matrix,” built around the idea that 3D is the next evolution of the internet.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve tested everything from browser-based 3D worlds to AI-driven item generation. We’re still refining the details, but every experiment answers big questions: