20 July 2026
Neal Stephenson The Father of Metaverse Launches Blockchain
In 1992, Neal Stephenson, the science-fiction author, introduced the term “Metaverse” in his hit novel “Snow Crash.” Now, he has come in partnership with another Crypto OG, Peter Vessenes, to bring his vision to life.
Yesterday, they announced the creation of a metaverse-focused blockchain called Lamina1. The CEO of the project will be Vessenes, and Stephenson will serve as chairman.
Metaverse became popular last summer. The new metaverse blockchain Lamina1 will be centered on open metaverses with a focus on virtual- and augmented-reality integrations.
During an interview with CoinDesk, Stephenson said, “The Facebook name change was a big milestone for the metaverse, although the idea had been building for some time before that. While big companies like Microsoft [MSFT] became interested, what also happened was lots of smaller players became interested, too. There are a lot of people who want to get in on the metaverse and build their dreams, build their ideas, realize their creative notions or their commercial ambitions.”
The testnet and betanet of Lamina1 will be launched in a few months with the ultimate goal being to create an immersive 3D metaverse inspired by the novel itself.
Vessenes shares that the plan of the first iteration of the blockchain will be “somewhere between a friendly fork and partnership” of Avalanche, though no plans have been finalized.
Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, Geoff Entress, Matthew Roszak, Patrick Murck, and David Johnston are the financial backers of the project.
Disclaimer: The author’s thoughts and comments are solely for educational reasons and informative purposes only. They do not represent financial, investment, or other advice.
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