Phil Ranta, the Chief Operating Officer at Wormhole Labs, has spent the last 15 years as a leader in the online creator revolution. As Head of Gaming Creators, North America at Facebook, he achieved over 5x departmental growth in his first year, signing exclusive streaming contracts with DisguisedToast, Corinna Kopf, and UFC/WWE superstar Ronda Rousey.
Ranta also built two of the largest creator networks in the world as COO at Studio71 and VP, Networks at Fullscreen, both successfully exited.
In his session at Beyond Games, Ranta will speak about building the user-generated metaverse.
Before the brand new online event explores the intersection of games and other creative industries next week (May 10th to 14th), we caught up with Ranta to see which innovations in the creative industries have impressed him and how games contribute to other media.
Tell us a bit about your company
Wormhole Labs has built the metaverse for the real world created through the power of the crowd and AI.
What does your role entail?
As Chief Operating Officer, I oversee product development of the Wormhole platform, business development for our B2B initiatives and go-to market strategy.
What do you think games can contribute to other media?
I’m a lifelong gamer who grew up with a fascination with internet communities. The current world of gaming is a perfect combination of my two greatest passions!
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into your field?
Just do it. If you have a computer and internet, you can do everything from creating games, to writing articles about games, to building gaming communities – all free.
How has the way the games industry is perceived changed in recent years?
Completely! Gaming has become more accessible, development has become cheaper, games themselves have become more social and online communities have become mainstream.
What innovations have impressed you in recent months?
Although COVID has been an awful tragedy, gaming has shown itself to be a powerful tool for building social connections when forced to shelter in place. Offering high-quality games free is the new norm and every game has to think about their social features first.
What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?
We’re going to see a lot of major moves to create a true metaverse: where the value proposition of the virtual universe can be to socialise. This will provide incredible monetisation opportunities for micro-transactions and NFT sales.
Which part of the Beyond Games event are you most looking forward to and why?
I look forward to having a chance to connect with my gaming industry contacts after more than a year away from conventions!
Book now!
To hear Ranta discuss building the user-generated metaverse next week at Beyond Games, make sure you book your ticket now. Mid-Term prices offer savings of up to $140, but hurry – the offer ends at midnight THIS THURSDAY, May 6th.
