Samsung is opening a metaverse version of its flagship NYC store in Decentraland

• Samsung is opening its first metaverse store, Samsung 837X, an immersive world modeled after its flagship New York store.
• The tech giant has partnered with Decentraland, an ethereum-based virtual world platform.
• The store will be open only for a limited time, but Samsung expressed plans to bring the experience to new platforms. 
• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, 10 Things Before the Opening Bell

Samsung is opening its first store in the metaverse with Samsung 837X, an immersive world modeled after its flagship New York City store, Samsung 837, starting Thursday.

The tech giant has partnered with Decentraland, an ethereum-based virtual world platform. The opening includes Samsung’s first-ever metaverse-mixed-reality dance party hosted by DJ Gamma Vibes live from the physical Samsung location.

To participate, customers will first need to enter Decentraland through a desktop browser before they can buy and sell exclusive digital assets, like land and wearables.

Upon entering, the customer’s avatar will be dropped outside of Samsung’s metaverse building. Once in the lobby, a virtual guide will direct the avatar to choose from three interior spaces: sustainability, customization, and connectivity.

Connectivity Theater is where news from the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs from January 5-8, will be released. Sustainability Forest is where guests can learn more about Samsung’s recent partnership with Veritree, a climate solutions platform, to plant two million trees by the first quarter of this year. Customization Stage is where the party will be at. 

Samsung 837X, one of the largest brand land takeovers in Decentraland, will be open only for a limited time. But the tech conglomerate noted that it plans to bring the metaverse experience to more people by launching on new platforms. 

“The metaverse empowers us to transcend physical and spatial limits to create unique virtual experiences that could not happen otherwise,” Michelle Crossan-Matos, SVP of corporate marketing and communications at Samsung Electronics America, said in a statement. “Innovation is in our DNA.”

Samsung seems to be cementing its position in the digital asset space. Earlier this week, the South Korean firm announced that customers can buy and sell non-fungible tokens through an integrated platform that will be available on select smart TVs.

Prior to this, Samsung had already been investing in related projects, particularly through Samsung Next, its venture capital arm. Investments include Axie Infinity, Dapper Labs, Forte, The Sandbox, and SuperRare.