The metaverse, generally speaking, may be a bit of a bullshit concept. But for many of the ideas surrounding the Metaverse, the shining proof of concept is Fortnite. While things like Ariana Grande's concert (opens in new tab) and Marvel's showdown (opens in new tab) clearly make sense as brand crossovers, the Martin Luther King, Jr. exhibition (opens in new tab) and now food giant Heinz sponsored, more bizarre ones, like a map dedicated to informing players about the problem of soil degradation.

What is interesting in the context of the metaverse chatter is that Heinz is a somewhat picky customer, presenting this as some sort of official tie-in and using the Fortnite logo, but not working with Epic to create it or incorporate it into the game. There is a certain irony in a company that mass-produces processed foods saying this, but then who else would do it, but to use community tools to create brand space and push the message the company wants. In this case, perhaps "Heinz: We really care about mud.

The stunt is called S.O.S. Tomatoes (open in new tab) and consists of a map of an island that replicates elements of a tomato plantation, touting Heinz's "sustainable and regenerative practices" and representing a storm that is shrinking faster than usual. The latter is apparently a metaphor for soil degradation. The corporate good will is secured by an additional £100,000 in funding for Heinz's own "Soil Health Program," which claims that "$30 per acre of tomato plantings will be contributed, representing 13.5 million m2 of total soil area that will benefit as a result of this game." As always, take such things with a shaker full of salt: this is an awareness campaign, and the connection between the funding, soil improvement, and this Fortnite map is not particularly meaningful.

Of course, Heinz is swell, but the point is that this is all ongoing.

"We have committed to achieving sustainably sourced ketchup tomatoes worldwide by 2025. Through this commitment, we are building better soil that not only feeds our unique tomatoes, but also has the potential to help store carbon, a key pillar of our roadmap to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050."

What is the goal to achieve by 2050? ...... That's a lot of leeway. Starting today, players can access S.O.S. Tomato Island by entering the code 1877-1435-6432 on the in-game "Discover" screen." Note the disclaimer that "This is a proprietary Fortnite Creative experience and is not sponsored, endorsed, or controlled by Epic Games, Inc. Nevertheless, by all accounts, this looks like a "Just Another Fortnite" crossover. Perhaps this is telling of what the future Metaverse will be like: a platform where business collaborations are fairly one-sided, and are there whether we want them to be or not.