In a stunning opening that drew in traders and captivated metaverse fans, the native token for Verse World, $VERSE, rocketed up more than 30,000% within a single day of its initiation.
At high point, the token was valued at a fully diluted valuation of around $1 billion, just an hour after it went live, however, the token has since cooled off to around $556 million; which, I must say, is still a pretty mint valuation that plants it firmly among the most remarkable debuts we’ve seen in the crypto-metaverse this year.
$VERSE @VerseWorld hit $1B FDV within 1 hour of launch — surging over 30,000% in 24 hours. FDV now sits around $556M.
So, what is $VERSE?$VERSE powers Verse World — a Dubai-based VR/metaverse platform built on Unreal Engine 5, with 2+ years of development and partners like… pic.twitter.com/8Ps90YJrf4
— Donkin (@DonkinAI) June 10, 2025
A wave of speculation has been triggered across Crypto Twitter (CT) by the recent price action and has again set the long-dormant metaverse narrative into motion. Is it staging a legitimate comeback, or is the recent move just another short-lived, FOMO-driven spike in a market known for its volatility?
What Is $VERSE and Why Did It Surge?
$VERSE acts as the utility token for Verse World—a virtual reality and metaverse project based in Dubai that has been under development for two years, using the Unreal Engine 5. The platform aims to synthesize immersive gaming, virtual social interaction, and real-world usefulness into a coherent whole. Its open-world environment is non-violent and features, among other things, a public transit system (for users with 3D-scanned avatars), rotating treasure hunts, and a plethora of social experiences. The public beta is currently live on the Epic Games Store.
The backing for the project comes from Lydian Group, which is the parent entity of Cointelegraph. Among its early partnerships, it counts automotive titans like Toyota and BYD. NFT holders within the Verse World ecosystem don’t just gain access to virtual real estate. They don’t just get to attend some pretty major events. Indeed, some of the assets they’ve acquired are trading quite well (and even more actively) on Solana-based NFT marketplaces.
From a technological angle, Verse World stands out as one of the better-appointed and more developed metaverse platforms to enter the market in recent times. It employs top-tier gaming engines, and with over two years of just development time under its belt, it surely has the business connections and technological heft to avoid most of the pitfalls that have plagued past metaverse attempts, which often staggered out of the gate with little more than a concept and a token.
What set off the explosive price increase was not so much the fundamentals but the timing and the sheer power of social virality.
Pumpdotfun, Moonshot, and the Classic FOMO Loop
The $VERSE pump was caused by the well-known phenomenon in the meme and microcap trading spheres. It was initiated by @pumpdotfun, who reposted the Verse contract address (CA) and granted the project instant attention from tens of thousands of speculators who were looking for the next fast win. Shortly after this, the token received a listing on @moonshot, a well-known microcap tracking site that is notorious for choosing early-stage projects that have the potential to moon.
The metaverse projects’ exposure — combined with their virtually viral nature — set the stage for a massive FOMO (fear of missing out) event. Within minutes, thousands of traders started to put their money into $VERSE. The price then went up, up, up, by more than 30,000%, in just one day. When this madness hit its high point, $VERSE’s fully diluted valuation (FDV) was pegged at $1 billion — before coming back to earth and settling at just more than half that amount.
This swift rise, although it is something to behold, also prompts inquiries. Can the value maintain itself? When the hype cycle calms, will actual demand materialize? Or was this merely a nostalgia-fueled dash for cash for a story that many had already consigned to the trash bin of history?
Metaverse Narrative: Return or Mirage?
Many are now asking if the metaverse is back because $VERSE has become such a success so fast. The idea of the metaverse was long heralded as the next big thing for people to interface with the internet, and the storyline reached its zenith in late 2021. But then it fell apart under the weight of many subpar products, lackluster user engagement, and excessive speculation. Since then, it’s seemed like investment interest has largely shifted to AI, real-world assets, and decentralized physical infrastructure projects.
Still showing signs of life, Verse hopes to have an answer for those lingering on the sidelines: there’s still a potential audience for immersive VR — especially when your universe runs on Unreal Engine 5, and when the public can access a built-out beta of that universe through the Epic Games Store.
“In our minds, Web3 is a new paradigm for how people can interact with digital worlds, and it goes beyond just play-to-earn or what you might call the gaming layer,” Verse co-founder and CEO Tamer Elsayed told Yahoo Finance.
Whether this marks a real return of the metaverse trend or is merely a momentary diversion in a market that always seems to be pursuing the next big thing remains to be seen. Speculators may have pushed up the initial surge, but long-term success would depend on genuine user adoption, economics that make sense, and a team that can deliver on a truly ambitious roadmap.
Currently, $VERSE is a memory aid. When it comes to the crypto world, the metaverse is undeniably still present. It hasn’t been relegated to the memory of just virtual reality experiences. And if the headlines in the mainstream media aren’t currently touting the metaverse as the next big thing, in the crypto space, it’s certainly not in hibernation.
Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services.
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