The Hidden Battle Beneath the Metaverse

Written By Doug Lapsley

Infrastructure in a 3D Internet World

As we move towards immersive, real-time virtual environments that mirror the richness of physical life, a surprising truth emerges: the most important part of the metaverse might be the bit you never see.

While avatars move, environments load, and conversations flow, an invisible web of servers, networks and processing power is working overtime behind the scenes. And that hidden infrastructure is already under serious pressure.

Why 3D Worlds Push the Limits of the Web

The internet was originally built for static content such as emails, documents, and websites. Over time, it adapted to handle video and interactive applications. But 3D virtual worlds, especially those involving real-time interaction between many users, require something completely different.

Here’s why:

  • Persistent connections: Unlike a typical website where you load a page and move on, immersive worlds require a constant, uninterrupted connection. If that link drops, the whole experience falls apart.

  • Real-time synchronisation: Every movement, message, animation and action needs to be sent and received instantly by everyone else in the environment. With tens or hundreds of users, that means thousands of updates every second.

  • Large asset sizes: 3D models, high-quality audio, video textures and lighting setups require a lot of bandwidth. The more realistic the world, the bigger the files.

  • Low tolerance for delay: When you move or speak in a virtual space, you expect an immediate response. Even a short delay of a few hundred milliseconds can break the feeling of being there.

What It Takes to Make It Work

Supporting this kind of experience demands a finely balanced set of infrastructure systems, each doing its part to keep the world running smoothly.

1. Cloud compute and scaling

Each user in a 3D space requires server-side processing. This includes showing the world, calculating interactions, movement, and shared logic. As more users join, the system must scale automatically, bringing new servers online in real time.

At Worldspace, we use dynamic server groups and split users into manageable groups within each environment to reduce the load and help maintain a responsive experience.

2. Edge caching and global replication

People around the world should not have to wait for assets to load from a single distant data centre. Instead, files are cached at edge locations close to each user and stored in multiple global storage buckets. This speeds up loading times and reduces latency, even in remote areas. This data is then cached at edge locations that may be only one city block away from your actual location, for lightning-fast retrieval.

But most existing edge networks were designed with video and websites in mind. 3D content requires smarter solutions, including delta updates for changing assets and compression methods optimised for interactive environments.

3. Networking protocols and real-time communication

Standard web traffic typically uses HTTP, which is reliable but not fast enough for real-time interaction. 3D environments often rely on faster, lighter protocols such as WebSockets, UDP, or WebRTC, which prioritise speed over perfect delivery. This is essential for live interaction, but it makes the system more sensitive to network quality and geographical distance.

One of the biggest challenges in virtual environments is latency: the time it takes for data to travel between devices. Light travels fast, but not fast enough to make distance irrelevant. For example, the theoretical round-trip time between London and Sydney is around 270 milliseconds, even with ideal conditions. That’s already above the threshold where users start to notice lag in movement, voice, or interaction.

In practice, network routing, congestion, and physical cable infrastructure can add even more delay. This is why metaverse platforms must be built to minimise the impact of distance by routing users to local servers and isolating high-latency users where necessary. For real-time communication to feel natural, latency ideally needs to stay below 100 milliseconds. Below 50 is even better.

Maintaining smooth interaction without introducing delay or desynchronisation requires advanced engineering. Systems must decide what information is most important to send first, recover lost packets, and keep all users aligned without noticeable interruptions.

4. Security without bottlenecks

Virtual spaces open the door to a wide range of potential risks, from impersonation to denial-of-service attacks. At the same time, security layers must not interrupt the real-time flow of the experience.

At Worldspace, we combine secure user segmentation with encrypted asset delivery and dynamic monitoring. This keeps performance smooth while maintaining protection from common threats.

The Scaling Challenge Grows Quickly

Scaling a metaverse is not a simple matter of adding more servers. If every user in an environment sees every other user, then each action must be shared with everyone else. With ten users, that's 90 updates per second. With one hundred, it jumps to 9,900. This complexity multiplies fast, especially once you add voice, video, and environmental interactions.

To keep things running, many platforms cap how many people can be in a single visible group and create separate clusters for larger audiences. These users still feel like they are part of the same event, but their data traffic is kept separate behind the scenes.

Looking Ahead: Building for the Future

To support millions of users across persistent, interconnected 3D environments, the internet will need further evolution. This could include:

  • Distributed computing at the network edge

  • Smarter systems for streaming assets dynamically

  • Compression techniques optimised for immersive environments

  • Predictive bandwidth management powered by machine learning

  • Intelligent local caching to reduce server load

  • Regional mirroring to bring compute closer to users

At Worldspace, we are constantly exploring these technologies. Our goal is to deliver the most seamless and engaging user experience possible, while working within the current constraints of global internet infrastructure. Whether it's testing new network protocols, refining our server scaling methods, or adapting to emerging cloud capabilities, we're committed to making each user's journey through the metaverse feel natural, smooth and meaningful.

The metaverse is not just about graphics or design. It is a challenge of engineering and infrastructure. Success will depend on what lies underneath, not just what appears on screen.

Doug Lapsley
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