TikTok owner ByteDance and Douyin has launched a new social media app in China that allows its users to interact in a virtual community by using avatars. The new app is ByteDance's response to growing interest around the metaverse.
ByteDance Launches Paiduidao
Paiduidao, which means "party island," fits the common description of the metaverse, which refers to a network of three-dimensional virtual worlds where people can interact, according to Global Times.
A Douyin representative said that the app is in beta testing by a couple of users, and it needs an invitation code to access.
The app was developed by ByteDance's subsidiary Beijing Shi Qu Wu Xian Technology Co. Ltd. It was launched this week on Android and iOS app stores in China.
The app features a logo of two animated characters leaning against each other and a slogan that says, "no man is an island."
Even though the app is still in beta mode, it immediately became a hit with the public and it is currently the 77th most downloaded social app on iOS phones, according to South China Morning Post.
Paiduidao is ByteDance's latest attempt to crack China's social media market and challenge Tencent's WeChat app, installed on almost every smartphone in the country.
In June 2021, ByteDance scored its first mobile game hit with "One Piece: Voyage." ByteDance earned $34 billion in revenue, making it the fifth-biggest video game revenue, just behind Tencent.
ByteDance's past social networking ventures have stalled. In 2021, the company was forced to shut down Feiliao, which was launched as an instant messenger in 2019 and was known around the world as Flipchat.
Meanwhile, Xintu, a platform that was similar to Instagram, was also deactivated.
Last year, ByteDance acquired Pico Interactive, a virtual reality startup. It was interpreted as the company's step into the metaverse, which is a concept that drew attention after Facebook rebranded itself and became Meta.
However, Alex Zhu, ByteDance's head of product and strategy, said that at the time, the deal stemmed from the company's recognition of the value of augmented and virtual reality technologies and that it had nothing to do with the metaverse.
Metaverse Expansion
ByteDance is not the only tech company in China that is exploring the metaverse. In November 2021, Baidu released a metaverse app called Xirang, a "land of hope" that allows users to explore virtual environments through smartphones, VR goggles, or personal computers.
Just like Bytedance's Paiduidao, Xirang allows users to create avatars and chat with other users. Currently, only three scenarios are available for exploration, including two product displays and one virtual art show.
Xirang will have additional features in the future, like online education and elements of digital marketing. For now, only a couple of users can enter Xirang at the same time since the developers still need to fix some technical issues connected to cloud computing.
According to KrAsia, even Chinese government entities are actively developing and spreading metaverse-adjacent technological capabilities, even in domestic businesses.
One of the top regulators of the internet industry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, said that it has plans to cultivate around 3,000 startups in the metaverse, AI industries, and blockchain.
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Written by Sophie Webster
