Spatial internet explained: transforming gaming and 3D asset creation

Ever wondered what happens when the flat, 2D internet we’ve known for decades evolves into something you can actually step into? That’s the promise of the spatial internet—a revolutionary shift that’s already changing how game developers, technical artists, and indie creators work with digital environments.

What is the spatial internet?

The spatial internet extends our traditional 2D web experience into immersive 3D spaces, seamlessly blending digital content with our physical world. Unlike the conventional internet where we interact through screens, the spatial internet creates environments we can manipulate, explore, and interact with using natural movements.

This evolution represents a fundamental shift in how we’ll create and experience digital content—especially for those working in game development and interactive media.

As NTT DATA’s research on spatial computing explains, this isn’t just a theoretical concept; major tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Meta are making substantial investments to bring spatial computing into the mainstream. Their commitment signals a clear direction for the industry: spatial is the future.

How spatial computing powers the spatial internet

Spatial computing—the technology enabling the spatial internet—was first coined by Simon Greenwold in 2003. At its core, it allows “users to install virtual forms into actual spaces,” creating a bridge between digital and physical realms.

Spatial computing relies on several key technologies working together:

• AR/VR technologies: Creating immersive visual overlays
• 3D mapping: Understanding and digitizing physical spaces
• IoT sensors: Collecting real-world data
• AI and machine learning: Processing spatial information
• Edge computing: Enabling real-time processing
• Advanced GPS: Precise location tracking

For developers, this convergence means new opportunities to create experiences that weren’t possible before—games that respond to physical environments, assets that can be placed and manipulated in real spaces, and interactions that feel natural and intuitive.

Transforming game development workflows

The rise of the spatial internet is already reshaping how developers approach their craft:

For game developers

Spatial computing introduces new design paradigms focused on:

• Environment-aware gameplay: Games that adapt to physical spaces and integrate real-world elements
• Gesture and movement controls: Natural interaction methods that eliminate the need for traditional controllers
• Persistent worlds: Games that maintain state across sessions and locations, creating continuity between play sessions

According to Harvard Business Review’s analysis of spatial computing, this shift is enabling entirely new gaming experiences, from location-based AR games like Pokémon GO to more sophisticated experiences like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite that transform real-world locations into gameplay elements.

The implications for game developers are profound: you’re no longer designing for a screen, but for physical environments with infinite variables. This requires rethinking level design, player movement, and interaction mechanics from the ground up.

For technical artists

The spatial internet demands new approaches to asset creation and optimization:

• Real-time rendering optimization: Assets must perform well in dynamic environments where lighting, scale, and viewing angles constantly change
• Physical world integration: Creating assets that blend seamlessly with reality, matching lighting conditions and physical properties
• Cross-platform compatibility: Ensuring assets work across various spatial platforms while maintaining visual fidelity

Technical artists now focus heavily on optimizing 3D assets for real-time rendering in spatial platforms like Unity and Unreal Engine, where performance requirements are especially demanding. According to LTIMindtree’s research on spatial computing, this optimization process requires balancing polygon counts, texture resolution, and lighting complexity to maintain immersion without sacrificing performance.

For indie developers

The spatial internet offers exciting opportunities for indie creators:

• Accessible tools: Platforms like Unity’s AR Foundation and Unreal Engine’s ARKit integration lower the barrier to entry for spatial development
• New market opportunities: Reaching audiences through spatial experiences that stand out in increasingly crowded app stores
• Differentiation potential: Standing out with innovative spatial mechanics that larger studios haven’t yet explored

For indies working with limited resources, spatial computing offers a chance to create distinctive experiences without massive teams. The ability to leverage real-world environments as part of your game design reduces the need to create everything from scratch.

Key trends shaping the spatial internet

Several trends are accelerating the development of the spatial internet:

1. Cloud rendering and processing

Cloud-based solutions are making it possible to create complex spatial experiences without requiring high-end local hardware. This democratizes development, allowing indie creators to build sophisticated spatial applications that would otherwise require expensive equipment.

The shift to cloud rendering means that even complex spatial experiences can run on consumer-grade devices, expanding your potential audience significantly.

2. Spatial AI advancements

AI systems are becoming increasingly adept at understanding 3D environments, recognizing objects, and predicting spatial relationships. As Digital Twin Insider explains, these AI capabilities enable more intuitive and responsive spatial experiences.

For developers, this means your applications can intelligently respond to users’ environments, recognizing surfaces, objects, and spaces without manual mapping. This creates more fluid, natural interactions that adapt to each user’s unique physical context.

3. Collaborative spatial tools

Real-time collaboration platforms like Microsoft Mesh are enabling developers to work together in shared 3D spaces, transforming how teams design and iterate on spatial experiences.

These tools allow dispersed development teams to review 3D assets together in virtual environments, making it easier to identify issues and implement changes collaboratively. Rather than sharing screenshots or video captures, team members can experience assets in their intended context.

4. Hardware evolution

The introduction of devices like Apple Vision Pro signals a new era of consumer-ready spatial computing hardware. These devices combine powerful processing capabilities with improved comfort and user experience, making spatial computing accessible to mainstream users.

As hardware improves and prices decrease, your potential audience for spatial applications will grow exponentially. According to spatial computing experts at NTT DATA, we’re approaching a tipping point where spatial computing devices will achieve the mainstream adoption needed to support a thriving ecosystem.

Practical applications for developers

How are developers already leveraging the spatial internet? Here are some practical examples:

Immersive gaming environments

Games now incorporate real-world elements, allowing players to:

• Place virtual game boards on physical tables, creating hybrid digital-physical play spaces
• Transform living rooms into game levels with enemies that hide behind real furniture
• Interact with persistent digital objects that remain in physical spaces between gaming sessions

For example, imagine a tower defense game where players build fortifications on their coffee table, or an exploration game where each room in the house becomes a different biome or dungeon level.

Enhanced asset creation

The spatial internet is transforming how 3D assets are created:

• Scanning real objects for digital recreation with photogrammetry techniques
• Testing assets in real environments before finalizing to ensure proper scale and lighting
• Creating context-aware assets that respond to their surroundings, such as characters that recognize and navigate around furniture

This evolution means you can create more authentic, realistic assets by deriving them directly from the physical world, rather than building everything from imagination.

Collaborative development

Teams are using spatial tools to:

• Review 3D models together in shared virtual spaces, walking around assets to examine them from all angles
• Prototype game mechanics in collaborative environments where team members can see each other’s interactions
• Conduct virtual playtests with team members in different locations, all experiencing the same spatial environment

These collaborative capabilities are particularly valuable for remote teams, enabling the kind of spontaneous creative interactions that previously required being in the same physical space.

Is the spatial internet the same as the metaverse?

While related, these concepts aren’t identical. The spatial internet is a broader technological evolution that encompasses how we’ll interact with digital information in 3D space. The metaverse—a persistent virtual world—represents one application of spatial internet technologies.

As Digital Twin Insider explains, spatial computing provides the foundational technologies that make metaverse experiences possible, but its applications extend far beyond virtual worlds. Think of the metaverse as one possible destination within the broader spatial internet ecosystem.

For developers, this distinction matters because spatial internet applications don’t need to be fully immersive virtual worlds. They can be discrete experiences that enhance specific aspects of the physical world rather than replacing it entirely.

Getting started with spatial development

Ready to explore the spatial internet as a developer? Here are some entry points:

1. Experiment with AR development kits: Try Unity’s AR Foundation or Unreal’s ARKit integration to build simple spatial experiences
2. Optimize existing assets for spatial use: Test how your current 3D models perform in AR/VR environments, identifying optimization opportunities
3. Join spatial development communities: Connect with other developers exploring this space to share knowledge and resources
4. Consider spatial UX principles: Learn how users interact differently in 3D environments compared to traditional screens

The beauty of spatial development is that you can start small. Even a simple AR experience that places a single interactive 3D model in the user’s environment can teach valuable lessons about spatial design principles.

The future of the spatial internet

The spatial internet represents a fundamental shift in how we’ll create and interact with digital content. For game developers, technical artists, and indie creators, this evolution offers exciting new creative possibilities and challenges.

As tools like Alpha3D make 3D asset creation more accessible—transforming text prompts and 2D images into fully realized 3D assets in minutes rather than days—the barriers to entry for spatial development continue to fall. This democratization will accelerate innovation in the spatial internet, opening new opportunities for creators of all sizes.

The question isn’t whether the spatial internet will transform development workflows, but how quickly developers will adapt to and shape this emerging landscape. Those who embrace these changes now will be positioned to lead in this exciting new frontier, creating the spatial experiences that will define the next generation of digital interaction.