Growverse 2026: From Dream to Reality

Interview with Roberto Romagnino: The future of Growverse and the cannabis community

SSIT: Roberto, welcome back to the pages of Soft Secrets. The first interview of 2023 sparked great curiosity among readers. Three years later, where are we with Growverse?

Thank you very much, it is a true honor and a profound emotion to be here with you again. Receiving this welcome fills us with pride, because Soft Secrets has believed in this project from the beginning as a main partner and this for us represents a piece of history that we are writing together, a path made of vision and mutual trust. Thanks to the network of the oldest and most authoritative magazine in Europe, we will be able to reach many enthusiasts across the continent through newsletters, creating a direct bridge with those who live this culture every day. We are truly opening the doors to a new era together, a chapter that will change the rules of the game.

SSIT: What is the overall vision of the world you are building?

Growverse is not a single city or an isolated platform: it is an entire virtual planet in continuous expansion. We are not limited to a single environment, but we think big. Each city will be a complete open world, built with the same basic technological structure but dedicated to a specific and vertical theme, to offer depth and specialization. The first one we are building is GrowCity, entirely dedicated to the world of cannabis, where users will be able to study, socialize, trade and live immersive experiences like never before, in a rich and vital environment. GrowCity is intelligently geolocated: every user is required to comply with the laws of their own State. This approach brings three concrete and profound advantages. First, users buy from the grow shop or the store closest to their home, truly fueling the local market and creating a tangible link with the territory. Second, transportation is reduced with a positive and measurable environmental impact, in line with sustainability values. Third, full compliance with regulations worldwide is guaranteed, offering peace of mind to users, companies and creators. It is a model that combines technological innovation and real responsibility.

SSIT: How far along is technological development?

We are working on Unreal Engine 5.7 with Pixel Streaming [1]. This technology allows us to potentially reach the whole world, breaking down every technical barrier: a standard browser is enough, with no downloads and without the need for powerful hardware. We have signed both the distribution contract and the acceptance of the blockchain [2] with Epic Games [3], two milestones that certify the solidity of our infrastructure. The coming soon page is already prepared: we invite everyone to go to Epic Games, search for Growverse in the new arrivals section and add it to the wishlist to be notified immediately upon release.

SSIT: How do the economy and daily life work within Growverse?

At the center of everything is our utility stable token LEAF [4], pegged 1:1 to USDC, stable and reliable. On this secure basis we have developed 45 different monetization channels. The platform retains only 1% on transactions, leaving the true value in the hands of those who generate it. Users will have a personal wallet that will be given to them directly upon registration, completely eliminating friction in the adoption of this new technology [5]. They will be able to pay for events, pay each other, work together and have practically infinite earning potential. The permanent trade fair is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week: stands are free upon reservation and the platform only takes 1% on sales of real products. Avatars work 24/7, continuing their duties and advertising even when the user is offline. Creators are at the absolute center of the system: they earn 90% of the revenue from paying customers for each lesson, concert or crowdfunding (called Growfounding).

SSIT: How have you designed advertising and interaction with brands?

We are radically against invasive advertising. Ours is contextual, natural and "invisible but always present". The user interested in a particular product will only click on banners, 3D assets, logos on avatar shirts or elements that truly attract them. The CTR will be significantly higher than traditional methods because the user is already motivated. Thanks to the Growser, our internal proprietary browser, a simple click directly opens the merchant's website and allows immediate purchase, making the experience fluid and natural. Pay-per-click advertising is capped at 20 cents without keywords: for example, 1750 clicks would cost 350 dollars.

SSIT: Let's talk about the Carousel Room and the opportunities for users.

In the Carousel Room, users can watch advertising videos every day and earn money for free. We forgo our revenue: everything we collect from companies is distributed directly to those who watch the videos. This creates a unique monthly income in the metaverse landscape, a concrete help especially in the most disadvantaged countries, for students and families. Thanks to these earnings, users can access the University, events and many other experiences for free. That's where the real magic happens: they earn money for free from advertising and when they spend that money, they receive it directly, and can even spend it outside the metaverse. It's a virtuous circle that makes everything accessible and sustainable.

SSIT: What role do NFTs [6] play?

NFTs are concrete virtual assets and represent a fundamental part of the Growverse economy. We already have three sold out collections that have earned us the blue checkmark on OpenSea and Rarible [7]. We are launching the fourth collection dedicated to our mascot Tapo [8]: whoever purchases it will have unlimited free clicks forever and a clickable logo that opens their site inside the metaverse for free forever. The logo on each avatar shirt will be clickable: this allows us to overcome the costs of traditional advertising mentioned above, where 1750 clicks would cost 350 dollars. These NFTs will be purchasable on our official OpenSea profile. Users will be able to buy NFTs, place them in the dedicated areas and load a budget to make them interactive and clickable. It is essential, however, to distinguish the two categories: the fourth Tapo collection offers the logo on each shirt with free and unlimited clicks forever; separately, the possibility of purchasing, placing and loading a budget refers to 3D NFTs, meaning assets that can be placed within the game and activated as interactive and clickable elements.

On the Tapo mascot and welcoming new users

Our mascot Tapo will have a special role within the platform, acting as a true guide for new users. It will welcome visitors by guiding them in discovering the different areas; every time the user explores a new area, the experience will be accompanied by a dedicated tutorial that will explain all the features, which will then remain permanently accessible directly within the user interface.

On the globes and the teleportation system

We have also introduced practical interactive globes within the platform, specifically designed to allow users to quickly and intuitively teleport between the different zones and areas of Growverse.

SSIT: And what about music and audio content?

Roberto Romagnino: We have Growtify, our internal radio: artists will be able to upload their songs and users will be able to listen to them freely at any time. There will also be Growcast, our live streaming podcast, to give voice and visibility to creators and industry professionals. It is an environment where music and audio content become an integral part of the immersive experience.

SSIT: What are the main partnerships and how are they integrated into the project?

We have the honor of having also signed a partnership agreement with Plagron, the legendary nutrient brand, world champion and undisputed number one in the industry. It's a collaboration we're proud of. Soft Secrets and Plagron will have dedicated virtual buildings within Growverse, with always-active avatars. In addition to Dotlabs which has followed the development so far, we have added Dolcevita Interactive Studio to our team, specifically dedicated to the Grow Room and the NFT Art Gallery. These partnerships strengthen the quality, authenticity and depth of the world we are building.

SSIT: Does Growverse compete with traditional social networks?

Absolutely not. We do not compete, we complement. Users will be able to browse their social networks directly within the metaverse and host live broadcasts. Thus, a new breed of virtual influencers will be born, more immersive and engaging. Avatars have full facial and lip motion capture and all lessons, lectures and interactions feature instant voice translation, breaking down all language barriers.

SSIT: What are the next steps and future prospects?

The next few months will be intense and dedicated to marketing: all social media mobilized in unison. We are in talks with investors to expand further. We have a plan ready to develop a new area every quarter, from release onwards, with features already planned for at least three years. Special thanks go to the entire team and the entire organization we have built: we are working with harmony, serenity, professionalism and above all with a clear and shared future vision. We are just getting started and eagerly await all brands: there is room for everyone in this new era.

SSIT: A final message for Soft Secrets readers?

If you have read the first interview of 2023, I warmly invite you to reread it to see how far we've come. Growverse is being created to give concrete opportunities to everyone: enthusiasts, creators, companies and professionals. Add Growverse to your wishlist on Epic Games and get ready: inside GrowCity a living, geolocated, monetizable, and immersive world awaits you like never before. Soft Secrets, Plagron and Growverse together are writing an important piece of the future. We look forward to seeing you all inside.

Technological Focus: Understanding the Growverse world

In this section, we briefly explain the technological pillars mentioned in the interview.

[1] Unreal Engine 5.7 with Pixel Streaming

Unreal Engine is a graphics engine used to create video games, 3D environments, and real-time simulations. Pixel Streaming allows the experience to run on remote servers and be streamed to a browser as an interactive video feed: thus, a normal internet-connected device can be sufficient for the user, without needing to install the software.

[2] Blockchain

Blockchain is a shared digital ledger where operations are verifiably recorded within a network. It can be used to track transactions and digital assets, making the provenance and history of records more transparent.

[3] Epic Games

Epic Games is the company that develops Unreal Engine and manages the Epic Games Store, a digital distribution platform for video games and applications. In the context of the interview, the mention refers to the distribution of the project through the Epic ecosystem.

[4] Utility Stable Token (USDC 1:1)

A utility token is a digital token designed to enable functions or services within an ecosystem. The term "stable token," on the other hand, indicates the goal of maintaining a stable value; in the case described in the interview, the value is declared as pegged 1:1 to USDC, a stablecoin designed to be redeemable one-to-one with the US dollar.

[5] Friction in technology adoption

Friction refers to the obstacles that make it more difficult to start using a new technology: for example, complex registrations, technical configurations, or the management of external tools. Offering a wallet directly upon registration aims to reduce these steps and make access more immediate.

[6] NFT (Non-Fungible Token)

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. It is a token registered on a blockchain that can identify a unique digital asset, such as an artwork, a 3D object, or a game item. Registration allows for the verification of its provenance and transaction history; the rights actually associated with the asset depend on the terms of the project or platform.

[7] OpenSea and Rarible

OpenSea and Rarible are marketplaces dedicated to digital assets and NFTs, where creators and users can publish, discover, buy, or sell blockchain-based collections. They are therefore online showcases through which a project can make its collections accessible to an international audience.

[8] Tapo NFT Collection: advertising benefits

The collection dedicated to the mascot Tapo introduces, as indicated in the interview, an advertising model based on clickable logos associated with avatars. The described advantage lies in the ability for owners to direct users to their site without individually purchasing the clicks provided by the traditional advertising model of the platform.