RP1 Opens the Gates to a Decentralized Spatial Internet

COLUMBUS, OH – December 04, 2025 – In a move that directly challenges the tech giants shaping the next iteration of the internet, spatial computing firm RP1 is set to open developer access to what it calls the "first open ecosystem for the spatial internet." Beginning December 8, the company will release a suite of tools and documentation allowing developers to build, host, and monetize their own interconnected 3D experiences, a stark departure from the closed, 'walled garden' platforms that currently dominate the landscape.

This launch comes six months after RP1 first unveiled its metaverse browser at AWE 2025 and represents a pivotal moment for the extended reality (XR) industry. By handing developers the keys to self-host on their own servers, own their data, and control their revenue streams, RP1 is making a bold play to establish the foundational, open standards it believes are necessary for a truly global and persistent metaverse—one that mirrors the democratized principles of the early World Wide Web rather than the tightly controlled ecosystems of today's app stores.

A Challenge to the Walled Garden

The nascent metaverse has been plagued by a fundamental tension: the grand vision of an open, interconnected digital reality versus the commercial drive to create proprietary, controlled platforms. Recent history is littered with the casualties of this conflict. According to RP1's Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Mann, the recent shutdowns of platforms like Microsoft's HoloLens (for certain uses), 8th Wall, Mozilla Hubs, and AltSpace have exposed a critical vulnerability for creators and enterprises invested in XR.

“Recent platform shutdowns... have exposed a critical weakness in XR: without an open ecosystem, no one truly has control over their own content,” Mann stated in the announcement. He argues that the risk of building on a platform that can be altered or shuttered at the whim of its owner is a major impediment to enterprise adoption. “Many learned this the hard way when HoloLens stopped supporting their XR needs. What the spatial internet needs now is a new 3D browser — an open pathway that lets anyone run spatial infrastructure on any server and any device, with full data ownership and management of corporate security.”

RP1's strategy is a direct counter-offensive to this model. Instead of building another destination, it is providing the roads and the traffic laws. The goal is to create a universal, interoperable framework where experiences built by countless different developers can coexist and interact seamlessly, regardless of who created them or where they are hosted. This vision for a decentralized network of spaces stands in contrast to the approaches of major players like Meta, whose Horizon Worlds operates as a distinct, company-controlled environment.

Unpacking the New Technology Stack

At the heart of RP1's offering is a new technology stack designed from the ground up for a persistent, proximity-based 3D internet. This isn't simply a new application; it's a proposed new protocol layer for spatial interaction.

The cornerstone is the Open-Standard Metaverse Browser, a 3D browser designed to render spatial experiences in real-time across any device, from VR and AR headsets to traditional desktops and mobile phones. Unlike 2D browsers built for displaying documents, this browser is architected for presence and proximity. “A metaverse browser that revolves entirely around proximity requires an entirely different architecture that delivers apps and services on demand without the need to preinstall them,” explained Dean Abramson, RP1's Co-Founder and Chief Architect. This "zero-install" model is critical for a world where a user might interact with hundreds of different services and applications just by walking through a virtual space.

Connecting these spaces is the Universal Spatial Fabric, a shared coordinate system that allows disparate, self-hosted environments to link together into a cohesive whole. This enables multiple services—from AI agents to e-commerce storefronts—to occupy the same overlapping virtual space and interact based on a user's location.

Perhaps the most ambitious component is the Statabase, a proprietary software architecture promising unprecedented scalability. RP1 claims this technology can support the entire population of Earth in a single, unsharded ecosystem with full spatial audio and six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) tracking, all while using up to 1,000 times less compute and energy than current systems. If these efficiency claims hold up under real-world developer stress tests, it could solve one of the biggest technical and financial hurdles facing the metaverse: supporting massive numbers of concurrent users without exorbitant server costs.

Finally, the Network Service Object (NSO) provides a unified API, allowing developers to easily integrate services like payments, IoT data, and multiplayer game logic into their spatial applications.

Market Implications and the Creator Economy

By prioritizing developer ownership, RP1 is tapping into a growing demand for a more equitable digital economy. The current platform model often leaves creators and businesses vulnerable to policy changes, fee structures, and the existential risk of platform failure. RP1’s model empowers them to build sustainable businesses on their own terms. This could catalyze a new wave of innovation, particularly from independent developers and small businesses who have been hesitant to invest heavily in closed ecosystems.

The competitive landscape is fierce, with established giants and well-funded blockchain-based metaverses like Decentraland and The Sandbox already commanding significant user bases. However, RP1 is not necessarily competing to be another "world." Instead, it is offering the underlying infrastructure that could, in theory, connect them all. Its focus on enterprise-grade solutions and open standards could appeal to corporations looking to build long-term spatial strategies without vendor lock-in.

The success of this initiative will hinge on developer adoption. The true test begins on December 8, when the community gets its hands on the tools. The quality of the documentation, the performance of the self-hosted servers, and the learning curve for the new APIs will be critical factors. RP1 is betting that the promise of true ownership and interoperability will be a powerful enough incentive to build a thriving ecosystem from the ground up.

The Future of Spatial Applications in Healthcare and Beyond

While much of the metaverse discussion revolves around social and entertainment use cases, the implications of an open, scalable spatial internet extend far into professional sectors. For healthcare, a field this column watches closely, the potential is transformative. An open standard could allow for the creation of interoperable medical training simulations where surgeons from different hospitals, using different hardware, can collaborate in a single virtual operating room.

Patient data privacy and security, paramount in healthcare, could be better managed through self-hosted solutions rather than relying on third-party consumer platforms. Virtual clinics, physical therapy sessions, and mental health environments could be built as persistent, secure spaces owned and operated by healthcare providers themselves, ensuring continuity of care and regulatory compliance. The scalability offered by technologies like Statabase could enable medical conferences or global health summits with tens of thousands of participants interacting in a single, shared virtual venue.

This move by RP1 isn't just about launching a new developer kit. It is a deliberate effort to architect the very foundation of the next web. If successful, it could foster a more resilient, innovative, and decentralized digital future, moving the internet from a web of linked pages to a universe of interconnected spaces. The developer community's response in the coming months will determine if this open blueprint can build a world to rival the walled gardens.