Second Life comes to tablets and smartphones after 20 years

Second Life, the virtual world that is now almost twenty years old, is getting a mobile version. Soon, players should be able to experience the same characters and worlds on their iOS, iPadOS, and Android devices thanks to cross-platform support. The beta should be released sometime in 2023.

Second Life developer Linden Lab makes that known in a video and a forum post. The video also shows the first images of the mobile version of Second Life. Although it is the first time such an announcement has been made, the studio says it is not the first attempt. The studio staff says the mobile versions are built on Unity. The mobile versions they show “didn’t have to sacrifice too much in terms of graphics” compared to the desktop versions.

Second Life isn’t a game, like that underlined the developers in 2007. “There is no manufactured conflict, no purpose,” a spokesman said at the time. Second Life is used to build online communities, build virtual locations and also shop there, for example. Second Life has its Linden Dollar, which players can purchase for real money. In 2017, Ars Technica wrote a extensive backstory about the state of affairs at Second Life at the time.