The Sandbox
Structurally identical to Decentraland on ownership, worse on the parcel-to-population ratio. The supply decision the platform made is the buyer's problem now.
Scored against the six conditions
Each score has written reasoning, so a disagreement can be with one number rather than with the assessment.
Persistence
On-chain LAND with persistent builds, and an editor whose output belongs to the creator rather than to a session.
Enforceable scarcity
Fixed supply, chain-enforced — though a very large supply was sold during the peak, which is a different problem from revocability.
Footfall
Population never scaled to match the parcels minted. Most land has never seen a visitor.
A unit that leaves
SAND is liquid and redeemable outside the world.
Standing that travels
Wallet-portable, with the same limitation as its peers: reputation does not travel.
Labour that never sleeps
No native agent layer. Experiences run when the platform's client runs them; a venue that needs to be open at 3am in another timezone builds that itself.
Studio assessment, dated 2026-08-28. Rubric and method: the Atlas. Price data where referenced: CoinGecko Research.
Position disclosed: Metaverse Group holds no position in The Sandbox.
Scoring a world we hold without saying so would be the most damaging thing this studio could publish. The disclosure is generated from one source and appears wherever the world does.
Where it sits
| World | Score | Family |
|---|---|---|
| Decentraland | 13/18 | Open world |
| Somnium Space | 13/18 | Open world |
| The Sandbox | 13/18 | Open world |
| Otherside | 10/18 | Open world |
| Roblox | 9/18 | UGC platform |
| Bitmap | 8/18 | Bitcoin-native |
| Fortnite Creative | 8/18 | UGC platform |
| Minecraft | 8/18 | UGC platform |
| VRChat | 8/18 | UGC platform |
| Apple Vision Pro | 7/18 | Spatial surface |
| Horizon Worlds | 4/18 | Publisher world |
The full league table and rubric: the Atlas.