Tinder Develops Tinderverse Dating App, Blurring Online And Offline Boundaries

JAKARTA – The dating app Tinder is exploring how to blur the line between the offline and online worlds, CEO Renate Nyborg said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference.

The chief executive of Match Group Inc's dating app cited the company's recently launched Explore feature. Interactive events such as "Swipe Nights" allow users to choose their own adventure and match with others based on their choice.

The company is testing an in-app currency that users will use to pay for premium services and receive it as a reward for good behavior in the app, he said.

Asked by Reuters about the company's plans around dating in the metaverse, Nyborg said: "From a Tinder perspective, we've been talking about Tinderverse internally, which is more about blurring the line between offline and online."

Metaverse broadly refers to the idea of a shared virtual space that people can access via different devices and where they can move through the digital environment. These spaces can use virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR).

Facebook, which was recently renamed Meta Platforms Inc, is one of many tech companies that have been betting on the metaverse technology.

Dating app Bumble said during a November earnings call that it wants to prepare for "whatever comes up in the metaverse."

Nyborg says Tinder is still focused on helping people meet in real life.

He said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that it's possible to feel connected just by using the internet, it also shows the importance of connection in real life.