Daniel Baran
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Project Lead · Adastra Studios · 2021 – 2022

Infinite Playa metaverse platform

Context

In 2021, Adastra Studios worked on Infinite Playa, a metaverse platform aiming to connect live events with persistent virtual spaces. The core team had more than 30 people, plus outsourcing partners in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and the USA.

Problem

Distributed teams across several time zones, different cultures and contract constellations, while ambitious live-event deadlines served as milestones.

Constraints

Distributed teams in at least four time zones, external live-event deadlines, growing requirements with a limited core team and the combination of real-time 3D requirements with classic web backend architecture.

Process

I originally joined in a support role and grew into project leadership over the project lifetime, not through a formal title but because at certain interfaces nobody else took over translation between teams. That included cadences, responsibilities and prioritisation against live dates.

Solution

A functioning delivery structure for a team that had grown faster than its processes.

Results

Live events were delivered. The platform continued beyond the project period and served further clients.

Learnings

Ambitious metaverse projects rarely fail because of technology. They fail over who makes which decision when, and because distributed time zones without deliberate cadence turn into latency and frustration.