It has been around for a couple of months only, but it is already going viral and could become Elon Musk’s next playground. Earth 2 is the 1:1 scale digital version of the planet that will determine ownership of digital assets and property in a futuristic second Earth’s metaverse.

Its Virtual Land, a geographically linked digital grid built with MapBox technology and that spans across the entire planet, has been split into 5.1 trillion land tiles (10m x 10m). Tiles vary in prices depending on their location, going from as low as $0.10 and their value will fluctuate over time according to demand and earning potential – just like in the real world.

Some see it as a video game, some as the closest thing to cryptocurrencies, and others as the actualisation of financial freedom. What is clear to all, is its speculative potential.

For example, in the last 24h, tiles in the microstate of San Marino became a hot selling, with over 30.000 titles sold and the state closer and closer to sold out which would literally spike its land tiles’ value (already valued $80 at the time of writing).

Among the future features expected on the trading platform, which is now live just in its Phase 1, there are the possibility for users to rent or build virtual structures on their land and, therefore, to earn income taxes or even cash in from advertisements on their properties. This means that portions of lands including tourist attractions, monuments, or important natural resources will soon receive even more growing interest.

The community around Earth 2 is growing and so is the hype, in a similar loop to the one that rocketed Bitcoin’s record value last month. In this case though, the scope seems even greater and the goal that of almost creating a parallel universe. And it is the developers themselves claiming it: "We aim for Earth 2 to be the beginning of the Earth’s fully immersive virtual reality similar to "The Matrix" or "Ready Player One" and we are so excited to engage this journey together."