POV: What is Bondee?

Background:

Forget Facebook. Forget Viber. Forget Telegram. Bondee, a brand-new next-gen social networking app where you can literally be whoever and live wherever you want to be, is taking Asia by storm.

Details and Implications:

Fancy a picnic, a camping trip, or even a sailing expedition? Go on one with friends in the virtual world of Bondee. Launched on 17 January by Singapore based tech firm Metadream, Bondee is a virtual avatar social app where users can chat with friends and take part in virtual activities. It invites people to “live with your friends” and the app description is a “virtual plaza for you and your closest friends to hang out authentically.”

Think of it as a crossover between the Sims, Animal Crossing and Habbo Hotel (depending on your age) but packed with familiar social networking features like chatting with friends and leaving notes on walls. You can customize your own 3D avatar, design your own spaces, and virtually interact with your friends. But unlike other networking platforms, Bondee encourages “close friends only” with a limit of 50 friends in your circle.

Some users are praising its customisability and interactive activities and the app has rapidly become one of the most popular apps in Asia, hitting the top spot of Social Networking ranking in the App Store in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. In Japan, it has reached the top 10.

Well-loved local brands and personas are surfacing on the platform, with users creating spaces inspired by their favourite places, businesses, style icons, and even public figures. 
 
Although Bondee is free to download, the app is powered by in-game currency B-Beans. And eventually, it seems that users will be able to create a “blockchain-based wallet” within the platform. They can then spend B-Beans to purchase non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which will be stored in their wallet. At this point, what Bondee’s NFT offering will be is unknown.

Bondee isn’t available outside Asia yet, but if its popularity continues, it seems inevitable that it would become available to a broader international audience. In addition to running Bondee, its creator Metadream says it is currently “developing a series of metaverse creative products”.

Summary:

It remains to be seen if the app will continue topping the charts and sustain activity after free trials run out. However, it seems like a promising space for users and brands to explore experiences that blend the “metaverse”, online gaming and messaging and could be a precursor to a new era of social networking.

Further Reading:

NME | Vice | Lifestyle Asia