Does a nation’s commitment to sustainability reflect preparedness for the metaverse? An anticipatory governance-led configural narrative

Purpose Nations are actively investing in the Metaverse, driven by a forward-looking perspective recognizing its potential to revolutionize economies. Nevertheless, the optimism is not devoid of challenges for our environment. The business models created on the metaverse necessitate substantial computational and processing capabilities, resulting in significant threats to our planet’s well-being. This highlights the acute need for nations to adopt a sustainable stance; otherwise, endeavors to reap benefits from the metaverse may be short-lived. Hence, this study aims to comprehend the link between a nation’s capacity to achieve sustainability objectives and its preparedness to embrace the Metaverse. Design/methodology/approach The study uses fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis encompassing 34 countries and explores combinations of sustainability indicators that influence high and low metaverse readiness levels. Findings The analysis yields four configurations for high and low levels of a nation’s metaverse preparedness, specifically emphasizing resource efficiency as a critical sustainability factor influencing nations’ metaverse preparedness. However, such efficiencies may be inconsequential in countries with rich natural and intellectual capital. Originality/value The study emphasizes the role of a nation’s commitment to sustainability in shaping its readiness for embracing the Metaverse, offering insights into strategically advancing metaverse ambitions through sustainable practices.