EU threw a lavish Metaverse celebration, but few people attended.

The foreign aid division of the European Union (EU) is thought to have spent nearly $408,000 (€387,000) on a metaverse and held a celebration party on November 29 to mark the occasion, but only six people are said to have attended.

The "gala" was attended by the metaverse avatar of Devex reporter Vince Chadwick, who tweeted a video of the event on November 29 with the caption, "After initial bemused chats with the roughly five other humans who showed up, I am alone."

In the video, one of the messages on the screen asks, "Is anybody out there?" Another remark reads, "The event is just the same DJ spinning the same songs."

The EU created the metaverse to support its "Global Gateway" initiative, which aims to advance infrastructure development in underdeveloped countries.

According to an anonymous EU foreign aid department employee who spoke to Devex, the metaverse, which is also reportedly called "Global Gateway," was covertly introduced in mid-October with a "depressing and embarrassing" promotional video.

An EU spokesperson stated that the 18 to 35-year-old demographic is the target audience for its metaverse, and that this group "identifies as neutral about the EU and is not particularly engaged in political issues." The goal of the promo video was to pique the interest of this audience, particularly on TikTok and Instagram, and to persuade them to participate in the campaign.