In June 2023, the Singapore Police Force launched Mata-verse — its first venture into the metaverse, built by Finute on Roblox. Twelve months later, it had drawn over 4.4 million players, a milestone reported by The Straits Times and syndicated across the region.
The ultimate policing experience
The name is a play on "metaverse" and mata-mata, the Malay term for police. Players step into accurately rendered SPF uniforms, patrol in faithfully modelled vehicles — from Fast Response Cars to the PETRA tactical vehicle — and train at a virtual recreation of the Home Team Academy. Progression mirrors the real force: complete quests, catch robbers, identify suspicious characters, and rise from trainee all the way to Senior Assistant Commissioner.
Education and recruitment, through play
Mata-verse teaches crime prevention, anti-scam awareness and road safety — not through advisories, but through gameplay players seek out voluntarily. It also serves as a recruitment window: hundreds of thousands of young Singaporeans have now experienced a day in the uniform.
Beyond the screen
The world extended into the physical one, featuring at the Police Community Roadshow and a year-long activation at the Serangoon Gardens North Neighbourhood Police Post. That loop — physical outreach driving virtual engagement driving real understanding — is, to us, the model for how uniformed services can reach the next generation.