I thought I would try some AI scanning to gather SL news on a monthly basis. This is what I found for June.
SL Mobile: Grumpity and Philip point out that work continues on the rendering capability of mobile devices. There has been a 10x increase in people signing up and onboarding via mobile and Project Zero. Nice.
Homes: A new neighborhood, Ridgewood Enclave, is planned for Premium+ members. The availability of commercial regions tied to the new homes is mentioned. Also, some refurbishing of existing home themes is planned. Some PBR updates to existing themes is mentioned.
Gacha: OK, most of us know Gatcha is back. Some of use think that is a good thing. I have my doubts.
Creator Partnership Program: Daniel Voyager posted a link to the SL video (1.5hr) of the SL22B meeting titled Meet the Moles. Not much info on the Partnership program in it. But the video includes some Mole history and hints off what is to come.
glTF Mesh Import Alpha: SL is getting a new type of mesh import. glTF Mesh refers to the use of the glTF (GL Transmission Format) file format for importing and handling 3D mesh assets within the platform. glTF is an open-standard format designed for efficient transmission and rendering of 3D models, widely used in modern 3D applications for its compact size and support for advanced features like Physically Based Rendering (PBR) materials.
As of now I know nothing about how this changes modeling for those of us using Blender. I do know it adds PBR to the upload format.
See the SL Viewer Alpha version Version 7.1.14.15976006598…
Details are mentioned in user group discussions and referenced by blogs like Wretch3D. It’s tied to the Creator Partnership Program and SL22B discussions about advancing content creation tools.
Also, see Megapahit glTF Mesh Import Beta Viewer (7.2.0.54038, July 4, 2025): Likely in early testing in June, this third-party viewer aligns with SL’s push for advanced mesh workflows. If you are looking forward to glTF, check out Megapahit’s viewer. I haven’t tried it yet. So you are on your own.
Lua Editor Alpha (7.1.12.14888088240): Available on the Aditi (Preview Grid) grid, this SL viewer is all about scripting enhancements. June saw it in active testing, giving scripters new tools to play with. It’s not ready for primetime.
Default SL Viewer (2025.04 – 7.1.14.15192634334): The stable release from May 2025 was the go-to in June, with no major changes reported. It’s rock-solid for most users, handling PBR rendering and recent feature updates.
Blockchain/Web3: Hamlet in his “What Blockchain/Web3 Virtual Worlds Should We Add points to the growing interest in Web3 and virtual worlds moving into the space.
If you are not looking into Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies, be warned. The financial worlds are in for a shakeup, probably this year. There are massive efforts to destabilize the US dollar and crash it. Such an event will destabilize all western currencies. Gold (metals) and Crypto are the only secure stores of value and not all cryptos.
The move to Web3 is rough. But it gives the content creator control of their content.
AI may, likely will, create problems for SL. See Hamlet and Philip.
Virtual Photography Tutorials: See Alexa’s Bits and Pieces.
Summary
Things are happening in Second Life. Nothing earth shaking. But things are advancing. Advancement seems more routine now than past novel big improvements. So, nothing too exciting.
The tech being added is complex. Not easy for new people to understand. I am challenged. So, I suspect more of the creation in SL is in the professional realm. So… not that exiting for most of us. It maybe I am growing up. Sort of the difference from one’s first bungie jump or skydive versus the hundredth.
I play in SL WAY more than I used to. Less time in Blender and more in SL and Photoshop.