The Metaverse Is Dead, Long Live Virtual Worlds! Three European Consortia, One Institute of Technology

How does a single engineering school go from building one immersive digital twin platform to co-leading Europe's flagship skills academy for virtual worlds in under five years? Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology - ENSAM traces that trajectory through three consortia, each a deliberate step up in scale: JENII, a nationally funded proof of concept; IDT4EU, an Erasmus+ partnership with Warsaw University of Technology, Politecnico di Milano and Finnish SME New Education Horizon testing whether the approach transfers; and ViWAS, the CYENS - coordinated Virtual Worlds Academy of Skills, now building the competence framework for immersive technologies across the continent. We share what changed at each stage - governance, partners, and stakes - and what any institution weighing a similar path should know before committing.