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The Immersive Wire - 9 February 2022 (News edition)

The Immersive Wire - 9 February 2022 (News edition)

February 09, 2022

By Tom FfiskeVR/AR and metaverse analysis every Wednesday and Sunday 

// 9 February 2022

It was lovely to speak to Kent Bye and Oliver Kadel about the book! Also, slots are available if you wish to sponsor the newsletter; reply to this if you're interested.

 

MAIN STORYTekken my way back to the metaverse 

Bandai Namco is making their own 'IP metaverse.' 

  • Investing around $130m, the team will 'develop a metaverse for each IP as a new framework for connecting with fans.' 

  • The team expanded their reasoning: 'In this IP metaverse, we are anticipating virtual spaces that will enable customers to enjoy a wide range of entertainment on an IP axis, as well as frameworks that leverage Bandai Namco’s distinctive strengths to fuse physical products and venues with digital elements'

  • Another way of seeing it is that they are expanding their IPs, rather than building a metaverse. Knowing that their IP helps to draw finances to their company, they are looking for ways to increase revenue streams with what they own - which is fair, but does not need to be part of the metaverse. 

  • So it is less a metaverse play, and more investment into their work. If we see their IP hop to different worlds, then that is a different matter. But for now, we need to see how they firm up with their strategy. 

The Super Bowl will have an influx of immersive technologies

  • A major advertising slot for the biggest brands in the US, companies fight it out away from the pitches to get people's attention. Like last year, we will see immersive technologies being used again, such as with Pepsi. 

  • I mention it this year because, clearly, AR works each year. A way to track engagement in between games and see how it piques the interest of viewers, in a way that leaps off the TV screen, is a major benefit for brands. Beyond Pepsi, we should see a smattering of other companies doing the same activities. 

  • My guess this year is that, with the ubiquity of QR codes, we will see a surge in activity. We will see.

Out now! The Metaverse: A Professional Guide sorts the sense from the nonsense, giving experts insights and guidance on how to navigate the burgeoning world of immersive technologies. I am also open to organising corporate orders; if you would like to order a bulk of copies, then send me an email and we can organise a bulk discount. Get your copy today. 

OTHER STORIESSome new stories on the side 

  • Dark Slope Studios announced Heather Blom as the winner of their Virtual Production Fellowship program.

  • Dragon Drop, an AR app for tabletop games, is on Kickstarter.

  • Fat Red Bird launched a new VR episode of its (Hi)Story of a Painting series franchise at SXSW 2022. 

  • Immerse announced its partnership with Get Real, a VR and AR advisory firm, to provide organisations with a complete approach to enterprise VR.

  • Poplar Studio developed a new app integrated with Shopify that will enable merchants to request 3D models of their products directly from Shopify and publish AR product visualisation experiences.

  • SeekXR announced the launch of its new ESG program, designed to help companies measure and offset their carbon emissions. 

  • Virtual Virtual Reality 2 is available tomorrow. 

  • The XR Safety Initiative (XRSI) announced the publication of “Virtual Worlds, Real Risks and Challenges”, the report from the first XR Data Classification Roundtable.

Jobs boardNEW - DISTRIBUTION AND TOURING PRODUCER. Marshmallow Laser Feast is looking for someone to join our team as a Distribution & Touring Producer. You will have a desire to work at the bleeding edge of immersive storytelling and help shape how that work is distributed globally. We see the development and distribution of MLF’s own work as key to the future success of the business, a key revenue stream and integral in building global brand awareness. This new role will be a vital part of the core team that formulates and realises this ambitious vision. Learn more. RENDERING AND C++ ENGINEER, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company. Qualcomm is a company of inventors that unlocked 5G ushering in an age of rapid acceleration in connectivity. Under this dynamic umbrella, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company, shapes the future of augmented reality by empowering businesses and developers. We are looking for the XR Software Engineer Design to design, test, and implement core parts of the Wikitude XR toolkit – particularly rendering pipelines for XR systems. Do you have a high affinity for real-time rendering pipelines and optimizing code to fit 16ms (or less)? Learn more and apply! SENIOR COMPUTER SCIENCE and SOFTWARE DEVELOPER (3D, Linear Algebra, C++).  MetaVRse is a web-based 3D game engine for building immersive experiences without needing to code.   We are looking for a unicorn computer scientist from anywhere in the world who can help us improve the core rendering technology that will serve creators to build custom products in training, marketing, sales, retail and learning in photorealistic, real-time 3D delivered on any device in a browser. Working with our Head of R&D, you will be responsible for creating and implementing new 3D graphics solutions to push the limits of our technology stack.  Solid understanding of Real-time 3D libraries (OpenGL, Vulkan), Linear Algebra, C++ and 3D rendering and game engine technologies. Apply Here.XR SOFTWARE ENGINEER NETWORKING, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company. Qualcomm is a company of inventors that unlocked 5G ushering in an age of rapid acceleration in connectivity. Under this dynamic umbrella, Wikitude, a Qualcomm company, shapes the future of augmented reality by empowering businesses and developers. We are looking for an experienced XR Software Engineer Networking to drive the architecture, development, and deployment of core parts of our XR toolkit. A successful candidate has extensive experience in multiplayer streaming and can apply it to XR experiences. Do you have a solid technical background, a passion for the XR industry, and enjoy working with engineering teams? Apply hereXR CONTENT DIRECTOR, Pixo VR. The VR marketplace is exploding, and PIXO is leading the way in on-demand generation and adoption in our industry. With our groundbreaking PIXO ApexTM platform, we provide comprehensive, end-to-end VR content, distribution, and management solutions for enterprise. PIXO VR is searching for an XR Content Director to join our team. Reporting to the COO, the Content Director will manage the overall production, procurement and growth strategy for our XR content library. Working with a team of offshore and onshore designers, engineers, artists, marketers, and 3rd party content developers, the Content Director will ensure PIXO is delivering an exceptional content experience to all our end users. Check out further details here. SDK TECHNICAL ENGINEER, Pico Interactive Europe. As SDK Technical Engineer you will be responsible for investigating/troubleshooting issues reported, and collecting/consolidating customer requirements back to the Beijing DevSupport team. Through this role you will be the technical liaison between Pico Interactive Europe customers and Pico product teams to ensure Europe region's commercial success. In Europe, Pico is one of the premier enterprise hardware companies in the rapidly growing VR market. Click here for more.TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER, Pico Interactive Europe. As Technical Project Manager you will be responsible for evaluating improvements to the devices, services, logistics, and operations to continue the high growth business of Pico Interactive Europe. In Europe, Pico is one of the premier enterprise hardware companies in the rapidly growing VR market. The Pico Europe business is responsible for all business opportunities in Europe, Israel, Russian Federation and India. Click here for more.  Display your vacancy in front of thousands of talented VR/AR professionals in just a few clicks. Click here for more info.

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That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!