Virtual human characters next big thing for game developers

Seoul : South Korean game companies are increasingly setting their eyes on projects centered on virtual human character development, aimed at carving out new endeavors in non-gaming areas such as music and marketing sponsorships.
Netmarble announced its plan to introduce its virtual character Rina, developed by its subsidiary Metaverse Entertainment Inc., earlier this year and plans to launch a female K-pop group project centered on the character under a partnership with entertainment agency Sublime Co.
Smilegate Holdings, the developer and publisher of online multiplayer titles, such as “Crossfire,” “Epic Seven” and “Lost Ark,” has also announced its virtual human, named Han YuA, and has released a single music track last month under YG KPlus, a subsidiary of K-pop agency YG Entertainment Inc, reports Yonhap news agency.
Krafton, the gaming giant behind the global smash hit “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” in February revealed demo footage of its own virtual human character and has announced investment plans in areas of virtual characters, chat bot services and other non-gaming projects.
Also Read Top Chinese smartphone makers cut orders by 20% amid lockdown woes NCSOFT Corp, the company behind the long-running popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game “Lineage,” has also revealed plans for research and development in the newly emerging field.
It recently hired Lee Je-hee, a Seoul National University professor and an expert in the field of optical motion capture, as its chief research officer, for its own virtual character project.