HTC has announced the signing of a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NTT Communications, a Japanese telecommunications and information and communications technology solutions provider. The two companies will jointly promote the application and expansion of location-based entertainment (LBE) in Japan. The two companies will leverage their respective technological strengths and foresee the potential of immersive XR experiences to drive innovation in large-scale venue entertainment in Japan.
As the global trend toward large-scale location-based entertainment continues to grow, HTC is bringing its expertise in XR immersive experiences to the Japanese market. By leveraging NTT Communications' strengths in smart venues, 5G, and network infrastructure, HTC is creating a fast-deployable, highly flexible, and sustainable XR large-scale interactive experience solution.
According to the plans of both parties, this solution can be applied to stadiums, performance spaces, museums, and even local cultural venues, supporting multi-person synchronous experiences of up to 1000 square meters. This not only saves venue modification costs, but also creates a new source of revenue for the venue on non-event days.
HTC Chairman and CEO Cher Wang emphasized, "We will continue to promote the cross-industry integration of XR technology with culture, entertainment, and tourism, injecting innovative vitality into cities through immersive experiences." NTT Communications plans to integrate HTC's IOWN future network technology, IoT, and haptic transmission system to create more immediate and highly interactive content experiences for its immersive applications, ushering in a new era of multi-domain digital entertainment.
HTC has accumulated a wealth of large-scale live-action entertainment experiences around the world, including the immersive restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, "Eternal Notre Dame," "Versailles: The Lost Gardens of the Sun King," which blends French court history and garden aesthetics, and "La Magie Opéra" at the Paris Opera. These projects have all received rave reviews from international media and audiences. These examples demonstrate that XR technology is not just a means of entertainment, but also a key driver of cultural sustainability and tourism innovation.
With this foray into Japan, HTC and NTT Communications will extend their reach into the local content industry and local government, and plan to collaborate with well-known anime and gaming IPs to expand the depth of XR content.
By leveraging both technology and content, HTC and NTT Communications are poised to seize a leading position in Japan's large-scale location-based entertainment market, becoming key drivers of the transformation of smart venues and cultural entertainment. HTC also plans to expand this collaborative model to other Asian markets, further expanding the reach of XR commercial applications.
