Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & CEO: Hiroshi Igarashi; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen) announced today the launch of "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition," a virtual art exhibition of the world's first trading card game "Magic: The Gathering (hereinafter "Magic") " created and marketed by the global game creative company Wizards of the Coast (President and COO: Chris Cocks; Head Office: Renton, Washington, USA). This exhibition at https://mtg-kamigawa-vr.art/en/, which will be the first project utilizing the Dentsu Group's "Owned VRPF Solution™,"*1 the VR platform system solution that was jointly created with investee company ambr, Inc. (CEO: Takuya Nishimura; Head Office: Tokyo; hereinafter "ambr"), will be held from February 18 through February 24, 2022, and participation will be free of charge.

Note: The images are still under development.

With the full-scale introduction of 5G (fifth-generation mobile communications system) and an eye toward the living with COVID-19 / post COVID-19 society, there is an increasing need for companies to develop new businesses and marketing initiatives using VR and metaverse technologies.
We were able to develop and provide this virtual art exhibition through a collaboration between two Dentsu Group internal organizations; the Customer Experience Creative Center (CXCC)*2, Startup Growth Partners (SGP)*3, and ambr which provides the metaverse building product "xambr (read as cross ambr)". Our solutions system is designed to provide one-stop services from the development of VR worlds for client companies to the planning and implementation of marketing measures.

Magic is the original strategic trading card game with more than 40 million players and fans worldwide, and this exhibition "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition" - 'Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty' drawn by a total of 83 artists -," which provides a new simultaneous viewing experience in the VR era, has been timed to coincide with Magic's launch of the new anime set 'Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.' The feature of this virtual art exhibition is that users all over the world can communicate with each other and experience the wonderfulness of art which is the strength of Magic at the same time, and, through our addition of gameplay, actively interact with each other.

· What is "Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition"?
At this art exhibition, 134 cards drawn by a total of 83 artists will be exhibited. Visitors to the art exhibition will be able to witness and photograph the beautiful and powerful world of art that Magic is proud of, as well as enjoy the following five pieces of content that will allow them to enjoy the world of Magic.

(1) Going inside the card art
Kamigawa: 1200 years after the fusion of Japanese mythology and technology. You can enjoy the art exhibition that spreads out in the urban space by descending into the art of the "Towashi" and "Boseiju" cards that set the stage.

(2) A virtual and evolving appreciation experience
As a new art appreciation experience, by grabbing and drawing the work toward you, you can appreciate commentaries by the artists themselves and sketches at the time of production that normally cannot be seen as they unfold in the card that you are holding in your hand right in front of you.

(3) A 3D experience that brings life to the artwork
You can have a special virtual experience that unleashes the worldview and story contained in the card art with the power of a player. You can summon the legendary Dragon Spirit drawn on the card to appear right before your very eyes.

(4) First public release of unpublished materials.
Around 30 previously undisclosed materials created by the Wizards of the Coast headquarters design team will be released only for this virtual art exhibition, making it a coveted exhibition for fans.

(5) A community spot that invites you to a world of magic
At "Octagonal Pavilion," where various magic-related pieces of information are gathered, first-time players and long-time fans can all get together and enjoy communication.

Among the 134 card art works exhibited this time are those drawn by Tetsuo Hara, who is famous for his "Fist of the North Star" manga series, Yoji Shinkawa who is an art director of Kojima Productions, and Katsuya Terada who was in charge of the design of the "Kamen Rider W" character. Through VR, this art exhibition not only allows you to enjoy the world of magic and card art but also offers various gimmicks such as your avatar evolving according to the number of cards you get and the rate at which you acquire them. In addition, as special content, we also have a 3D experience that makes characters appear from the cards. It is also possible to enjoy a multi-experience where several people can make characters appear at the same time, and to take pictures of the content.

Anyone can participate free of charge through the following PC and VR devices:
· Windows PC
· Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2)
· Oculus Rift / Rift S
· HTC Vive / Vive Pro 1 & 2

Date and time: From February 18, 2022 (Friday) to February 24, 2022 (Thursday) until 21:00, JST.
Service area: Most of Asia Pacific region (For further details, please see the special campaign site.)
Special campaign site: https://mtg-kamigawa-vr.art/en/
Official Twitter hashtag: #MTGVR

Going forward, centered on Dentsu Innovation Initiative (DII), Dentsu Group Inc.'s in-house organization that promotes the R&D of the entire Dentsu Group across all 145 markets, and XRX STUDIO, a co-creative organization launched by five Dentsu Japan Network companies, namely Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Tec Inc., Dentsu Live Inc., Dentsu Digital Inc., and Information Services International-Dentsu, Ltd. (ISID), the Dentsu Group will promote new business development and marketing support with client and partner companies globally, and accelerate the Group-wide promotion of R&D measures such as 3D advertising, commerce, and data management in the XR domain in addition to the VR transformation of events both within Japan and overseas.

DII: R&D policy in the XR domain
· What the XR team believes

We believe that XR technology will expand dimensions, senses and spaces, making people's lives around the world richer and more convenient. We will continue to work globally with outside partners to create valuable business foundations and solutions for the future.

Investees we support as a partner

*1 "Owned VRPF Solution™" is a solution for building owned VRPFs for client and partner companies. The Group provides two solution lines: "Virtual EXPO Solution™" and "Owned VRPF Solution™," based on management knowhow of VR infrastructure systems and VR events, and the planning and design knowledge of the VR space.

*2 Customer Experience Creative Center (CXCC) is an in-house organization of Dentsu Inc. that was established in 2021and comprises approximately 100 creatives. While utilizing CXCC's original methods and the latest creative solutions, we design a journey with a dual funnel from cultivating new customers to becoming a fan of existing customers, as well as planning creative work.

*3 Startup Growth Partners (SGP) is a group of producers specializing in startups.

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Contacts:
Investment inquiries:
Dentsu Innovation Initiative (within Dentsu Group Inc.)
E-mail: innovation-initiative@dentsu.co.jp

Media inquiries:
Jumpei Kojima
Chief Director
Group Corporate Communications Office
Dentsu Group Inc.
Telephone: +81 (3) 6217-6602
E-mail: group-cc@dentsu-group.com

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Dentsu Group Inc. published this content on 18 February 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 18 February 2022 02:10:04 UTC.