En
JP UNIVERSE
April 12, 2023

Toppan Inc.
JP UNIVERSE Inc.

Toppan and JP UNIVERSE sign a capital and business alliance agreement

Promoting the spread of the Industrial Metaverse through an interconnected infrastructure

Toppan Inc. (hereafter “Toppan” head office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Hideharu Maro) and JP UNIVERSE Inc. (hereafter “JP UNIVERSE” head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hajime Tabata), which seeks to create better digital spatial lives, have entered into a capital and business alliance agreement in April 2023.

In the future, the two companies will combine their respective technologies and knowledge to promote the Industrial Metaverse, which is expected to grow, and develop a Metaverse interconnectivity to leverage the strengths of both companies and utilize Metaverse technology in smart city-related projects in Japan and overseas.

Purpose of the Partnership

In recent years, the Internet has been transforming from simply being a consumer database and a useful tool into a “world of experiences.” In particular, demand for the use of the digital space as a DX tool is rapidly increasing among companies and government agencies.

In this context, Toppan’s high-definition/high-precision VR technology and enterprise-oriented metaverse technology will be combined with JP UNIVERSE’s game and Metaverse fusion technology and UX construction expertise to provide a high-quality digital spatial infrastructure to corporations and government agencies and promote the construction of an Industrial Metaverse. In addition, the two companies will promote the exchange of technology and human resources to develop a “Metaverse Interoperability Platform” that will allow the two companies’ individually developed Metaverses to connect and interact with each other.

By doing so, we will conduct various demonstration experiments on the Industrial Metaverse that will contribute to solving various social issues, such as the declining birthrate, aging population, and post-COVID initiatives, and feed the results back to companies and government agencies for their development in the real space, and thereby contributing to the realization of a rich and sustainable lifestyle.

Details of the Partnership

①Interoperability between “MiraVerseⓇ” and “RYUGUKOKU™” to promote the Industrial Metaverse

The goal is to realize interoperability between Toppan’s MiraVerseⓇ, a business-oriented metaverse service platform with high-definition, low-latency real-time rendering capabilities, and JP UNIVERSE’s RYUGUKOKU™, a metaverse platform with a fantasy worldview and game elements. As a new social infrastructure, JP UNIVERSE will support DX in the industrial world, including information dissemination, marketing, and work style reform for domestic companies.

② Incorporation of gamification elements in the “MiraVerseⓇ” business

By providing JP UNIVERSE’s PEGASUS WORLD KITⓇ, a Metaverse space construction tool with excellent UX, to Toppan’s MiraVerseⓇ, JP UNIVERSE will promote the incorporating of gamification elements into MiraVerseⓇ. This will contribute to the healthy growth of the market by expanding the business domain of MiraVerseⓇ beyond tourism, cultural experiences, showrooms, and other areas that include fashion, events, beauty and health, sports, and other entertainment areas, and by quickly working on the Industrial Metaverse, which is expected to grow.

Future Goals

Toppan and JP UNIVERSE aim to construct a virtual smart city on a high-end Metaverse by utilizing the Metaverse technologies of both companies, without limiting their efforts to the Industrial Metaverse alone. By seamlessly linking the virtual smart city with the real space, the various demonstrations conducted in the Metaverse will be fed back into the real space to provide highly convenient services such as improved services for residents, new attractions for visitors to the city, and more efficient administrative operations, as well as the value of experiences that enable self-realization and self-expression within the digital space.

About JP UNIVERSE

JP UNIVERSE is a Metaverse studio founded by Hajime Tabata, director of “FINAL FANTASY XV.” The company is under the umbrella of TBT Lab Inc. with which Toppan Inc. signed a basic agreement on February 27, 2023, and is currently building and operating the “RYUGUKOKU™” Metaverse platform with the aim of creating the “Japan Metaverse Economic Zone.”

Trade name JP UNIVERSE Inc.
CEO Hajime Tabata
Established February 8, 2022
Business
Activities
Operation of the “RYUGUKOKU™” Metaverse platform and provision of Metaverse technology

The names of products and services mentioned in this news release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

The information in this news release is current as of the date of the announcement and is subject to change without notice.