Jan 5, 2023 – AKA Virtual (CEO Shen Jia, Tokyo, Japan), a startup that specializes in 3D character and animation, announces investment from and potential partnership with Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. (Sega) in Q3 2022. The alliance is celebrated by the successful debut of Virtual YouTuber (VTuber) Popona’s 3D debut on 7 November 2022. The 1-hour stream featured official VTuber, Popona, from the online mobile game “Phantasy Star Online 2 (PSO2): New Genesis*” singing live and interacting with her fans. This 3D live debut concert attracted over 2,000 simultaneous viewers worldwide and 22,000 total attendees (as of 14 November 2022). The livestream was ranked in the Top 10 Super Chats globally.
*Phantasy Star Online 2:New Genesis is a game developed and published by Sega Corporation.
Based in Tokyo, the land of animation, video games, and iconic characters, AKA Virtual began its activities in early 2021. AKA Virtual provides services and technology to bridge realities between the real world and the digital world, enabling characters, brands, and creators to interact with their fans in virtual space. The 3D technology startup has been working with gaming and IP companies like Sega Corporation (of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc.) to bring their characters to life. Famous characters such as Popona from “PSO2: New Genesis” can now perform without limitations on live streams and various social media platforms. Businesses can capitalize on motion capture and 3D animation to create content within accessible costs and production lead times.
The name “A.K.A.” stands for “also known as”, an abbreviation for the notion that everyone can become anyone (or anything) they desire. AKA Virtual not only wants to enable but also to empower creators in this digital age with their virtual characters, also known as another you.
AKA Virtual is also the 2nd biggest VTuber talent agency in Indonesia with its 25 VTubers. The agency also gained traction within the Indonesian VTuber community when it exhibited for the first time at Comic Frontier(CF) and Indonesia Comic Con(ICC) 2022 in Jakarta, Indonesia in early November 2022. AKA Virtual’s team of talented streamers are most active on YouTube and Twitter. The talents sing, play games, chat with fans, and also produce engaging short-form content on YouTube and TikTok.
About Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. x AKA Virtual
Sega Sammy Holding Inc.’s investment into AKA Virtual stems from the latter’s know-how in 3D technology. Popona is a character from Sega Corporation’s online RPG mobile game “PSO2: New Genesis”. Having gained popularity amongst gamers, Popona was turned into a virtual celebrity by live streaming on YouTube. The Popona 3D live debut hosted by AKA Virtual is only the beginning of many collaborations to come and AKA Virtual will go on to support Sega Corporation in their virtual content creation projects.
Additional Information
Watch VTuber Popona's 3D Live Debut on YouTube.