[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] D2SF, the startup investment arm of Naver (NAVER(035420)), has made a new investment in the virtual entertainment startup “23rd Century Kids.”

Naver D2SF announced on the 9th that it has invested in 23rd Century Kids, a company with virtual content production technology and intellectual property (IP) planning capabilities. 23rd Century Kids is a startup that plans and produces content based on the multi-personas of virtual artists.

Naver D2SF explained that, amid the rapid growth of the global virtual entertainment market—particularly in Korea and Japan—it was drawn to 23rd Century Kids’ content production capabilities and proprietary technology pipeline, which can maximize the strengths of virtual artists.

For virtual artists, it is crucial to provide high-quality videos that vividly convey their talent and individuality at a high frequency, while also introducing new, technology-driven fan experiences. To this end, 23rd Century Kids has independently developed virtual user experience technologies such as real-time motion capture, toon shaders, quadrupedal locomotion, and flying motion control systems. The company has also established an efficient workflow that allows for the rapid production of new content with a small team.

Based on their understanding of the entertainment industry and fandom culture, 23rd Century Kids is creating distinctive content and narratives. The virtual boy group “Wigo Six,” unveiled last year, features a “multi-persona idol” concept in which each member performs based on their own unique persona. The company explains that this approach maximizes the artists’ narratives and engagement with fans.

Kim Hyung-min, CEO of 23rd Century Kids, stated, “We plan to use this investment as a springboard to strengthen our content production infrastructure and deliver even higher-quality work,” adding, “By developing our own technology, we will create fan-participatory content unlike anything seen in the traditional entertainment industry.”

Yang Sang-hwan, Head of Naver D2SF, commented, “Virtual entertainment is a market with high growth potential that goes beyond mere technological implementation, enabling artists and their fanbases to communicate in new ways.” He added, “23rd Century Kids is a team that boldly pursues expansion opportunities in the virtual industry based on groundbreaking content planning and excellent production workflows.”

He added, “As Naver D2SF has continued to invest across all areas of virtual technology, we plan to explore opportunities for collaboration with Naver’s entertainment business and related organizations, such as Motion Stage.”