Giantstep's Expansion of 'Virtual Human' Business Gains Momentum

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] Real-time content solution company Giantstep has officially launched its virtual human business.

According to the investment industry on the 9th, Giantstep recently featured the virtual human Isol (SORI), co-developed with Naver, on JTBC's 'New Festa'.

New Festa is a new music variety program on JTBC, planned and produced by Yoon Jong-shin and Yoo Hee-yeol. They will be divided into two teams and plan festivals with various participants each week under new themes, and Giantstep was in charge of the XR stage and the implementation technology related to the virtual human ‘Isol (SORI)’.

In particular, in this program, Giantstep featured the virtual human Isol, co-developed with Naver, to provide enjoyment to viewers. Isol played the role of the youngest employee at the 'New Festa Company' within the program, helping other actual team members lead the festival.

Isol was first revealed on Naver Shopping Live, Naver’s live commerce platform. The broadcast recorded a total of 800,000 views, attracting significant attention from the industry, and viewers showed increased interest in Isol, who demonstrated richer expressions and more natural movements compared to existing virtual humans.

Starting with Vincent, the first virtual human released in 2019, Giantstep has produced a total of five virtual humans, including Hanyu-a, co-developed with Smilegate, and Isol, co-developed with Naver. The company plans to expand its lineup by producing additional virtual humans within the year.

Giantstep plans to collaborate with game companies, entertainment companies, and big tech companies to apply its proprietary solutions related to the 'Unreal Engine' across various industries. The revenue structure of virtual humans is expected to generate continuous profits mainly through advertising appearances, content production and technology fees, IP sales, and revenue-sharing models.

Starting with the virtual artist Hanyu-a, unveiled last year, the commercialization of virtual humans is accelerating, and the second half of 2022 is expected to see simultaneous growth in awareness and sales of virtual humans.

A Giantstep official said, "Isol’s appearance on JTBC New Festa has become an opportunity to increase people's familiarity with virtual humans," adding, "The company will continue to do its best in planning and producing real-time content that meets diverse demands."

Meanwhile, Isol is scheduled to appear in all 12 episodes of JTBC New Festa, and following this appearance, will be active in various content service areas.