Hiring Personnel for XR Service and Technology Development
Streaming Platform Chijijik XR Service Development Tasks
Naver is expanding its media player development team to strengthen its extended reality (XR) services. As global big tech companies actively enter the XR market, Naver appears to be aiming to expand into this new industry trend. Recently, Samsung Electronics announced the establishment of an XR platform, indicating that the IT industry battlefield is rapidly shifting towards XR.
According to industry sources on the 19th, Naver recently decided to add personnel responsible for XR service and technology development to its 'Immersive Media Lab,' an organization that develops a common media player, and has begun open recruitment. The Immersive Media Lab develops playback technologies such as live streaming, video on demand (VOD), and audio, and is responsible for advancing over 70 internal and external Naver services, including Naver's streaming platform Chijijik, Blog, Clip, audio platform VIBE, and sports.
XR refers to a technology that integrates augmented reality (AR ? technology that overlays virtual elements onto reality), virtual reality (VR ? a digital environment separated from reality), and mixed reality (MR ? interaction between reality and digital). Using an XR headset, users can experience virtual worlds as well as directly see and feel real spaces that are otherwise inaccessible. It is notably applicable to content such as games, movies, performances, exhibitions, and sports.
Naver intends to apply XR to these services to enhance realistic content. The company plans to first provide XR services on its streaming platform Chijijik. The role of XR developers has been set to focus on XR services within Chijijik, with minimum requirements including over three years of development experience in Android and Apple’s operating system iOS.
A Naver representative said, "We are considering expanding XR services on Chijijik," adding, "We are currently reviewing various possibilities with an open mind."
With the application of XR technology, significant changes are expected in the content produced by creators affiliated with Chijijik. In particular, virtual creators who characterize human actions through camera equipment have utilized existing VR technology, but integrating XR will enable the production of even more realistic content. If Chijijik leads XR services, it could dominate the global virtual creator market, which is projected to reach $17.4 billion (approximately 24 trillion KRW) by 2028. Creators will be able to become characters within games themselves or experience content such as performances, exhibitions, and sports alongside multiple users in real time.
Naver’s metaverse (extended virtual world) services can also generate synergy. Through its subsidiary Naver Z, Naver operates the AR avatar service and metaverse platform Zepeto. Zepeto is available in over 200 countries, with 95% of its users overseas and an estimated monthly active user (MAU) count of 30 million. If XR services are applied, an environment will be created where users can operate in spaces beyond AR. A paradigm shift toward live commerce services is also anticipated.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
