In connection with the recent popularity of the virtual idol "Liu Yexi", and the "polite inquiries" from multiple brands and technology companies to understand its commercial value, the above-mentioned investor friends believe that the virtual idol The track may be one of the fastest to come to fruition commercial applications in the metaverse.

Nike is also going to "play" the Metaverse

After the first shot of "Meta" (formerly Facebook), everything about the Metaverse has become hot, and even sports Sports giant NIKE is very excited.

Recently, NIKE submitted relevant applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, requesting the use of Nike's logo of the same name in its entertainment services, retail stores, and virtual goods "used in online and network virtual worlds" , logo and "just do it" slogan.

NIKE said that the virtual material designers it recruited will "play a key role in redefining the digital world and lead us into the virtual world." They will join the company's team of digital product designers to create virtual footwear and other products.

Faced with this move, the first reaction of investors and friends was that Nike was going to make "skins" for virtual humans.

According to this investor friend, with NIKE’s strength, it is not difficult to design shoes and other products for virtual humans. "Before the concept of the Metaverse was born, the 1.0 version of virtual people was the QQ show. At that time, users paid money to buy yellow diamonds and give their avatars beautiful skins. In the same way, Nike entered the Metaverse to sell in the Metaverse. 'Fake shoes' and other skins."

"This application market should be very profitable. You must know that once a consumer-level virtual idol appears, it is not ruled out that consumers will pay for the virtual person directly. " The above-mentioned investor friend said.

In Honor of Kings, the total price of one of the most expensive skins is 11,000 yuan. If you have the complete set, you will be a wealthy person. "As Nike, a sports giant, there is a business of players speculating shoes in real life. If it is copied into the virtual world, it will be a huge consumer market." said the above-mentioned investor.

Emotional companionship plus functional virtual humans, or the final demand

Since Nike wants to sell “shoes” in the virtual world, what about its attached subject, the virtual human? Woolen cloth?

Yao Xiaofei believes that with breakthroughs in hardware and technology in the future, virtual humans will become more and more intelligent. "It is no longer a simple NPC, but will have more personalized services, such as emotional companionship or functional services."

Taking emotional companionship as an example, Yao Xiaofei said that Microsoft's previous virtual human "Microsoft "Xiaobing", "She can sing, dance, and even adjust her personality according to your personality. Her main focus is on emotional needs and companionship. But on the other hand, she is not a functional robot and cannot serve as a secretary or assistant." Work. Therefore, the development of virtual humans in the future is likely to be a combination of the two."

“But the problem is that virtual people are not real people and have no thoughts. If they only have beautiful appearance and appearance and no specific character and characteristics, they will easily be overwhelmed in the complicated world of virtual people. " Star calculation cloud computer Zhao Xiangyang said.

In Zhao Xiangyang’s view, what virtual humans will do in the future is to accompany them. "On the one hand, public idols will be born, and on the other hand, privately blessed virtual people will also be loved. Now mobile phones and projectors can project virtual people. If voice interaction technology is integrated into it, then this kind of companionship will If it can be realized, there will be a market for its application."

So far, the emergence of "Liu Yexi" has attracted the attention of capital. Since this year, the giants have also been intensively planning their layout.

NetEase has invested in "virtual human" companies five times, investing in avatar technology company Genies, "Yuanverse" social platform Imvu, American live broadcast company Maestro that creates virtual interactive concerts, and "Microsoft Xiaoice" "The parent company-Beijing Hongmian Xiaobing Technology Co., Ltd. and Next World Culture.

Among them, Next Generation Culture has helped Dilireba create the virtual image "Dili Lengba", and together with Longtao Entertainment *** developed Huang Zitao's virtual image "Taosman", etc.

iQiyi is also making efforts in variety shows. The launch of "Metaverse Singers" provides both real scenes and virtual world scenes, inviting singers to witness the birth of Metaverse Singers.