STUDIO KWANGYA will lead the further development of the SM Culture Universe
MANILA, Philippines – SM Entertainment launched on Tuesday, July 12, STUDIO KWANGYA, a subsidiary that specializes in metaverse content production.
In a tweet, the company announced that STUDIO KWANGYA is set to aid SM in post-production, VFX production, virtual human production, and VR production. It also serves as the company’s music video studio and virtual studio.
STUDIO KWANGYA is also open to establish joint ventures with other leading local or international companies in the said industries. Just recently, they collaborated with Amaze VR, a VR concert platform company, to develop Studio A. Studio A aims to produce immersive virtual concert experiences with SM artists through Amaze VR’s cutting edge VR creation tools.
Metaverse technology has been on the forefront of creating the SM Culture Universe (SMCU), a unique storytelling concept adapted by SM Entertainment that ties all the individual narratives and music of their artists together into one connected storyline.
“SMCU is a concept that crosses virtual and real worlds and encompasses the unique stories and worldviews of each artist. And the universe contains the identities of each artist and the place that transcends them. It also represents a new world where they coexist without boundaries. STUDIO KWANGYA was established to professionally create differentiated metaverse contents based on Culture Technology,” explained SM representatives.
In the SMCU, there are two worlds: the real world and the virtual world. The latter is referred to as “Kwangya,” a South Korean term which translates to “wilderness.” Kwangya has been repeatedly hinted at in the music videos of SuperM, NCT, aespa, and other SM artists.
SM Entertainment’s newest group aespa is best known for their metaverse concept where they have avatars as alter-egos of their four human members. In a speech delivered at the United Nations’ 2022 High-Level Political Forum, the girl group recently related their metaverse concept with a sustainable real world. – with reports from Beatriz Bertuldo/Rappler.com
Beatriz Bertuldo is a Rappler intern.