Tencent, the China-based multinational identified for WeChat and a number of cellular video games, reportedly introduced to employees that was making a unit devoted constructing out its XR choices.
As reported by Reuters, Tencent allegedly informed employees on Monday in regards to the official formation of a unit tasked with increase its XR enterprise, which is claimed to incorporate each software program and {hardware} tasks. The inner XR unit was supposedly launched in secrecy earlier this 12 months.
Tencent Video games World’s Chief Expertise Officer Li Shen is claimed to go the unit, and it is going to be a wing of its Interactive Leisure enterprise group. It’s additionally mentioned the corporate is aiming to rent over 300 employees members to fill varied XR roles.
The report maintains that Tencent founder and chief government Pony Ma views the XR unit as a ardour undertaking, underling the significance of the metaverse by dubbing it in 2020 an “all-real web.” Tencent has but to touch upon the knowledge alleged within the report.
This follows continued downsizing by Tencent, first introduced in Could. On the time, it was mentioned the Shenzhen-based firm would cut back its headcount to between 10%-15% this 12 months alone.
At the least inside China, it appears Tencent is primarily trying to compete with TikTok mum or dad firm ByteDance, which acquired Chinese language VR headset creator Pico Interactive for an estimated $775 million in August 2021.
Nonetheless with ByteDance pouring thousands and thousands into VR developer help, it’s clear the goal is a wider launch in Western markets, with the corporate’s Quest 2 competitor, Pico Neo 3 Hyperlink, now out there in Europe and coming quickly the US.