WPP and interactive entertainment company, Epic Games, have announced a new partnership to help WPP agencies deliver “a new era” of digital experiences for brands in the metaverse.
The news follows WPP’s recent announcement of “The Metaverse Foundry”, a new Hogarth global metaverse offering.
The collaboration is set to include a training programme to teach thousands of WPP creatives and technologists how to use Unreal Engine for real-time 3D creation and virtual production and how to create custom brand experiences in Epic Games’ Fortnite.
The “big six” agency believes that creators and brands have a “tremendous” opportunity to explore connections within virtual spaces.
“For brands embarking on this journey, success in the metaverse is dependent not only on creative excellence but deep production capabilities, sound strategies for amplifying digital experiences and expert knowledge of a complex online safety and privacy landscape,” WPP said.
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Epic Games experts will work closely with WPP teams as part of the partnership, teaching creators how to build interactive experiences while using “Unreal Engine”, an advanced real-time 3D creation tool used across a range of industries including games, film, architecture, fashion, automotive, music and live events.
As a result of the impart of expertise creators will be able to create new experiences in Fortnite and have the skills to build imaginative worlds for brands inside the game.
“We think of WPP as the creative transformation company, one that embraces new environments like the metaverse and sees the potential for clients,” WPP executive vie president of strategic partnerships, Nilufar Fowler, said.
“Epic’s technology is world-class, and we are delighted to partner with it to raise the bar for social experiences in virtual worlds on behalf of our clients.”
Epic Games vice president of metaverse development, Matthew Henick, added: “The collaboration between Epic, WPP, its clients and the creator community will accelerate the building of diverse social entertainment experiences that players across the world will love.”
“This partnership with WPP bolsters our mission to educate more trailblazing brands and creators on how Epic’s tools across Fortnite, Unreal Engine, and 3D marketplaces like ArtStation and Sketchfab can be used to bring their metaverse visions to life.”
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