ambr, Inc. planned and developed “Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition” (open from Feb. 18th to 24th) as its second project of “xambr”, the metaverse development product

ambr, Inc. (Tokyo. CEO: Takuya Nishimura. Hereafter “ambr”) is pleased to announce that we have planned and developed “Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition — Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty-’’, which is the first metaverse art exhibition of this world-famous trading card game.

Following on from the success of TOKYO GAME SHOW VR 2021, which recorded over 210,000 visitors, our metaverse building product “xambr” (pronounced cross-amber) was appointed for the development of this Virtual Art Exhibition.

About “Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition”

“Magic: The Gathering (Hereafter MTG)” is the world’s first trading card game released in the United States of America in 1993. It is manufactured and sold by “Wizards of the Coast LLC (Headquarters: Renton, WA. CEO: Chris Cocks. Hereafter “Wizards”)”, the world-famous creative game company. Now, many MTG sets are translated into 11 languages and attract more than 40 million fans and players in over 70 countries and territories worldwide.

“Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition” will be held on February 18 in the virtual reality space based on the world of Kamigawa in commemoration of the release of the latest set “Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty”. It is centered around the card illustrations designed by 83 talented artists, which include Tetsuo Hara (manga artist for “Fist of the North Star”), Yoji Shinkawa (art director of Kojima Productions), and Katsuya Terada (the character designer of the “Kamen Rider W).

In addition, it also exhibits about 200 items, including behind-the-scenes material from the Wizards of the Coast Development Studio World Guide and original animation from Japan.

■Outline of the Event

Date and Time: February 18th, 2022 (Fri.) 10:00 AM ~ February 24th, 2022 (Thu.) 9:00 PM (JST)
Organizer: Wizards of the Coast LLC
Supported Devices: Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2), Oculus Link, Oculus Rift / Rift S, HTC Vive / Vive Pro 1 & 2, Windows (*You can play the app with PC only.)
Service Area: Japan and Asia-Pacific region (*Some areas excluded. See details on the website.)
Admission Fee: Free
Recommended Hashtag: #MTGVR
Official Website: https://mtg-kamigawa-vr.art/en/

About the Planning and Development of the Exhibition

ambr was in charge of planning and developing this exhibition. In this project, we designed the concept of the virtual art exhibition and aimed to create a new way of artistic experience in virtual reality. Talking about the development process, we built a unique app customized exclusively for this exhibition using xambr, our metaverse development product.

In addition, we collaborated with Wizards’ US headquarters team for the planning and development and targeted the Asia Pacific region (*excluding some areas), which made this the first global project of ambr.

■Features of the Exhibition

<Getting Inside the Art of Magic: The Gathering>
This is Neo Kamigawa, where Japanese mythology and technology has merged. 1200 years have passed since we last visited this plane.
Let’s step into the concept art of “Towashi” and “Boseiju”, and enjoy the art exhibition that encompasses the city.

< Grab & Play: New Genre of Art Experience though Virtual Reality>
By grabbing the artwork, it will be enlarged in front of you, surrounded by behind-the-scenes rough sketches, against the background of the Kamigawa world. The actual card design also appears in the lower right and artists’ comments in the lower left. In Virtual Reality mode, you can also hold and see a card in your hand and look at it from various angles. Unlike most exhibitions, it enables an immersive and complex experience that stimulates your senses.

<Interactive Experience that Brings Life to the Artwork>
Summoning the legendary “Dragon Spirit” from the card and seeing it in your very eyes is speechless. This is not just a 3D animation, but makes the world and story of Kamigawa into something compelling and powerful when combined with the power of your imagination.

<Communication>
“Octagonal Pavilion” is an information center and a community space for people to get interested in “MTG” and for fans to interact with each other. Players can choose to display their MTG proficiency level, mana preference, and ARENA ID all on their nameplate. It helps everyone to find a topic to start a conversation even when they meet for the first time.

Messages from ambr and Wizards

■ Takuya Nishimura (CEO, ambr)

When I was a kid, I was really into card games including MTG. I cannot tell you how long I have been dreaming about getting inside a world beyond cards where creatures and magic exist. This time, with virtual reality technology and creativity, we finally made it possible to make a dream come true.
In collaboration with Wizards’ Japan team and the US headquarters, our goal was to deliver the beauty and fun of the world of MTG as a new experience in the form of a virtual art exhibition. It is available on both VR devices and PCs, so whether you are a beginner or a veteran, I hope you enjoy this experience beyond the set design concept art of the world’s best card game.

■ Kanna Banjo (CXO / Creative Director, ambr)

This exhibition was planned with a primary focus on beautiful artwork and artists who created them. Rather than simply laying out the pieces, the exhibition integrates multiple ways of enjoying the works into a single viewing experience, including reading artists’ comments, viewing valuable behind-the-scenes rough sketches and cards as a final product.
We also focused on the creation of mechanisms for a richer experience of appreciating art, such as robots that narrate the world of Kamigawa and the sonic experience where multiple sounds blend together.
I hope you enjoy the exhibition and feel how much MTG values art firsthand.

■ Hidetomo Nishioka (Esports Community Manager, Wizards of the Coast, Japan)

Because of more people staying at home due to the COVID-19, trading card games have become more popular than ever. On the other hand, it was not easy to find a way to rebuild communities centered around card shops that were divided by the pandemic and to maintain close relationships with fans. That’s the reason why we focused on VR technology. We thought that virtual reality can help immerse players into this fascinating world, which is the strength of our game, and connect fans not only in Japan but all over the world.
In this project, “Towashi’’, the cyberpunk city in the new set “Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty’’, was reproduced in VR space. We will hold a virtual art exhibition where you can enjoy a lot of beautiful artwork of this plane firsthand with artists’ own comments. Please enjoy a new art experience of the metaverse era from home!

About ambr

ambr is the metaverse creative studio based in Japan. Utilizing “xambr”, our metaverse development product, we plan and develop metaverse together with leading IPs, brands, and event organizers. Our strength lies in designing the best “user experience” through virtual reality, and we have been working on creating metaverse with high user engagement.

■ About xambr

xambr is the metaverse development product that is equipped with necessary functions to create a metaverse and virtual space such as “avatar”, “multiplay”, “communication”, “world”, and “multi-device”. It is a technological infrastructure system for building a unique metaverse efficiently with stable operation.

■ About Recruitment

ambr is looking for new members who want to work together to build the best global metaverse company from Japan. We are hiring various positions such as a business producer, engineer, designer, and planner.
For recruitment, please refer to https://www.wantedly.com/companies/ambr

■ About Co-Creation

If you are interested in the co-creation of metaverse and virtual space with ambr, please contact us at: producers@ambr.co.jp.