TOKYO & TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 26, 2025 — HTC Corporation, a global leader in innovative smartphone and virtual reality platforms, today announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the leading Japanese ICT solutions provider for telecommunications and smart venue infrastructure. The two companies will join forces to promote the development and application of large-scale immersive location-based entertainment (LBE) across Japan, paving the way for a new era of immersive experiences.
LBE is a rapidly growing type of immersive entertainment that brings extended reality (XR) headsets into physical spaces, allowing guests to enjoy virtual experiences together. LBE can deliver a range of experiences across culture, entertainment, education, and tourism. For LBE venue operators, HTC’s lightweight deployment solutions allow for quick setup without major renovations, which enables flexible planning and improved venue utilization and value.
As Japan continues to invest in large-scale sports and concert venues, operators face the challenge of maximizing venue usage in off-peak periods. Reducing operational costs while increasing usage is crucial to the health of these businesses. With HTC’s globally leading LBE technology and NTT Com’s expertise in smart venue infrastructure and networking, the partnership will develop innovative LBE immersive experiences and help revitalize venue operations.
As a pioneer in XR, HTC has successfully launched immersive cultural exhibitions in multiple countries, showcasing the versatility of LBE in large spaces. Notable examples include “Eternal Notre-Dame,” recreating the historical splendor of Notre-Dame Cathedral; “Versailles: The Lost Garden of the Sun King,” transporting visitors into the grandeur of French royal gardens; and “La Magie Opéra,” an operatic XR journey at the Paris Opera. These experiences have received acclaim from international media and audiences alike, highlighting the potential of XR to transcend cultural and technological boundaries.
HTC’s LBE solution supports multi-user synchronous immersive experiences, allowing free exploration of virtual spaces as large as 1,000 square meters (approximately 33 x 30 meters). These experiences can be adapted for different uses, including cultural exhibitions, performing arts, military and police training, educational outreach, and immersive tourism, offering high scalability and commercial flexibility.
Looking ahead, HTC and NTT Com plan to deepen their collaboration by working with popular Japanese IP holders in anime and gaming, cultural institutions, and local governments to expand the scope and depth of immersive content offerings.
In addition, NTT Com will explore integrating its advanced technology platforms—such as IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network), IoT applications, and tactile transmission systems—to build a next-generation entertainment model. This will enable real-time multi-site connectivity and highly interactive immersive experiences, driving Japan’s LBE ecosystem toward a more interconnected, intelligent future.