Brave group will start a joint research with Tokyo University of Science, with the financial support from Tokyo University of Science Innovation Capital in the Series D First Close.
– Background of Capital and Business Alliance and Joint Research
Brave group’s mission is to “strike wonder in 8 billion hearts”. To do so, we have been working mainly in three fields of business towards the whole world. The IP business consisted of the next generation virtual esports project “Vspo! (*1)”, and the virtual music label “RIOT MUSIC (*2)”. Secondly, the platform business which runs a virtual academic town “ME Campus (*3)” using our original metaverse engine “Brave Engine (*4)”. Finally, the incubation business which runs an esports school “CR Gaming School (*5)” and develops emerging areas using AI and Web3 technology.
Since the beginning of this year, in addition to the establishment of several overseas offices, we have been working on an aggressive growth strategy that includes global expansion, mainly in the IP business, by holding virtual talent auditions for the English-speaking, Chinese-speaking, and European markets.
In the esports business, the company established Game & Co., Inc. in December 2022 to develop esports businesses under the vision “for esports 100 years from now. In addition to the management and consulting of tournaments, we are also involved in the esports education business. In a survey of students of “CR Gaming School,” an online school for games launched in February 2023, we received a 100% satisfaction rate, with over 90% of students saying that they feel they have improved in gaming.
For the further growth of Brave group’s business and the further market growth of emerging entertainment areas such as VTuber and esports, we believe that it is essential to increase the probability of success of our strategies through the use of data. To do so, Brave group will start a joint research with Tokyo University of Science, with the financial support from Tokyo University of Science Innovation Capital in the Series D First Close.
(*1) Vspo!: https://vspo.jp/
(*2) RIOT MUSIC: https://riot-music.com/
(*3) Brave Engine: https://metalab.co.jp/brave-engine.html
(*4) ME Campus: https://mecampus.org/
(*5) CR Gaming School: https://cr-gs.jp/
– About the Joint Research on Fandom Economy and Esports
The word “fandom” is a word made up of the words “fan” which means someone who admires something or someone very much, and “dom” which means a group or state. Fandom is the world , culture or community that is created by enthusiastic fans of mainly pop culture and sports. Fandoms surrounding IPs such as VTubers are acting as “participants” rather than “consumers,” including fan fiction activities such as clipping official videos and drawing illustrations, thereby boosting their economic sphere.
The VTuber market has been on a growth spurt in recent years, and in 2023 the VTuber market is expected to reach 80 billion yen, 153.8% of the previous year’s figure (*6). According to QY Research, a Chinese research firm, the global VTuber market is expected to grow to $17.4 billion (approx. 2.4 trillion yen) in 2028, more than 10 times larger than in 2021.
The esports market is also on a similar expansion trend, with the “Olympic Virtual Series” held as a pre-event for the global sporting event in Tokyo in 2021, and esports becoming an official sport at the Asian Games in 2022. The image of esports is improving as it is adopted in more and more international events, and the population of gamers as well as the number of viewers increases (*7).
In the joint research, we will work with a research group led by Professor Kakihara of the Department of International Digital and Design Management, Faculty of Management, Tokyo University of Science, to conduct a complex analysis of various peripheral data centered on the IP/esports business, which will be used to develop strategies that will contribute to our business and market growth.
(*6) From Yano Research Institute Ltd. “VTuber Market to Expand in Japan: Key Research Findings 2023”
https://www.yanoresearch.com/en/press-release/show/press_id/3304
(*7) About domestic esports population and viewer growth
According to a study conducted by KADOKAWA Game Linkage Inc., esports in Japan will have an audience of approximately 4.83 million in 2019, a 126% increase in numbers compared to 2018.
– Themes of Collaboration and Cooperation Through this Alliance
1) Quantitative research on domestic VTuber audiences
2) Empirical research on professional gamers and their surrounding environments
– Comment From Professor Masao Kakihara of Tokyo University of Science, School of Management, Department of International Digital and Design Management
We are very pleased to have the opportunity to start an industry-academia joint research project with Brave group through capital participation from Tokyo University of Science. The fandom economy based on games and esports is one of the most vibrant and business-oriented entertainment areas in the world today. Professional gamers who are seriously engaged in esports, a form of competitive gaming; VTubers who attract many people by the way they seriously engage in live game streaming; and viewers who are enthusiastic about and cheer for these people who are seriously engaged in gaming. The purpose of this project is to quantitatively understand the behavior and attitudes of these people and empirically elucidate the mechanism of their enthusiasm by utilizing my knowledge and experience in analyzing user behavior. I would like to publish and share the results of our research in various ways in the future, so please stay tuned.
– Comment From Brave Group Representitive Keito Noguchi
We have had the valuable opportunity to work with Professor Masao Kakihara of the Tokyo University of Science and have decided to start a joint research project in the field of VTubers and esports. This is our first attempt to analyze data from an academic approach, and we are very excited about it.
We hope to derive hypotheses and facts that will lead not only to the growth of our company’s business, but also to the growth of the market.
We will continue to strengthen our alliances domestically and internationally to achieve overwhelming growth in our business.
– Comment From Game & Co. Company Director Atutoshi Kubo
We find it very meaningful that we have launched a joint research project on esports with Tokyo University of Science.
In the esports market, we believe that the development of strategies utilizing data is essential for business growth and market expansion.
By utilizing our assets and knowledge of the esports domain, and through joint research with Professor Masao Kakihara of Tokyo University of Science, who has deep knowledge in data analytics, we aim to investigate and analyze the data necessary for the esports market to grow in the future.
We are committed to this joint research for the future of the esports scene.
– Recruitment Information
As of October 1, 2023, Brave Group has 157 employees (234.3% compared to last year) and 11 group companies, and we are expanding our organization as we diversify our business and services.
Please refer to the following job list page to see the positions that are currently available.
https://recruit.bravegroup.co.jp/recruit-information/
– About Tokyo University of Science Innovation Capital
We were established as a university-accredited venture capital firm to invest in and support companies that can truly enrich people’s lives and contribute to the healthy development of society through the development of advanced technologies and the introduction of new services.
We invest not only in university-originated technologies, but also in companies that commercialize advanced technologies and develop new services.
Based on the founding spirit of the parent university, “The spread of science is the foundation of national development,” and the educational and research philosophy of “Creation of science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, mankind, and society,” we aim to contribute to the realization of social innovation and to the harmonious and lasting prosperity of Japan and the world through the management of our company.
URL: https://tusic.co.jp/
– About Tokyo University of Science
Founded in 1881, the Tokyo University of Science is a private university with four campuses, 33 departments in 7 faculties, and 30 majors in 7 graduate schools, making it the largest private university of science and technology in Japan. The university conducts education and research under a meritocracy, balancing tradition and innovation, and making use of the most advanced facilities available at the time. The university has produced many outstanding engineers, researchers, and educators in science and mathematics who have contributed to the development of society, based on its educational and research philosophy of “creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, mankind, and society.
URL: https://www.tus.ac.jp/
