Social relationships have always been a part of video games, and some may even say an essential part. But gamers and creators alike acknowledge that there is still a great potential for social bonding and interactions development, and that it is a key area for the future of society and the entertainment industry. The social entertainment playground is wide: although gaming does serve as a social space for the digital age, that alone does not encompass the huge diversity of relationships in entertainment.
Social entertainment covers a much broader spectrum, looking to the wider world of entertainment, and how people interact with it and each other.
SINGAPORE’S SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT SCENE
The growing popularity of streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube has allowed for boundaries between players and spectators to lessen in recent years, and Singapore is no exception. In a research report done by Limelight Networks, it was revealed that 66 percent of Singaporean gamers frequently indulge in video game streamers. This increasing prevalence of gaming culture has led to local esports athletes being represented at the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, a milestone as the first medal event sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. The rise of esports marks a surge in people’s desire to come together and share an experience, whether it is filling out stadiums to cheer on their favorite team or chatting with others watching the tournament stream from home, or anywhere from their mobile device.
Beyond sharing experiences, entertainment is also about empowering communities. At Ubisoft Singapore, teams had the chance to focus on that topic during the previous season of the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab thanks to an interesting collaboration with the South Korean startup Planetarium, which created an open-source blockchain engine that allows players to mod persistent online games, empowering and encouraging its community to conceive and create the games they want to play.
CREATING THE EXPERIENCES OF TOMORROW
From community empowerment to social entertainment, there is but one step, and the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab program decided to make it. “This season, we want to focus specifically on Social Entertainment”, states Catherine Seys, Program Director of the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab, “we want to keep on exploring this path for gamers, modders and viewers of our content. Together with talented entrepreneurs working across different fields of entertainment—music, video production, live shows—we wish to contribute to and create the engaging, creative, and fun bonding and entertainment experiences of tomorrow.”
“We want to keep on exploring this path for gamers, modders and viewers of our content."
As the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab program moves into its fifth season, a new set of startups will be selected and mentored. The upcoming season will continue to explore Blockchain to examine the links between this technology and entertainment; and will also extend into the theme of Social Entertainment.
Do you think your startup could be developing the Social Entertainment experiences of tomorrow? Apply to Season 5 of the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab before 1 March 2020 — you might be one of the startups we’re looking for.
Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab is the interface between Ubisoft’s expert teams, entrepreneurs and external experts to foster productive collaborations and shape tomorrow’s entertainment. It supports startups on a global scale and leads the Gaming and Entertainment programs at STATION F in Paris and PIXEL in Singapore, helping various talented entrepreneurs to achieve their goal.