Today, the Dyverse launches on crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Backers can purchase one-of-a-kind Kydys – 3D characters that can either be plugged into mobile apps and games or enjoyed as a 3D printed collectible toy – starting from $25 for the early bird special.

Rudy Lee, CEO and co-founder of VREX LAB – the company behind the Dyverse – explains: “Most things we buy aren’t unique to us. Whether it’s a toy from a Wal-Mart or a skin or emote in games, the things we buy are owned by countless others. As a result we only own a copy, not the original, and don’t even have the license to do anything with them. And since we don’t have things that are unique to us, we have limitations on originality when creating content using those things. By producing and selling only one copy or version of every asset, the Dyverse provides consumers with full ownership of the original version of any asset they purchase. No other Dyverse user can own the same character as another user, and this has far reaching implications in terms of the virtual identities we embrace online. From a regular collectible standpoint, it’s also valuable that the toy I have on my desk is the only one of its kind in the world.”

 At its core the Dyverse aims to become a universe of virtual characters that can be enjoyed across diverse platforms, even blurring the divide between the physical and virtual worlds through its use of AR and 3D printing technology. Yet the idea of providing full ownership to the users of these one-of-a-kind, original characters motivated VREX LAB to integrate blockchain technology in the Dyverse. Though not an ICO, the Kickstarter sale will provide non-fungible tokens that store metadata of the virtual characters on the blockchain. The Dyverse marketplace, to be launched later this year, will enable trading of such characters using Ethereum.

The Dyverse is not meant to be enjoyed by only holders of Ethereum, however. The Kickstarter campaign is the first of diverse initiatives from VREX LAB to reach a broader audience and onboard non-crypto users. Kickstarter backers will also be given early exclusive access to future characters in the Dyverse designed in collaboration with influencers, streamers, and artists.

VREX LAB, based in Seoul and Shanghai, has been working with AR and VR technology for content creation since 2016. VREX LAB was the first Korean VR/AR company to receive investments from notable global investors such as SOSV and Colopl Next. Leading deep tech investor Bluepoint Partners led the company’s seed round in 2017, while top tech/blockchain accelerators from Silicon Valley such as Plug & Play and ETC Labs also invited VREX LAB to their programs.

 For more information, visit the Dyverse Kickstarter page.

*Related article: A Universe of Virtual Content and Goods, ‘the Dyverse'