• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 10, 2024

Dentsu this morning unveiled "House of Creators," a new initiative to develop the "next generation of creators who make and share content" on social media. Importantly, the first phase of the initiative s launching on immersive, proto-metaverse platform Roblox, which is built around a community of -- in Dentsu's words -- "millions of next-generation creators."

The Roblox rollout includes:

• A manga contest for creators to enter their original worlds with winners receiving technical support to further develop and make their creators available to people around the world as "off-platform" content supported by Kodansha Ltd's Creators' Lab editors.

• A Creator Acceleration Program for the most active on Roblox users (approximately 30 creators by the end of 2024), which will provide financial support and mentorship to help them advance their game design skills.

Dentsu did not disclose plans or details for future elements of the House of Creators initiative, but it said the program was motivated by "changes currently taking place in virtual content production and distribution.

"The rapid pace of technological advancement has accelerated the democratization of content production and distribution, with games and videos, etc. shared via online games and the metaverse. This is a shift from the past, when only companies with large capital could produce and distribute content, to a new era in which individuals with creative ideas can produce and distribute on their own.

"Furthermore, in a society where people's values and preferences are becoming more fragmented and diverse, it is challenging for marketers to find content that will generate enthusiasm (strong engagement) from users."