The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has made a KRW 100 billion (US$82 million) investment in Metaverse Entertainment, a subsidiary of major South Korean game company Netmarble.

The investment was made through HMG’s ZER01NE funding program, an open innovation platform to facilitate collaboration between startups and Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, the two major vehicle producers of HMG.

The HMG and Metaverse Entertainment will work together on the development of digital humans. The metaverse company already has experience creating the virtual influencer “Lina,” who is active on Instagram and TikTok, and plans to debut a virtual K-Pop girl group later this year.

In addition to launching blockchain games, Netmarble has been growing its metaverse business through its subsidiary Netmarble F&C. The gaming company has disclosed that it will be launching its own digital wallet and a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace sometime this year.

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