Since
its release on July 6, 2016, Pokémon GO, the free-to-play location-based
augmented reality mobile game from Niantic, has taken the world by storm.
Within days, the game became one of the most widely used smart device apps in
history, with far-reaching effects spanning into the financial sector. Nintendo
(OTC: NTDOY) saw its stock price nearly doubling before closing at its highest
level since 2010 last Friday, while Zagg, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZAGG) benefitted from
its recent acquisition of a smartphone battery case manufacturer on its way to
a 27 percent jump in stock price in just over a week. One feature of Pokémon GO
that’s played a key role in its commercial success is its underlying Unity3D
platform. This is the same technology used by eXp World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:
EXPI) to power its immersive 3D Campus for eXp Realty and related ventures.
Unlike
Pokémon GO, EXPI has successfully leveraged the Unity3D virtual reality
platform for business purposes. Through eXp Realty, the company uses the
technology to offer an immersive 3D environment to its brokers and agents that
takes the place of traditional infrastructure without negatively impacting the
training and interpersonal interaction that’s necessary for real estate
professionals to effectively operate in the industry. In line with the
development of this platform, EXPI recently announced entry into an agreement
with VirBELA, LLC, one of the leading developers leveraging Unity3D to create
immersive online worlds, through which it gained exclusive rights to the
VirBELA platform within the real estate industry, as well as an option for
exclusive rights covering a number of vertical industries such as mortgage
origination, mortgage lending, title and escrow and title insurance.
“When
we discovered immersive worlds to use in business we knew we had something and
since then we have run the real estate brokerage almost entirely via a virtual
world platform,” Glenn Sanford, chief executive officer of EXPI, stated in this
morning’s news release. “Our staff, management, agents and brokers have fully
embraced avatars for work, attend classes, strategize, collaborate, innovate,
enjoy water-cooler chats, build teams, and share experiences. The close-knit
community that we’ve been able to build over the years on our campus has
distinguished us from ‘virtual’ brokerage models.”
Despite
its similarities to Pokémon GO, EXPI’s Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage™ is a major
force in the real estate industry. Since 2013, when the company committed to
making its agents and brokers the owners of its publicly-traded stock, eXp
Realty has expanded its agent base to include more than 1,400 agents across 43
states; Alberta, Canada; and the District of Columbia. Though consumers may
never see EXPI’s innovative cloud campus, the company’s agents visit on a daily
basis to remain up-to-day on the best ways to optimize the level of service
they can offer to clients.
“We’re
different from Pokémon GO in that we use our Unity-powered platform for
business, working on behalf of consumers engaged in what is often the most
significant transaction of their lifetimes — the purchase and/or sale of a
home,” added Jason Gesing, CEO of eXp Realty. “However, the power of augmented
and virtual reality platforms like Unity will allow us to continue to build a culture
of service, of entrepreneurship and of a shared sense of ownership, allowing
our agents to develop meaningful personal and professional relationships with
their colleagues from across North America.”
For
more information, visit the company’s website at http://investors.exprealty.com
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