With digital heroine Lara Croft pushing sales of Tomb Raider videogames past US$3 million, you'd think there'd be room for another virtual babe to pull in a big audience. So hopes HoriPro, the Japanese talent agency for the ultra-lifelike virtual star Kyoko Date. Kyoko's bubble-gum personality and songs were designed to appeal to Japanese teens. While her CDs have sold, she hasn't translated into an übersuccess. So HoriPro set her up with a day job: spokesmodel for Oz Interactive, a San Francisco firm that creates virtual worlds for PCs.
Oz, a company with roots in dance music, plans to put a Euro-style spin on Kyoko, toughening her up for new audiences. So far, Kyoko earns her milk money as a model for Oz's 3-D streaming Web software (www.oz.com/). Longer term, the company hopes to develop her into an entertainment icon, perhaps featuring her in concerts or ads. This may involve computer surgery to modify her looks. Says Oz spokesperson Daddi Gudbergsson: "Should the German Kyoko Date look the same as the Japanese? Is the American version going to be a little taller, a little thinner, maybe have bigger breasts? These are the exciting opportunities of working with a virtual star."
This article originally appeared in the April issue of Wired magazine.
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