DOCOMO × STARBASE's Counterattack in 2025. Gather at Quadratic Playground.

Have you heard of the company "STARBASE®︎"?

They showed up at Summer Sonic.The Jet-Black Hiace., if you are a hip-hop freak.Nujabes "World Tour" CollectionMany of you will probably be able to pinpoint the name of the company in the following way.

They are a small, elite general entertainment company that mainly produces domestic and international entertainment content, provides creative consulting, and acts as an artist agent. STARBASE® and NTT DOCOMO have teamed up to launch "Quadratic Playground" in September of this year, a project that aims to create new and unprecedented entertainment through the fusion of various technologies and expressions.

Here, through the story of Ryotaro Hidaka, representative of "STARBASE®︎", we will unravel the history and goals of this project and the state of entertainment in the new era.

STARBASE creates creative entertainment that transforms fun into power .

In a nutshell, what does "STARBASE®︎" do?

Entertainment. We are originally a music company. We have always had fashion and art culture near our music, so we have developed our business with a comprehensive approach. The idea was to mix them together and do something as entertainment.

What we are doing is entertainment , what the ad agency is doing is advertisement. There is a big difference. What we deal with is not limited to products and companies, but can also include local governments and artists, and we place entertainment between the target and the user to create communication. We are in the business of using entertainment to create fans.

How would you define entertainment and advertising?

Advertising is a one-way street. Companies only target potential markets. . But now that we live in the age of the Internet, communication is two-way. In the age of television, you could talk to a commercial and get nothing back, but now you can respond to a commercial on the Internet. Because there is so much information available on the Internet, one-way transmission of information without knowing which information is correct is stressful. . so the aversion to advertisements is stronger than it used to be." This . Rather than "I won't answer your questions," wouldn't it be more sincere to say, "Let's communicate with each other"?

Then, when we want this product to be known to these people, if there is something enjoyable (useful content to let people know about the product) between the two parties, communication will be created, so the idea is to advertise and promote the product there. When communication is generated in both directions, various possibilities open up. In this sense, I think the times are changing dramatically. We are in the process of creating an example using entertainment. However, it will not become the standard even if a company like ours does it on a small scale. So, we decided to attack from the top.

You started out in the music business, but Starbase has grown as a result of your involvement in the creative production of numerous global companies.

The first was "TOYOTA. When I had a chance to meet with them through an acquaintance, he told me, "Japanese companies need to make more use of entertainment to create fans. For example, it would be a waste of corporate value to simply use the logic that a good car sells because it is a good car. We had a conversation about how we should make more use of entertainment, and when I proposed the project again later that day, it was approved. I think that was the turning point in our success.

From there, we meet with each company we are interested in, ask them about their business, and then propose and implement solutions to the problems they are facing and what we can do to help. We do nothing special. We just find businesses in the midst of playing around, and do ordinary things in an ordinary way.

Quadratic Playground, a place to feel the new docomo

How did the "Quadratic Playground" project with Docomo start?

On the first page of the first proposal we submitted, we wrote, "DOCOMO is serious but not funny. We were angry, but we knew it was the truth, so we thought it couldn't be helped, and we fell for it. The vice president himself mentioned in the documentary on the making of the doc that he was troubled by people saying that docs are not interesting. But the "docomo 2.0" ads that "TUGBOAT" was doing were really interesting at the time, and I was sure we could change that.

NTT DOCOMO has a lot of technology that supports our lifeline, and we felt that we could create good content by working together with the people who create that technology. So, we proposed that if we incorporated the technology possessed by NTT DOCOMO into our entertainment equation, we could create this kind of playground. The title "Quadratic Playground" was chosen.

Quadratic Playground" is developing content in three genres: "SPORTS," "MUSIC," and "WEB CM.

For example, many people who learn to ride a bicycle for the first time start with someone pushing them from behind, but before they know it, they are riding a bicycle. The idea was that if they experienced Atsuto Uchida's sensibility, before they knew it, some of them would be able to play the same way.

As for "MUSIC," until now there has been no video content that has been able to take advantage of the characteristics of the VR space and make full use of it. . What makes it difficult is that it is not easy to realize it with the budget of a record company. I don't think there is any other content in Japan that has a gimmick that can be enjoyed in all 360 degrees.

The two VRs are the main axis of the project, and the "web commercial" featuring the young generation, such as Kubozuka Airyu, seidai, and Yokota Mayu, will serve as a gateway to the project.

Why did you choose music and sports as content that would take advantage of VR's characteristics?

We decided on music and sports because we are good at music and because we love sports. But there is also a good reason. Music and sports were the first two things to cross the border after the Great East Japan Earthquake. . And because they are always happening, you can't manipulate them too much. Such realism is a form of entertainment that easily resonates with people. I think it is a new approach to experience this through cutting-edge technology.

What kind of new entertainment is required in this day and age?

In the case of this project, being able to enjoy VR in a 5G environment is something that was not possible in past communication environments. However, 5G has only just begun, so we will be able to experience the speed and novelty of the technology as it takes root over the next few years. . The point is that we took on the challenge before it became familiar. The cost of VR technology will go down in a while, but we decided to spend the money and try it out as soon as possible.

What are some of the challenges you would like to take on in the future?

I would like to reach a level where I can experience the world of games such as "Fortnite. NTT DOCOMO has a team researching XR (a generic term for VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality)), and they are trying out projects such as holding exhibitions in virtual spaces. . But there is no sense of entertainment there yet, so I would like to work with them.

There's a guy at NTT Docomo who is the chairman of the "5G International Standardization Organization" and is known as "Mr. 5G." . He is already involved in 6G, and his world is even more amazing. I would like to create content that combines telecommunications, virtual space, and entertainment. It is said that Japan lags behind other countries, but with Japan's technological capabilities, as long as we have the budget, we can make it happen. I think it is a waste that Japan does not have a culture of spending money on entertainment.

After listening to what you said today, I felt that the approach of "fun is the answer rather than the right answer" is the one that will open up the new entertainment of the future. . I felt that this approach will open the way to a new entertainment industry in the future. Finally, please tell us about your thoughts on this concept.

NTT Docomo," which always tends to aim for the right answer in a serious manner, tried to change with a catchphrase that was ironic to them. In the age of diversity, seeking the right answer does not make it the right answer, so that was not the approach we took. ...... Because we are from the entertainment field, it is normal for us to create fun, and "making fun into value" is the keyword for "Starbase". I think Japan is the only country in the world where people say, "I'm sorry, but I'm going on vacation. People are negative about having fun, or they misunderstand the meaning of living modestly. What was originally intended to be about the spirit of living modestly has become an aesthetic of enduring without living a wealthy life. We want to change that. It would definitely be better if there were many happy people.

It is precisely at a time when the value of solutions is decreasing with the development of blockchain and AI, and everything we do will be at the same level, that the emotion of fun becomes more valuable. Japan is a great country, with four seasons and a culture that is very enjoyable, so why don't people enjoy it? We would like to continue to redefine this through various initiatives.

Photo_Takao Iwasawa
Text_Shu Nissen