At CES 2025, Lotte Group, one of South Korea's largest conglomerates, unveiled Lotte Caliverse, an AI-powered 3D entertainment platform running on the Arbitrum blockchain. The move represents a major blockchain commitment from a company that operates over 90 businesses spanning retail, chemicals, food, financial services, and entertainment.
About Lotte Caliverse
Lotte Caliverse delivers a next-generation metaverse-style experience powered by Epic Games Unreal Engine 5 for its 3D visuals. Users can browse virtual stores, watch live music performances, jump into interactive games, and eventually build their own virtual worlds. The platform runs on the Arbitrum Layer 2 Ethereum blockchain, enabling fast, smooth on-chain transactions with minimal latency.
Arbitrum has become a go-to blockchain solution thanks to its performance, scalability, and thriving ecosystem. In 2024, the Arbitrum Gaming ecosystem grew by 72% in active titles and added more proprietary Orbit chains. Lotte Caliverse taps into this infrastructure to deliver better user experiences and reach new audiences. The platform connects physical and digital worlds through several features:
- Shopping Experiences: Browse digital storefronts for brands like Givenchy, MCM, and Lotte Duty-Free, with real-world delivery available for purchases.
- Live Entertainment: Catch concerts from artists including K-Pop group NMIXX and DJ ALOK, plus music stages developed in partnership with Tomorrowland.
- Gaming and Interactivity: Jump into dance battles or play immersive games like "Caliverse: Invasion," where you defend against alien attacks. Future updates will let users build their own games.
- Advanced Technologies: CES demos showcased real-time 3D Chroma Key AI and glasses-free 3D displays, hinting at what's coming for users.
Lotte Caliverse Invasion
Strategic Vision and Collaboration
Kima Kim, CEO of Caliverse, described the platform as a way to combine Lotte's retail legacy with blockchain innovation to create unique entertainment and shopping experiences. Steven Goldfeder, CEO of Offchain Labs, praised the partnership, pointing to Arbitrum's low latency and strong infrastructure as key to building a high-performance virtual world.
The collaboration strengthens Arbitrum's position in the web3 space. Following a recent partnership with Ubisoft, Arbitrum continues to gain traction as the backbone for blockchain gaming and entertainment platforms. For Lotte Group, the project signals its push to lead innovation in the metaverse and blockchain space.
Early Access Only
Future Developments
Lotte Caliverse is live now through its official website, with a 3D film and dedicated app launching in early 2025. The initiative marks a new chapter for Lotte Group, founded in 1948 and currently active in 30 countries, as it expands into emerging tech.
By combining blockchain infrastructure with immersive 3D experiences, Lotte Caliverse aims to reshape virtual entertainment and retail for its audience of over 40 million users worldwide.
