Unity Technologies Sets up Office on the North Bund

By Yin Jianhua

Unity Technologies has provided services for 76% of new games in China since last year and will hire 100 employees this year.

It is expected to hire 100 employees, nearly 40% of which has now been finished. Its 310 jobs will be occupied, and it will rent another floor for office next year. Its headquarters in China were set up at the F39 and F40 of Magnolia Plaza on the North Beach on December 31, 2019. During the outbreak, its business volume increased more than two times over the same period in the last year.

As a Nordic-based game engine company, Unity Technologies headquartered in San Francisco has so far had 43 offices in 17 countries since its establishment in 2004. It offers global developers the tools to produce interactive 2D, 3D, VR, AR and MR experiences, and develops the most widely-used real-time and interactive content creation platform for creators. Besides, nearly 3 billion devices around the world applied its games and experience in 2019 that were installed more than 37 billion times in the year.

Unity Technologies cooperates with well-known firms such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft, and provides tech services for games, including Arena of Valor, Zhu Xian and Perfect World, of China's well-known game companies like Tencent, NetEase and Giant Network. Applied in 50% of the world's top 1,000 mobile games, its tech has been used in 76% of new games in China since last year, and has driven 60% of VR and AR contents around the world, according to Zhang Junbo. AR/VR accounts for 60% in non-game industry, especially in media and entertainment industry. The animated short film "Windup", which will participate in Shanghai International Film Festival in June, is produced by its nearly 20 employees around the world for a year. The eight-minute film presents beautiful and stunning visuals, showing programmable technology of Unity.

According to Zhang, China is bound to be its biggest market, and it is expected to account for one-third or more than half of its global operations. With the development of the Internet of Things, AI tech and VR tech, the demand for digital twin in domestic industry, transportation, construction, education, medical treatment and other industries is growing.

Digital twin refers to constructing a virtual mapped entity for objects in the physical world by means of digital means. "For example, the crane workers at construction sites, who are at great risk when working high above the ground, can use Unity tech at the construction sites in the future to build 3D data model. And the workers can wear helmets and VR glasses, and stay in a safe and comfortable environment to easily control the mechanical arm". Not limited to 3D visualization, digital twin will greatly optimize and enhance traditional industry in design review, production manipulation, and even commercial data interaction.

Seeing a large demand for digital twin in traditional Chinese industries, Unity Technologies sets up its Chinese headquarters on scenic North Bund. According to Zhang, it is aimed to give customers more confidence and employees a better environment. Getting into the headquarters of Magnolia Plaza, unique Nordic design style brightly sets off the scenery of Huangpu River outside the French windows. Further more, the programmers are working hard at the open office zone; the garrets close to Huangpu River serve as a platform for landscape, which is suitable to make a call or work quietly; and the central zone has a comfortable sofa for employees.

Zhang is looking forward to the developing North Bund, and says, "we hope that Unity Technologies can participate in the North Bund from planning and design to construction, and take the lead in building a 3D interactive model on the North Bund, in order to make pipes, switches and buildings a model of visualization, experiencing and fine management. With 5G tech, the North Bund will be built into a demo digital-twin area".