Making books and culture accessible and available to all
The project emerged from a partnership between Hachette Livre and the start-up PowerZ to create an immersive literary experience open to all audiences, in a metaverse designed for the world of publishing. The “Beyond the pages” (“Au-delà des pages”, in French) event gives everyone the chance to share the joy of discovery, reading and culture.
Pierre Leroy, Chairman & CEO of Hachette Livre: “This initiative forms part of our efforts to ensure that culture – books, in particular – is within everyone’s grasp. This trial also demonstrates the vital role that innovation can play in shaping the future of reading and reaching new audiences.”
Fabrice Bakhouche, Deputy CEO of Hachette Livre, added: “One of the strengths of our Group and our publishers is our creativity and ability to innovate, to invent new formats, new content, and new ways to showcase our books. The event reflects Hachette Livre’s unique, immersive approach to books, exploring how our narrative worlds can be adapted to a fresh new setting accessible to all.”
“The mission of PowerZ is to show that technology can make a positive impact on society. Whether in video games and artificial intelligence with our free game PowerZ, or in the metaverse and Omega Park for the “Beyond the pages” event, we always put our full energy into innovations for all audiences, which we hope will help make the world a better place,” said Emmanuel Freund, CEO and co-founder of PowerZ.
“Beyond the pages”: a brand-new cultural experience for books in the metaverse
With this project, Hachette Livre and PowerZ have crafted a freely accessible virtual journey to explore, discuss and share books, culture and knowledge.
During the two-day “Beyond the pages” online event, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the worlds of more than 10 Hachette Livre children’s imprints through interactive and learning activities.
Visitors to “Beyond the pages” will have the chance to take part in online tours of exciting places, discover different Hachette Livre titles during a stroll around an old Paris square, visit a museum on the Greek underworld with depictions by artists and insights from specialists, or learn about the consequences of climate change in an interactive documentary about glaciers.
They will also have the opportunity to meet fictional characters and attend a virtual literary festival. Visitors will be able to talk to the authors present in the metaverse over the course of the weekend, (re)discovering works from a fun, new angle with the people who wrote them.
The first “Beyond the pages” event will be open to the public on Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June, from 1.00 to 6.00 pm. Anyone can sign up and the event is free.
Each visitor will choose their own path, embark on their own journey through this virtual world with three cultural experiences created by Hachette Livre publishing houses.
New “Beyond the pages” virtual events will be held in the near future, enabling audiences to discover the Group’s general literature publishers and their leading authors.