The Finnish National Opera and Ballet has announced that it has sold the rights to the Virtual Stage (formerly known as XR Stage) to the Finnish AI company Younite.

The company said “Younite is a Finnish-origin company specializing in AI and 3D solutions, with over one hundred employees in Finland and the United States.”

The company’s Virtual Stage is an innovative virtual tool for stage design developed by the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. Virtual stages developed according to the concept are already in use in operas in Sweden, Chile, and Bulgaria and the commercial expansion of Virtual Stage does not fall within the core activities of the National Opera and Ballet, which is why Younite will take on the task of selling and commercializing the solution.

In a statement Tuovila, Production and Technical Director of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet said, “Thanks to the adoption of Virtual Stage, our carbon footprint has decreased, and the artistic and operational quality of our productions has improved. The solution has attracted significant interest worldwide. We believe that Virtual Stage has the potential to become the standard system in the industry.”

Afa Heikkinen, CEO of Younite added, “Finnish National Opera and Ballet is a visionary adopter of new technologies. Members of Younite’s team were involved in building the first version of Virtual Stage, so we know exactly what we are acquiring and are excited to collaborate with Opera. We share a common goal of making Virtual Stage the world’s leading tool for stage design,”

Younite’s primary market is the United States, where Heikkinen sees significant potential beyond opera houses.

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