Virtual Market

Virtual Market (also called VKet) is a series of virtual conventions run by the virtual/augmented reality start up HIKKY Co. Ltd. The events are held on the VRChat platform and can be visited without need for a VR headset, as VRChat also has a desktop mode. The event is primarily in Japanese, though guidance is also available in English.

In it, attendees are able to browse virtual goods such as 3D models and props, try on avatars and purchase content through an external website. Virtual Market has multiple spinoff events throughout the year focusing on different creative fields including MusicVket, ComicVket, and GameVket.

Event
VKet as an event is split into two parts: the corporate event worlds that promote major Japanese brands and companies and the general exhibitor booths, featuring regular user created content. The VKet concept is similar to IRL events in Japan like Comiket that feature corporate promotions as well as booths for individual creators.

The corporate event worlds also promote IRL goods, including clothing and food. These promotions are primarily intended for a Japanese audience. Individual creator booths center around 3D goods intended for use on platforms like VRChat.

The goods themselves are sold through an external website, the VKet Store, described as "a flea market service that allows you to buy and sell items for use in VR space". Some goods are exclusive to the VKet Store while others direct the user to purchase on other online storefronts, such as BOOTH. Items can be submitted to the VKet Store year round.

Starting with VKet events in 2021, HIKKY introduced its proprietary VR development engine, VKet Cloud, for web browsers and smartphones, as a low barrier entry point for beginner/casual VR users. Select worlds from VKet 6 were also accessible from VKet Cloud including the BEAMS Virtual Shop and Virtual Club Emission. .

Virtual Market also has plans for a year-round virtual mall, VKetMall, functioning in a similar virtual retail capacity to VKet. VKetMall is hosted on VKet Cloud, instead of VRChat. A preview of VKetMall, VKetMall Proto, took place in August as two separate "fairs" during VKet 6. Fair 1 took place from 14 August 2021 to 21 August 2021 and Fair 2 took place from 21 August 2021 to 28 August 2021. The first set of 10 shops opened during Fair 1 and the second set opened during Fair 2.

History
VKet has been scheduled on six occasions.


 * 1: 26 August 2018 (Sun)
 * 2: 8 March 2019 (Fri) – 10 March 2019 (Sun)
 * 3: 21 September 2019 (Sat) – 25 September 2019 (Wed)
 * 4: 29 April 2020 - 10 May 2020
 * 5: 20 December 2020 (Sat) - 10 January 2021 (Sun)
 * 6: 14 August 2021 - 28 August 2021

VKet also held a winter edition in 2021 from 4 December 2021 (Sat) to 19 December 2021 (Sun).

Virtual YouTuber presence
Various corporate and independent Virtual Youtubers have been featured in and streamed from VKet over the years. VKet has had official collaboration streams with VTubers since at least VKet 5.

For VKet 6, as part of the East Japan Railway Company's sponsored Virtual Akihabara Station world, Hololive and Holostars were prominently featured. This was because of the world being based off of the then-present IRL station, which had the hololive Summer Festival x atre Akihabara collaboration. Hololive VTuber Roboco-san had a collab stream at Virtual Akihabara with indie VTubers Peanuts-kun and Ponpoko.

VKet 6 also held a live concert in VRChat with virtual rapper YFU BABY in the EMISSION club.