Microsoft expands HoloLens agency programme in Europe to help brands crack 'mixed reality'
Microsoft has expanded its HoloLens Agency Readiness Partner programme in Europe, doubling down on mixed reality across the region by inking deals with six new companies
Creative agency partners in the US are developing mixed reality applications for clients like Major League Soccer / Microsoft
The initiative, which has been running in the US since last year, will give a handful of partners access to facilities and training to help them develop holographic apps and systems for businesses for use with Microsoft's headset.
Three UK-based digital agencies have been added as partners, including Black Marble, Fundamental VR and Rewind. French firms Holoforge and Immersion will join them, as will German innovation agency Zuhlke.
The companies will get access to "extensive, hands-on training" with Microsoft which they can use to help local or international companies develop apps.
The HoloLens is a self-described "mixed reality" headset that projects 3D holograms onto the lenses. Wearers can move around objects, manipulate and interact them as if they were physically present.
Brands in the US and Canada like Anheuser Busch, PGA Golf and Stanford Medical School have been using solutions created by agencies to change the way they work.
Lorraine Bardeen, general manager at Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Experiences said that for brands, "working with one of our hand-selected HoloLens Agency Readiness Partners is one of the quickest ways to get started with creating mixed reality applications that can transform working with 3D data, bringing new products and information to life, and creating new opportunities for business growth."
"The HoloLens eco-system is thriving and enabling more customers than ever to create HoloLens solutions. I am excited to share the future of mixed reality innovation," she finished.