A New Sport Challenge That Began with the Desire to “Shoot a Kamehameha” 

The founder of meleap Co., Ltd., the developer of HADO, had a strong desire from a young age to “shoot energy balls in the real world.” He felt that the era had arrived where an experience “close to that” could be realized with the evolution of AR (Augmented Reality) technology, and began development.

Initially, the project was planned as a “game content” where players would battle giant monsters in AR. However, through repeated prototype development, an important realization occurred.

That is, people become more engrossed in”battling with other people using energy balls  ”  than in “attacking monsters.”

In the AR space, there is no real danger or pain. That’s why people instinctively dodge with all their might, shoot at each other, shout, laugh, and become enthusiastic.

When we saw that scene, we were convinced.

“This isn’t a game, it’s a sport.”

From there, HADO was redesigned not just as an AR attraction, but as a “new sport for the age of technology.”

Why did we choose the form of “sport”?

There are five main reasons why HADO was designed as a sport:

• Sports are endless content with no “clear” point.
• Competitive play creates a sustainable community.
• It generates excitement while keeping development costs lower than games.
• Playing it actually involves more physical activity than you might imagine.
• The challenge of “creating a new sport” itself was something no one had seriously attempted before.

We believed that technology would inevitably change sports in the future.

Just as sports that didn’t exist 100 years ago are now spread all over the world, in 100 years, “sports designed with technology in mind” should be commonplace.

HADO was our first challenge toward that future.

Emphasis on “intuitive enjoyment for everyone”

There is another important philosophy behind the design of HADO’s rules.
That is, placing “what people instinctively want to do” at the center of the competition.

For example, in HADO, players physically move their bodies while shooting AR energy balls at each other.

There are no complicated controls.

You can shoot by extending your hand forward.

You dodge your opponent’s attacks by moving your body.

This “intuitiveness” is why even first-time players can quickly become engrossed.

Furthermore, HADO employs a team system of up to 3 vs 3.
This isn’t simply a matter of numbers.
The moment you win, you high-five your teammates, hug them in celebration.

HADO is a “sport that continues to evolve.”

Traditional sports have had their rules developed over many years.

HADO, on the other hand, is a sport that evolves with technology.

Devices, presentation, and gameplay can all be continuously updated.

This is a strength that only a technology-driven sport can possess.

HADO is not just an AR experience.

It is a new sports culture born from the question, “How can technology change people’s physical experiences and communication?”