We helped Rowohlt Verlag’s romance imprint KYSS bring the world of Romance Fiction to life in virtual reality by building their own immersive space: the Castle of KYSS.

Hosted in the popular metaverse platform VRChat, the Castle of KYSS is a multi-room social experience that invites fans to explore their favorite genres, books, and authors while connecting with each other.

The castle has already hosted its first live author event featuring Marie Niehoff, and will continue to hold regular gatherings that bring the KYSS community together in unforgettable, story-filled ways.

From Page to Presence

When Rowohlt’s KYSS team set out to reimagine how readers could connect with their favorite books and authors, they dreamed of something more than a virtual event — they envisioned a living world.

Part community hub, part fantasy realm, and part live event venue, the Castle of KYSS is a floating castle among the clouds — a romantic dream brought into XR.

Guests begin their journey on a drifting cloud landing, where they first glimpse the castle in the distance before being swept through a shimmering portal and into its halls. Inside, they can:

• Stroll the Hall of Stories, lined with portraits of KYSS authors, each offering personal audio messages that welcome visitors into their worlds.
• Step into the Grand Rotunda, a circular central chamber crowned by a floating 3D KYSS logo and spiraling tower of books. From here, visitors can branch out into four Genre Wings — Cozy Romance, Romantic Comedy, New Adult, and Romantasy — each featuring bookshelves of KYSS novels, interactive props, and genre-themed décor.
• Search for hidden keys that unlock treasure chests around the castle, revealing glowing collectible gems — and even a secret meeting room hidden behind a lowering bookcase.
• Visit the Featured Book Chamber, where the latest release sits on a pedestal beneath a beam of light. When opened, the book animates to life as a dragon statue awakens and performs a reading sequence in sync with a narrated excerpt.
• Enjoy the Winter Garden, a lush stage and event venue filled with plants and cloud views through massive arched windows — the perfect place for live readings, talks, and performances. (A secret stage button even activates a special interaction!)

Every design choice — from architecture to ambient lighting — was made to immerse readers deeper into the KYSS universe while fostering authentic community and emotional presence.

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Behind the Build

Together with art direction from German creative studio vm-people, project management by Andy Fidel, and guided by weekly art-direction sessions, Cause + Christi brought the Castle of KYSS from concept & mood boards to an interactive 3D world.

For this project, we collaborated with Christi’s brother, game designer Cody Fenison (ZanderCode), whose worldbuilding artistry helped us fill the castle’s interiors and gardens with warmth, narrative detail, and personality.

We used Blender to model the castle’s architecture, interior features, and decorative assets, then developed the world’s lighting, interactivity, and magical effects in Unity.

Per the client’s request, the final world was published on VRChat, where fans can choose or upload their own custom avatars — from casual explorers to fantasy heroes — and experience the world together from any device: VR headset, PC, or mobile.

Building Worlds That Readers Can Step Inside

We’re particularly proud of this project — not only for its visual beauty, but for how it deepens the connection between readers, authors, and publishing brands.

The Castle of KYSS demonstrates how extended reality (XR) can turn literary IP into immersive, shareable, and emotionally rich experiences — where readers don’t just imagine a world, but step inside it.

✨ Why This Matters

For publishers and imprints, Castle of KYSS represents a new chapter in audience engagement — a way to extend community beyond social media and bring literary brands to life in persistent, interactive spaces.

For authors, it opens the door to spatial storytelling — the chance to meet readers inside the worlds their stories inspire.

And for fans, it’s a dream made real: a castle in the clouds where they can gather, play, and celebrate the stories they love together.

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Publishing Beyond the Page: About KYSS, Rowohlt’s romance imprint

Launched in 2018, KYSS is Rowohlt’s dedicated romance imprint — a home for love stories in all their forms, from New Adult to Romantasy.

“Since our start in 2018 we’ve pursued a goal that’s close to our hearts: together with our authors tell stories that move you, inspire you and celebrate the world of love in all its facets – happy end guaranteed.” — KYSS

With the Castle of KYSS, the imprint expands that vision into extended reality, turning literary IP into a social, living space.

It’s a natural evolution for Rowohlt’s mission: to connect storytellers and readers in more meaningful, memorable ways.

And while it represents a new era for the publishing industry, it is also a growing trend in the media world: using XR to deepen relationships, foster fandoms, and extend the lifespan of stories far beyond the final page

The world’s debut aligned with Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, where Rowohlt hosted its first in-world author event with invited guests and fans.

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Continuing the Journey of Literary Worlds

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The Castle of KYSS is actually our second immersive world inspired by literature.
Earlier, we partnered with author Helen Lundström Erwin to bring The Foremothers Café to life — a virtual café from her historic-fiction novel set during the women’s right movement in Sweden: Sour Milk in Sheep’s Wool, where, much like the novel’s cafe, today’s women gather across timezones to share ideas, dialogue, and art.

Looking Ahead

For Cause + Christi, this project demonstrates how publishing and immersive technology can merge to create new, emotionally resonant ways for readers and authors to connect.

Next, we’ll join vm-people on a panel at Immersive X 2025, where we’ll share insights from building the Castle of KYSS and discuss how XR storytelling continues to expand what’s possible for publishers and creators alike.

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We love helping books, brands, and worlds take shape in XR.

Let’s Build Your Storyworld

Whether you’re a publisher, author, or creative studio:
if you’re ready to turn your story into an interactive world, we’d love to help.
📩 Contact us — we’d love to help you bring your vision to life.