Earlier this year VRFocus reported on former head of Sony London Studio, Dave Ranyard, revealing his brand new company Dream Reality Interactive (dRi) which would focus on virtual reality (VR) development. Today, the studio has announced the first round of investment with two big investors getting involved, creative company Mother and Phil Harrison, the co-founder of PlayStation and President of Sony Worldwide Studios.
Few details about the funding round have been revealed but the inclusion of Harrison is surely a major boon for Ranyard and Dream Reality Interactive.
Ranyard said in a statement: “We are really excited by the space where AR, VR and AI meet and can see amazing opportunities for new levels of immersion and human interaction. Having backing from two successful and insightful investors enables us to accelerate our ambitions and is a huge validation of the talented team we have put together.”
While Harrison commented: “I invested in dRi because the team is fantastic and the AR/VR sector is one of the most exciting frontiers in technology today.”
The studio has kept fairly quiet so far on all the IP’s it might be working on, only recently announcing ‘Hold the World’ a Factory 42 production for Sky, featuring Sir David Attenborough as a VR hologram.
Mother is an independent creative company formed twenty years ago, involved in advertising, experiential, digital, design, and product development, having worked with brands such as Diageo, Stella Artois, IKEA, Unilever and MoneySupermarket.
Michael Wall Global CEO of Mother added: “The team that Dave has assembled at dRi represent a brilliant and fundamental part of the future shape of marketing – with the skills to harness emerging technologies and supercharge the potential of brand storytelling. Our recent experience with Stella has only reinforced our view of the importance it will present in the future.”
Whatever Dream Reality Interactive is working must have turned a few heads, so as further details emerge, keep reading VRFocus.