As the virtual reality (VR) industry grows and develops, it is seeing a surge of interest from established figures within the videogame industry. The latest industry veterans to turn their hands to VR are Geoff Heath and Mark Hardy, who have formed a new VR studio in London.
The new studio has been named Maze Theory, and its first VR experience, titled The Vanishing Act is already in alpha, having previously been worked on in its earlier stages by Found Studio.
Geoff Heath is the former Activision European MD, while Mark Hardy comes from PlayStation as its former European Marketing Director. The two have teamed with creative agency Output Group to put together the new venture.
Heath will be acting s non-exec board member, bringing his experience as one of the founders of Activision Europe, with Hardy also on the board along with Dr David Ranyard, who previously oversaw the VR output from Sony’s London Studio. Studio Output founder Ian Hamilton will be acting as CEO of the new studio for day-to-day operations. Mrcus Moresby will be working as Creative Director.
“It’s a really exciting time to be involved in virtual reality, especially with the technology gaining traction with video game producers and rolling out at experiential events and visitor attractions,” says Heath, “Maze Theory’s going to redefine the virtual reality experience by combining the latest VR technology with Output Group’s vast experience in animation, games development, film production and storytelling to create truly immersive games.”
Hardy added: “The games industry is continually evolving and virtual reality is a natural progression. With Maze Theory we want to drive innovation in the sector and produce best in class VR games that will help to drive the technology forward.”
As always, VRFocus will bring you further news on The Vanishing Act and other VR projects from Maze Theory as it becomes available.