Climax Studios – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

September 2, 2018

The VR Job Hub: New Month, New Job Opportunities

The first weekend of September is here and that means its time for another entry in The VR Job Hub. Like always, this weekend sees a number of exciting positions available working at some amazing companies. Jobs currently listed include roles for engineers, managers, researchers, artists, programmers and more all working on immersive technology at companies like Scatter, Magic Leap, Climax Studios and others. No matter the role there is sure to be a job for everyone.

Every weekend VRFocus gathers together a number open position from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe, to help make finding the ideal job easier. Below are a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on VR, AR and MR.

Location	Company	Role	Link
Brooklyn, NY, USA	Scatter	Software Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Brooklyn, NY, USA	Scatter	Computer Vision Researcher	Click Here to Apply
Brooklyn, NY, USA	Scatter	General Manager / Operations Manager	Click Here to Apply
Brighton, UK	Make Real	Immersive Learning Designer	Click Here to Apply
Zurich, Switzerland	Magic Leap	Computer Vision Engineer/Researcher	Click Here to Apply
Sunnyvale, CA, US	Magic Leap	Interaction Engineer	Click Here to Apply
Plantation, FL, US	Magic Leap	Acoustic Engineer, Audio Systems	Click Here to Apply
San Francisco, CA, US	Magic Leap	3D Interactive Engineer & Designer	Click Here to Apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	A.I. Programmer	Click Here to Apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Senior Programmer	Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK	nDreams	Principal Environment Artist	Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK	nDreams	VFX Artist	Click Here to Apply
Farnborough, UK	nDreams	Android VR Programmer	Click Here to Apply

As always, if there was nothing in this week’s feature that was a good fit for you, you can always look at the previous edition of The VR Job Hub.

As always, if you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to myself (keva@vrfocus.com) and also Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the industry.

December 12, 2017

Climax Studios VR Collection Heading to Pico Headsets

Though much attention has been directed towards the upcoming standalone virtual reality (VR) headsets from Oculus and HTC Vive, the existing standalone Pico headsets have been somewhat neglected. This might change with the announcement that Climax Studios are bringing their collection of VR titles to the platform.

Climax Studios are a well-known videogame developer based out of Portsmouth, UK who have produced a number of VR titles, such as Gun Sight and Bandit Six. The studio have partnered with independent VR content platform WEARVR to bring four of its VR titles to the Pico Goblin.

Banditsix_Screenshot_Daydream

The Pico Goblin, like other standalone VR headsets, seeks to occupy the middle ground between smartphone-powered VR such as Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream and high-end, expensive VR devices such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift by offering premium content on a platform device that won’t break the bank. As noted by the VRFocus hands-on, the device is well-built, lightweight and shows promise, though its current content library needed some work.

The latter point is being addressed thanks to the work of WEARVR and Climax Studios, who will be bringing Bandix Six, Salvo, Gun Sight and Hunter’s Gate to the Goblin, with WEARVR handling the porting process and publishing.

“We are very excited to be bringing our mobile VR catalogue to Pico’s Goblin all-in-one headset. With Bandit Six, Salvo, Gun Sight and Hunters Gate you have a great mix of titles and it’s the first platform that you can play all four in one place!” said Climax Studios CEO Simon Gardner.

Pico Goblin rear image

“We are thrilled to add more awesome content to the 60+ titles on the Pico platform and allow people to experience Pico’s insanely easy-to-use headsets,” said Pico Interactive VP of Business Development Paul Viglienzone.

VRFocus will bring you further news on the Pico Goblin as it becomes available.

September 20, 2017

Climax Studios Announces ARise for iOS

Yesterday saw the release of Apple’s iOS 11 operating system for its mobile devices, bringing with it compatibility for augmented reality (AR) and ARKit. Today, Climax Studios – the team behind Lola and the Giant and the Bandit Six series – has announced its first AR app made with ARKit, a puzzle adventure called ARise.

Built as a result of a game jam the company ran to inspire creative and innovative concepts for AR videogames, in ARise players lead a pint-sized adventurer up the stony flanks of a vast petrified monster, using perspective to cross chasms and scale sheer cliff faces.

ARise screenshot

The goal is to reach the top and awaken the monster. To do this players must utilise the core strengths of AR – being able to move around and look at a scene from any angle – to guide the trepid adventurer past the obstacles that lay in wait.

“By using perspective, exploration, angles and almost no controls, we hope we have created a fresh game play experience that will develop over time,” said Simon Gardner, CEO of Climax Studios. “With ARKit we were able to leverage the power of the iPhone and iPad’s built-in camera, processors and motion sensors, to easily build ARise, which is a highly detailed and compelling virtual game that sits on top of the real world.”

The first three levels of ARise are available to download today from the App Store for $2.99 USD / £2.99 GBP / €3.49 EUR. In the coming months Climax Studios will be releasing further content for ARise, all for free.

Check out the gameplay trailer below to see what ARise is all about. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

July 14, 2017

Balloon Chair Death Match Exits Early Access, Fee-to-Play Until Sunday

Back in December 2016, Climax Studios launched a quirky little, self funded title called Balloon Chair Death Match on Steam Early Access for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Putting players in the seat of a balloon propelled office desk chair, where the objective is to shoot opponents balloons, the studio has just released its v1.0 update, bringing the title out of early access whilst adding new features.

In the new update Climax Studios has added three new weapons for players to utilise. There’s the explosive homing Pigeon Launcher, the fully automatic Nail Gun and the long range Laser Gun, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Balloon Chair Death Match screenshot

Alongside weapon and gas caches to find whilst playing, five new pickups are now available. These consist of the Laser Shield, Pigeon Repellent, Emergency Inflate, 2x Score Multiplier and Mr Spongy Face the Clown.

And the additions don’t stop there. A new 2v2 game mode brings team gameplay into Balloon Chair Death Match, with the boundaries of maps reduced to a more intense, action-filled match. For those playing the single-player mode, four more levels have been added to the campaign, while new players will find an overhauled basic tutorial along with a new combat tutorial to get them up to speed quicker.

Balloon Chair Death Match is available to play for free now until Sunday. And until the 20th July, Climax Studios will be running a 20 percent discount, dropping the price from £10.99 GBP, down to £8.79 on Steam.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Climax Studio, reporting back with the latest VR news.

June 11, 2017

The VR Job Hub: EA’s SEED, Oculus, Climax Studios and Dyson

With E3 happening the world of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) just got that much more exciting. New studios and publishers are always looking for new staff so they can expand into the VR and AR markets, with EA’s SEED being the first project announced at E3 that are hiring.

EA’s SEED are offering an intership, in addition to plenty of Engineer roles. Climax Studios are on the hunt for Programmers and Design Producers, while Artists and more are needed at Oculus. Whether you’re a recent graduate or looking for a change in career, make sure to browse our list of jobs below – you just might find the perfect one for you.

Location	Company	Role	Link
Stockholm, Sweden	EA SEED	Senior Technical Artist	Click Here to apply
Stockholm, Sweden	EA SEED	Rendering Engineer	Click Here to apply
Stockholm, Sweden	EA SEED	Senior Rendering Engineer	Click Here to apply
Stockholm, Sweden	EA SEED	Software Engineer Intership	Click Here to apply
Stockholm, Sweden	EA SEED	Deep Learning – Research Engineer	Click Here to apply
Stockholm, Sweden	EA SEED	Senior Software Engineer – Procedural Content Generation	Click Here to apply
Los Angeles, USA	EA SEED	Virtual Humans – Development Director	C lick Here to apply
Los Angeles, USA	EA SEED	Virtual Humans – Research Engineer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Lead Programmer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Senior Programmer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Graphics Programmer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	AI Programmer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Graduate Programmer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Senior Producer	Click Here to apply
Portsmouth, UK	Climax Studios	Producer	Click Here to apply
West Midlands, UK	Caresoft	Engineer – Virtual and Augmented Reality	Click Here to apply
Malmesbury, UK	Dyson	Senior Augmented Reality Research Engineer	Click Here to apply
London, UK	Oculus	3D Generalist	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	LED Processing Engineer	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	Postdoctoral Research Scientist, LED Device Fabrication & Charecterization	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	LED Hardware Engineer	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	LED Research Scientist	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	LED Hardware Test Engineer	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	Operations Program Manager	Click Here to apply
Cork, Ireland	Oculus	Research Intern, Semiconductors Material Characterization (AFM)	Click Here to apply

For more jobs, just take a look at last week’s offerings. For more news on the VR industry and career opportunities, stay on VRFocus.

April 20, 2017

Bandit Six: Combined Arms: Achievements, Cheats, Tips & Tricks

Earlier this week Climax Studios launched Bandit Six: Combined Arms for PlayStation VR, combining the developer’s two Samsung Gear VR titles, Bandit Six and Bandit Six: Salvo. The video game features 27 PlayStation Trophies to unlock, all of which VRFocus has listed below.

Bandit Six: Combined Arms includes 42 levels across land, sea and air to work through, as well as unlockables, perks and upgrades for all the weapons. With the extra graphical power available with PlayStation 4, Climax Studios ensured the experience has been optimised to make the most of the PlayStation VR enhancing visuals.

Banditsixsalvo_Russia

Aim high – Shoot down a helicopter with the artillery (Bronze)

Big guns – Complete a level using only the mortar and artillery (Bronze)

Bronze star – Complete a mission with a rank of three stars outside of basic training (Bronze)

Chattering – Destroy 15 enemies in a level with the machine gun (Bronze)

Customise – Upgrade all of your guns on one level (Bronze)

Don’t lose your cool – Upgrade any gun to the maximum cooling level (Bronze)

Feel the power – Buy 3 different power ups (Bronze)

Gunner – Get a rank of three stars outside of basic training (Bronze)

High caliber – Upgrade any gun to inflict the maximun level of damage (Bronze)

Quick fire – Upgrade any gun to the maximum rate of fire (Bronze)

Abandon ship – Sink an enemy destroyer (Silver)

Beach defender – Destroy all the landing craft in a level before they deploy (Silver)

Chain reaction – Get a kill streak of at least 5 (Silver)

Chauffeur – Get all the generals to safety (Silver)

Gunnery sergeant – Get a rank of three stars on 5 levels (Silver)

Knocking them out of the sky – Get a kill of every type of enemy plane (Silver)

Shielded – Complete a level without losing a single gun in a level after basic training (Silver)

Silver star – Complete ten missions with a rank of three stars (Silver)

Stop the clock – Complete all the timed missions (Silver)

To the max – Get maximum guns and armour (Silver)

Bombastic – Shoot down 5 helicopters in one level with the mortar (Gold)

Bullet proof – Complete a mission with no damage (Gold)

Gold star – Complete all the missions with a rank of three stars (Gold)

Guardian angel – Complete all the protection missions without losing a single bomber (Gold)

Master gunny – Complete every level with a rank of three stars (Gold)

Return to sender – Destroy all the transport helicopters in a level before they land (Gold)

Land, air and sea – Be victorious and crush all the enemy forces (Platinum)

April 18, 2017

Climax Studios Launch two-in-one Shooter Bandit Six: Combined Arms on PlayStation VR

Climax Studios achieved early success in the virtual reality (VR) industry with its Samsung Gear VR shooters, Bandit Six and Bandit Six: Salvo. Today the developer has launched Bandit Six: Combined Arms, putting both those titles together for one all out gun toting package.

As Bandit Six: Combined Arms features both video games PlayStation VR owners have 42 action packed levels across land, sea and air to work through, alongside a myriad of unlockables, perks and upgrades for all of their weapons. The experience has been optimised to make the most of the PlayStation VR, with increased performance and enhanced visuals.

“Its incredible to think only 2 years into this new wave of VR that we are already on our 10^th title. We are massively excited to be launching on PlayStation VR especially with Bandit Six: Combined Arms as it is a title that gamers love,” said Simon Gardner, CEO, in a statement. “We really believe in VR and the PlayStation VR ecosystem has had a fantastic start, which we look forward to supporting more in the coming months.”

Bandit Six: Combined Arms is available today through the PlayStation store for £9.99 GBP, $12.99 USD, €12.99 EUR.

Checkout the launch trailer below, and for further Climax Studios updates, keep reading VRFocus.

March 24, 2017

Preview: Lola and the Giant – A Little Adventure With A Lot Of Heart

Climax Studios’ previous virtual reality (VR) titles like Bandit Six, Gun Sight and Hunters Gate , are all gun toting action romps, with the first two for Gear VR and the latter on Google Daydream. The studio is going for a somewhat different tact with its next Daydream project, a quaint little adventure called Lola and the Giant.

Set in a magical land, Lola and the Giant aims to take players on a fairytale journey when Lola meets a lonely stone giant who then helps her look for a way home. At its core Lola and the Giant is a puzzle quest, requiring the two to work together – mainly the giant aiding Lola – as the main gameplay mechanic.

Lola and the Giant - screenshot 1

The demo the studio had available featured the two characters inside some caverns, with Lola trying to make her way across several rocky walkways. As it’s mainly a third-person adventure you control Lola through a point and click method. Swiping across the Daydream’s control pad sets Lola off on a run, she can then be directed with a cursor wherever you wish, with the camera following at a gentle pace providing a decent viewpoint.

When running around should Lola come to a gap she can jump she does so automatically, there’s no pinpoint platform jumping in the videogame. If it’s a gap she can’t traverse then its time for the big man. This is where Lola and the Giant switches up the viewpoint for a first-person offering – this was the same all the way though the demo. The giant can then perform a variety of actions depending on what’s needed – for this point in the title it was moving or removing rocks to the correct position.

None of these puzzles provided any sort of challenge, seemingly designed to offer a way of learning the control methods needed later on. But Lola and the Giant feels much more of a lighthearted journey than some hardcore puzzler which will have you wracking your brain for ages, this is definitely a family orientated experience. Which will certainly attract a wider scope of player to the videogame and possibly the headset, although experience VR players may find it somewhat lacking.

Lola and the Giant - screenshot 2

This being an early version of the project there were naturally some issues that arrived whilst playing. Firstly Lola and the Giant crashed, which can be a jarring experience for anyone in VR, even for those more experienced with the medium. Then there were some controller problems, menu selection suddenly became temperamental, and trying to guide Lola was a little erratic. If this were the final build then serious questions would have to be asked, but as an early stage demonstration these are technical glitches that will hopefully be overcome, especially since Climax Studios’ past titles have performed well.

While there was some roughness to Lola and the Giant there was no mistaking a certain charm to the experience. It’s good to see Climax Studios branching out, showing that not all VR videogames need guns. If this becomes as polished as the studio’s other titles then Daydream owners should have something to look forward to.

March 5, 2017

Climax Studios Release Lola And The Giant Screenshots

VRFocus previously reported on the announcement of a new virtual reality (VR) videogame from Climax Studios, whose previous VR credits include Bandit Six and Bandit Six Salvo as well as more recent release Balloon Chair Death Match. Climax have now released several more screenshots to show off some more of the new title, Lola and the Giant. One of several announced this week for Google Daydream mobile head mounted display (HMD).

Lola and the Giant is an adventure VR game set in a fantastical world where the player has to try and find their way home. The game can be played solo, or other players can join in using a companion smartphone app.

You can see the released screenshots below.

Lola and the Giant - screenshot 7

VRFocus will continue to bring you further information on Climax Studios’ VR output.

March 1, 2017

Climax Studios Unveils Daydream Exclusive Lola and the Giant

Today Climax Studios, the British developer behind virtual reality (VR) titles such as Bandit Six, Hunters Gate and Gun Sight, has announced a new adventure videogame for Google Daydream, Lola and the Giant.

Telling the story of Lola, a little girl who meets a lonely stone giant in a mysterious world, Lola and the Giant, takes players on a fantastical journey as they search for a way home.

Lola and the Giant - Companion App

On their travels through the world, players will have to solve puzzles whilst encountering weird and wonderful creatures in this lighthearted escapade. Gamers will be able to switch between third and first-person viewpoints as they control each character to utilise their individual abilities to succeed.

The videogame was inspired by Climax’s lead designer, Matt Duff recently becoming a father: “Lola and the Giant came to me a few months into me becoming a parent for the first time. I began to wonder how differently my daughter Eleanor saw the world compared to me. How we both occupied the same place but because of our vast differences in size, our perspectives of that world were completely different. One of the most immersive aspects of VR is a sense of place and so it became the perfect fit to tell this fairytale story of a little girl and her huge Giant, working together, trying to find a way back home.”

Climax Studios has also worked on a companion smartphone app allowing a second player to help the person in VR. “We wanted to create a VR game that could be experienced by everyone not just the user in the headset. We feel this is an important step to ensure the growth of the market,” added Matt.

As yet no date or price point have been confirmed Lola and the Giant. For further updates on Lola and the Giant, keep reading VRFocus.