Reporting on the attraction and amusement landscape, industry specialist Kevin Williams’ latest Virtual Arena column sees him venture to Prague. There to experience the latest European development of free-roaming VR technology and how it aims to launch onto the wider market.
Innovation and diversity in the VR development community have proven a major driving force in the growth of the market. No more has this been seen than in the Czech Republic. The country has thrown up much innovation and business success, from the sophistication of VRgineers’ ‘XTAL’ commercial VR headset to the Beat Games studio, recently acquired by Meta (formally Facebook), the Prague based VR team have arguably created one of the most successful and definitive VR videogames with Beat Saber.
Another company in the Czech capital that is driving innovation in VR is DIVR Labs. The operation is famous for its work in the Out-of-Home entertainment deployment of VR and has started a drive towards wider European penetration. Regular readers of this column will remember our coverage from 2018 of the free-roaming game experience Golem. Based on the famous Jewish legend; the compelling LBE attraction is housed in the city’s Hamleys Prague toy store. Where it still draws strong attendance from groups of players eager to experience VR.
DIVR has gathered a team of developers that have built on their formative experience in creating compelling free-roaming content. Recently the company launched another experience for their VR special-effects arena called Arachnoid VR – marrying the element of group-based play and puzzle-solving, with a sci-fi horror element. The company opened another LBE VR venue in Dubai last year, based on their exclusive platform.
Building on this proven track record, the company was commissioned to install one of its most far-reaching projects at the new Dinosauria Museum Prague as a part of the Premium Outlet Prague (POP) Airport venue. An ambitious shopping mall by the international terminal. The venue includes an amazing private collection of dinosaur fossils and ancient minerals, all presented in a new style of museum setting employing projection mapping and an open exhibition layout. The venue decided that to support this, they would incorporate the latest VR experience from DIVR Labs – Meet the Dinosaurs.
The 25-minute experience employs all the knowledge that DIVR Labs have amassed in developing and operating Free-Roam, Arena Scale VR experiences. The system employs the HP Reverb G1 Headsets, equipped with UltraLeap hand tracking. At the same time, the systems are connected to high-end HP PC backpacks. The whole operation of Onboarding is supported by Cleanbox equipment sanitization as standard, and a professional loading and unloading process.
Without giving away too many of the secrets, the actual experience proves a masterclass on how to navigate an audience for up to four players through a virtual experience, incorporating impressive visual vista’s and subtle effects (both physical and visual). While also including a new level of engagement through interactivity – the UltraLeap hand-tracking allows guests to pick up objects, and interact with actual creatures within the environment, which hold strong immersive and game narrative elements.
One of the most impressive elements of the Meet the Dinosaurs experience is the way that the groups of players are managed through the space, and how the operation has been compartmentalized to accommodate the needs of the facility as well as the needs of the game experience. The use of flying vehicles at the end of the adventure, a nice addition to the walking and hiding elements. Building on what has been achieved with other VR experiences.
The continued success of the DIVR Lab developments in free-roaming experiences has spurred on investment in growing their standalone entertainment offering. The company has plans to start the process of opening their first flagship European venue, which will incorporate a selection of VR experiences based on their foundation work. Interpreting the best elements of how to achieve the best LBE VR experience and generate recurring revenues. We look forward to reporting further developments in the New Year.
The second and final part of his report observing the current immersive Out-of-Home entertainment scene for VRFocus. In his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams concludes his overview of the Free-Roaming VR sector in LBE, and looks at the key developments, and the next phase of investment as the market re-emerges.
Continuing the coverage of the impact that free-roaming out-of-home entertainment is having on the re-emerging market, we see that major IP and a continuation of business are driving the sector. While many tried to paint the post-COVID LBE VR market as doomed – the reality is that the market has started to re-emerge from lockdown and are seeing a return of their audience, while the operators that have survived the loss of business now look to the investment towards the next phase of establishing their prospects.
Battle arena – Image credit: KWP
The Re-emergence of the Free-Roam Business
Establishing a full suite of VR entertainment experiences for the various needs of the entertainment venue business has been a constant challenge for many corporations. One of those that has established an important place in the market is VRstudios. Along with the company’s enclosure and free-standing VR platforms (‘ATOM’), they have also defined backpack VR arena experiences with their ‘FLEX’ VR game arena platform. Supporting from four to eight players in either small 25’x25’ to big 40’x40’ arenas, using their Attraction Management Platform (AMP) to integrate the hardware support working with the HTC Vive headset and HP backpacks.
The company before the pandemic had installed the first ‘FLEX Arena’ system in partnership with entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s demonstrating the value of adding a new attraction and revenue source to otherwise underutilized space. This level of flexibility opening the opportunity to venues of all scale to include a free-roaming arena in their offering. As with all their range, ‘FLEX’ is supported by the company’s overarching Attraction Management Platform (AMP) that handles content and operation of their systems – and also supports the VR sports competitive element of their platform, bringing an eSports capability to the ‘ATOM’ and ‘FLEX’, and free-roaming experiences, in general.
Nomadic VR – the company had initially wanted to develop their own videogame content, but after an initial process, reverted to a partnership to license a version of the popular zombie shooter from Vertigo Arcade (‘Arizona Sunshine: Contagion Z’). But soon the reality of what they offered impacted the plans of the operation. Long before the pandemic, Nomadic had closed its Orlando flagship venue (only open some eleven months) and plans for Las Vegas and Los Angeles sites were shelved. But the company has built on the valuable lessons it has learned from operating in the sector and during 2019 partnered on a major installation creating a pay-to-play LBE VR experience, Vader Immortal: Lightsaber Dojo, based on the consumer VR experience (Star Wars Lightsaber Dojo). In September it was announced that following this initial test, Nomadic and ILMxLabs would be partnering to make Lightsaber Dojo more efficient for family entertainment centres and arcades to operate in a tethered upright amusement version.
Backlight – known for their innovative VR escape game and arena-scale attraction has not been dormant during the lockdown period and are part of the new opening news. The Las Vegas-based AREA15 venue labelled as a 200,000-sq.,ft., “experiential art, retail and entertainment complex”, will be the flagship location for a brand new platform from Backlight – a 6,000sq.,ft., space that will have two groups of six play. The ‘OZ Experience’, pop-up LBE VR installation that will utilize backpack PC’s and offer a compelling attraction to support the eclectic mix of partners for this experimental entertainment venue. But Backlight has also been working on other projects launching this year based on their VR escape gaming and new innovative experience platforms. The company looking at rolling out their new innovative platform for wider deployment, most recently for their groundbreaking free-roaming experience Toyland: Crazy Monkey – combining a unique D-BOX motion seat system, married into the free-roaming experience, players take on hordes of toy enemies as they are shrunk into toyland.
The motion seat part of the unique Toyland experience. Image credit: YMAGIS
While others are re-assessing their LBE VR aspirations, other new incumbents are entering the water and applying much of the lessons learned from theme park style attraction presentation. One of the veteran attraction manufacturers isMack Ride (part of Mark International) and they have over recent years established a media-based interest. Launched in September YULLBE – Full Body Tracking Free-Roaming VR Experience, developed by new division MackNeXT in cooperation with VR Coaster and Mack Rides. Working in calibration with motion tracking specialists Vicon, the YULLBE attraction offers two unique arena-scale experiences which can accommodate up to 32 users – what could be called an “Attraction-scale Platform.” The first being a fully tracked, backpack PC experience presented through the Pimax 4K VR headsets (customised for the attraction). But this is not a one-off installation, YULLBE is part of a roll-out of a chain of LBE VR centres across Europe.
YULLBE players don Pimax and PC backs. Image credit: MackNeXT
The European developer DIVR Labs has proven to be a strong developer of free-roaming VR experiences, most notable for their installation at the Hamleys Toy Store in Prague in the Czech Republic. The operation reconfigured the basement of the toy store to turn it into the Golem VR attraction. An arena-scale immersive experience that was based on the 15th Century Prague folk law, where Rabbi Löw created a creature known as a Golem. The attraction employing backpack PC’s, Oculus Rift CV1 headsets and the use of Ultraleap hand tracking – players in groups of four traversing the virtually created cityscape, the environment employing physical as well as virtual effects with great results.
Building on this success and the DIVR team started to roll out several experiences at new locations but were impacted by the lockdown of business with the global situation. Now re-emerging from this lockdown and the company reveals its first new installations at the Premium Outlet Prague Airport called Meet the Dinosaurs. The free-roaming time-travelling dinosaur experience transporting groups of four players back 80 million years, in an area of 150 square meters (players using backpack PC’s and HP Reverb headsets). Quickly following on from this, and the third DIVR location opened in the UAE.
One of the European developers that has grown a strong following in the LBE VR, is Swiss-based TrueVRSystems. Having been one of the first to develop an effective free-roaming platform incorporating multi-player and physical effect immersion – the operation has gone on to license its platform across numerous sites. During last year, the company announced plans to expand the level of capacity of their virtual worlds, accommodating 10-player simulations. This was the fifth VR arena-scale experience created by the company, supporting the OptiTrack system, and running on Oculus Rift CV1 headsets – with the use of the StrikerVR weapon system. At the time leading up to lockdown, the operation had content licensed across some 13 venues, with plans for new US and EU venues.
A crowded landscape of free-roaming developers and one of the early developers is VEX Solutions – with a suite of different VR applications, the company has their VEX Adventure turnkey platform, offering 6m x 6m virtual arena for players for up to four PC backpack wearing players, using HTC Vive headsets, including the use of haptic vests. The VEX platform offers physical effects (heat, olfactory and vibration) within the arena to enhance the virtual experience – offering some six available games, on average offering 40-minutes of play from developers such as ECLIPSE and Backlight Studios.
Another backpack PC VR arena developer and operator is MASSVR – the company had established in Chicago their unique interpretation of the multiple player experience. Long before Fortnite was a thing, the company had installed an 8,000 square feet VR arena in a converted department store floor plan. This Westfield, Skokie location would be joined by a dedicated facility in Bloomington, IL – offering one of the largest mass playing experiences with some 16-players simultaneously. The game experiences are PvP style with teams battling through environments to capture the flag – but in a unique immersive element, the games incorporate virtual jetpacks and zip-lines, as well as an assortment of weaponry. The company with its emergence from lockdown announced the addition of its VR Champions high-action active game experience with a group of eight players in a “head-to-head” competition.
Players ready for the MASSVR experience. Image credit: MASSVR
One of the start-ups that gained some coverage was BiggerInside – the company showed a free-roaming concept back in 2019 at the IAAPA Europe event and went on to roll out their concept called Protocol 223. It uses the Microsoft MR tracking system, with HP Reverb headset and HP-Z-VR backpack PC – the system had the additional element of full body and hand tracking through extensive “eXosuit” fully body tracking, favouring a softer style of play away from players brandishing weapons. The four-player game arena also included physical maze wall elements to marry the physical and virtual worlds together and created a unique PvP style of experience.
The VR arcade scene has striven to broaden its appeal, looking for the latest innovation to keep relevant. The ability to offer a turn-key arena-scale offering to the widest audience has seen the free-roaming genre added to the libraries of content providers. One of the established facility management and content providers to hundreds of VR arcades is Synthesis VR, and in August the company partnered with Secret Location, to launch a free-roaming, multiplayer version of their previous popular content, releasing Blasters of the Universe: Infinity Forever. This attraction takes the original wave-based shooter and brings it to the world of arena-scale.
As previously reported other developers have started to offer free-roaming plug and play solutions for operators wanting to add this level of entertainment to their facility. As we covered in the first of our venue visits after lockdown, the escape room scene has embraced VR – and we had seen that Vertigo Arcades, along with an arena-scale version of their popular Arizona Sunshine, had released the brand new title Ghost Patrol VR, also for four players and also as a simple turn-key VR arcade addition. Vertigo Arcades had worked closely with Nomadic on a unique version of their popular title, creating Arizona Sunshine: Contagion Z as an exclusive version only for their LBE venues. Charting the major movements in the LBE sector of late, and just as we went to the wire news came from the Dutch game’s parent. It was announced that Vertigo Games Holding had had 100-per-cent of their shares acquired by Koch Media GmbH Austria – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Embracer Group AB, (more commonly known as THQ Nordic), for $59.3m.
Other major developments continue to underpin the more positive nature of this sphere of immersive tech following the upheaval. SPREE Interactive – despite COVID-19, major venue openings have been taking place. In August SPREE Interactive in partnership with Pixomondo (Hollywood FX house) and broadcaster giant ProSieben launched Mission to Mars attraction at Forum Schwanthalerhöhe, Germany. An example of a pop-up retail unit installation for an immersive 10-player free-roaming VR experience. ProSieben’s popular Galileo television program is recreated immersively with a 15-minute VR experience, having guests take on an adventure to investigate humanity’s possible survival on the red planet. The attraction employing Pico standalone VR headsets and SPREE’s unique architecture that alleviated the need for backpack PC’s. Opened in August as the European LBE VR scene re-emerged from lockdown, an extremely popular attraction with audiences seeing over 60-per-cent capacity which has led the mall owner HBB to expend the attraction until the end of November.
Players get ready to visit the Red Planet. Image credit: SPREE Interactive
Hyperverse – had heavily promoted their interpretation of what was needed, with their “full-immersion free-roam VR park” concept. The company had achieved initial success with installations as part of existing entertainment venues in Moscow, Chelyabinsk, New York, and Samara, the operation had initially raised some $1.5m in investment. Their hopes of being a turn-key solution was difficult as the water became crowded with more start-ups entering the free-roaming arena. Offering three free-roaming experience for between two and six players over 25-minutes, at venues such as Moscow’s ArenaScape.
While most arena-scale investment has been for LBE VR as seen in these reports, there are new applications for free-roaming experiences being developed for the arts. It was revealed recently that in London, The Royal Opera House (ROH) has been developing the first “hyper-reality opera” in partnership with Figment Productions (known for their work in theme parks and attractions). The free-roaming VR experience will place the user in the heart of an original operatic, artistic creation (inspired by the freeing of Ariel from The Tempest). The arena-scale application incorporating 4D effects married to the immersive experience, is called Current, Rising. It is scheduled to open later this year in the Linbury Theatre, part of the Opera House in Covent Garden, London. In what has been described as “historic stagecraft and cutting-edge technology”.
The Road Ahead
One of the key aspects of the latest phase of development in LBE VR has been the adoption of free-roaming applications. What industry specialist KWP has dubbed “Phase Five” of the latest adoption of VR into the commercial entertainment landscape, where vast cumbersome and technologically complicated free-roam arenas were deployed. In many cases employing camera-based mapping and tracking of objects in a complicated ballet usually referred to as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization Mapping). With advancements in technology and the simplification of the process the ability to track multiple users within an arena has been achieved, and the cost reductions are being applied towards creating cost-effective solutions.
The new generation of FAM (Flexible Arena Mapping) platforms will drive the investment in more free-roaming installations. No matter the consumer VR scene hopes to encroach on the experiences achievable with free-roaming, such as with “Co-Location” – the unique entertainment offering from this installation in a commercial setting, is still highly compelling, and unbeatable.
The virtual reality (VR) industry is still very much a community which wants to see everyone succeed, whether that’s an indie developer or hardware manufacturer. It’s why if you go to a dedicated VR or augmented reality (AR) event everyone is always so friendly and helpful. Earlier in October VRFocus took a trip over to Prague in the Czech Republic to see VRgineers and its XTAL headset. While in the city VRgineers suggested a trip to Hamleys to see DIVR, a location-based entertainment (LBE) startup located in the store’s basement which VRgineers had help setup. Currently DIVR’s only location this was ideal to test its two custom VR videogames, Golem VR and Arachnoid. As it would turn out two very different experiences.
Being located in Hamleys (a famous toy store if you weren’t aware) gives you some impression of DIVR’s scale and ambition – it is located in the lower levels next to all the Lego. The setup is very similar to The VOID where the gameplay flows through several rooms, allowing players to touch walls and other solid surfaces whilst feeling wind on their face or a blast of heat.
Using modified Oculus Rift’s and backpack PC’s, DIVR’s system is very much on par with others VRFocus has tested. It doesn’t feel too cumbersome or heavy and the Ultraleap hand tracking is instantly familiar for those who have previously used it and easy to grasp for those that haven’t.
Like any LBE experience, it tends to be the content which sets each apart. Unlike a VR arcade which may use a distribution platform like Synthesis VR or SpringboardVR, DIVR makes its content in-house. Having originally created Blue Effect VR for home headsets, the two on offer in Prague are most definitely designed for LBE gaming.
Golem VR is the best starting point – not to be confused with Highwire Games’ Golem coming to PlayStation VR – offering a gentle puzzle adventure whilst embracing some of the city’s history. Stepping into a time machine, you’re transported back several hundred years to the Renaissance, tasked with finding Rabbi Low and his new creation, the Golem.
Family-friendly, Golem VR provides a pleasant story-driven experience where challenges range from chasing chickens to finding glyphs which unlock secret doors. Nothing too difficult which means most players should happily plod through, nicely keeping the story flow going. An important factor is that because you have nothing in your hands like you would on a home VR headset, there’s a much greater connection to this virtual world, providing an ideal hook and sense of presence new players should find delightful.
Having gone through Golem VR with one of VRgineers’ team it was then time to step into Arachnoid. This was a different beast entirely and certainly not for the faint of heart – even for those not too bothered by spiders. Alas, Arachnoid was where the chaperone drew the line, so VRFocus had to experience the eight-legged horrors alone.
As you might expect Arachnoid is rather intense. Not straight away mind, there is a nice little build-up before the fanged beasties suddenly come a crawling. For this experience DIVR gives players an actual flashlight to hold, lighting up the dark corners. As the experience is set in an underground facility which can only be accessed through a mine, a bit of extra light is certainly appreciated. But there was the occasional tracking issue which did ruin the immersive qualities at points.
Again this was a puzzle adventure, so there were no guns to speak of. This probably helps to increase the jump factor for a lot of players as they can’t protect themselves – there was plenty of temptation to throw/smash the torch when a spider popped up. And pop up they did, in their droves.
Ever watch the film Arachnophobia (1990)? Remember those latter stages of the film when all the spiders infested the house? Well combine that with a mommy arachnid the size of an SUV and you can imagine the joys that await. Oh and let’s not forget the spitting, suddenly getting a faceful of green vomit. Once up close the spiders weren’t that terrifying, having an animatronic look about them. Far scarier was the spatial sound which was excellent. Hearing something scurry around just out of view made those lonely moments much more intense. However, the spiders tended to distract from the rather mundane puzzles, collect weird goo and transport it to said location or find a set number of keys. The last one was a little more elaborate yet puzzle fans will be underwhelmed.
It was also clear that DIVR controls the experience enabling multiple groups to run through at the same time. Completely understandable from a business perspective to maximise space and time, especially if a group gets stuck. Yet there was a feeling of being rushed even when the challenge was almost complete. Doors suddenly opened just before finding the last piece of the puzzle for example. This may have been due to playing alone rather than in a team.
Arachnoid did have one final ace up its sleeve right at the end, a score. You’re given a completion percentage as there are tapes to find uncovering the story of what happened in the lab alongside how long the experience took to complete. Plus, there are multiple endings depending on how attentive you are to the environment.
Because of this replay factor, VRFocus really does want to give Arachnoid another try, with more people next time. If trying to decide between the both, remember Golem VR is a one play through deal while Arachnoid does offer a little more value for money. Neither quite offer the same excitement as The VOID’s Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire or Zero Latency’s warehouse-scale Sol Raiders but you can’t have everything. If you’re in Prague and fancy some VR, DIVR has created an LBE location that’s worth taking a look at.
Industry specialist Kevin Williams of KWP, concludes his report on the latest developments shaping the digital out-of-home entertainment (DOE) sector and all things to do with Commercial virtual reality (VR) deployment seen internationally. In this final part we see the drive for new investment and the realities and speculation on the market’s true worth.
With this final part of our coverage and we rush from Germany, to the Czech-Republic, and a major event in the country’s capital, underlined the influence that this new commercial entertainment utopia is having on the investment community. Held at the beginning of September, Future Port Prague was a two-day gathering of innovative technology trends and influential speakers on the subject. Along with dedicated conference events there was a showcase arena that comprised demonstrations of the latest tech-trends, ranging from Drone racing, electric-automobiles, smart home appliances and 3D printing to just name some of the exhibits. As part of this, local Czech developers were also promoting their influence on the scene, and VR made a big showing.
Future Port Prague 2018 – A packed outdoor festival conference stage. (Credit: KWP)
We have already mentioned in part one of this feature Beat Games; the Czech-based company had a version of the Beat Saber VR arcade setup demonstrating to attendees in the VR Zone of the event. It was interesting to see that unlike normal VR arcade deployments of the game, this enclosure used the latest technology from new industry start-up LIV. The green-screen enclosure and specially tracked virtual camera, placed the player in the centre of the action, superimposing them into the virtual environment – but not only creating a great audience element, the LIV system has been developed to offer a unique takeaway, with the player able to download a video of their ‘performance’, with appropriate social media hooks. The company looking to deploy this platform at several VR arcades.
LIV offers an added element to the Beat Saber experience. (Credit: KWP)
Another local Czech-based developer is DIVR Labs – the company famous for a local Prague tourist attraction that is seeing phenomenal business. Golem VR (not to be confused with the otherGolem), the attraction is one of the largest free-roaming virtual experiences operating. The basement of the local Prague Hamleys toy store transformed to accommodate a backpack-based VR experience using Oculus CV1’s. Groups of up to four guests traverse the virtual environment – in an experience that sees them transported through time to the 16th century, to discover the mythical Golem and its creator in an interpretation of the story. DIVR has partnered with Hamleys to develop this first free-roaming VR adventure that has no weapons or shooting (one of the first of its kind). The company in negotiations to open additional venues.
A view of the Golem VR experience at Hamleys in the city centre. (Credit: KWP)(Credit: KWP)
Returning to Future Port Prague, and another Czech-based developer, VRgineers took an exhibition space to offer the first public demonstrations of their XTAL head-mounted display (HMD). This system offers what the company calls an Enterprise-ready solution with a world’s first AutoEye system, offering automatically aligned lenses to the user’s eyes as well as an incredible wide field of view. The system has already been taken up by the local automotive industry, and the company is now in the process of receiving additional investment towards offering the platform too interested location-based VR developers. The company running at the event the ability to fly in a networked aerial combat using the visual fidelity achieved with the XTAL.
The XTAL headset in action. (Credit: KWP)
The next phase of high-end VR headsets has seen a shift in focus towards Enterprise opportunities (a sector prepared to pay for a technological lead). Most recently Kickstarter-funded Pimax demonstrated in Europe the production version of the Pimax 8K wide-field of view system, but also at the same time revealed a cost-reduced version. We saw at the Chinese Amusement trade conference in March one of the first Chinese attraction developers experimenting with the Pimax dev-kit on their robotic arm motion platform, and there are reports of at least one major VR park developer looking to deploy this at their site.
VR Enlightenment – Up in the air in a Pimax back at the Asia Amusement & Attractions (AAA) Expo 2018. (Credit: KWP)
The consideration to a wholly focused Enterprise initiative was also seen from StarVR, the company’s Vice Chairman Jerry Kao reported as saying the company was shifting its operational focus to high-end enterprise applications, with the location-based entertainment market to aerospace and automotive. This was reported following the companies unveiling of the StarVR One HMD during SIGGRAPH in Canada. The new headset offering what the company calls a “100% human viewing angle” is clearly packaged to address a DOE centric business model; building on previous associations with IMAX, SEGA and the VRPark in Dubai, as well as through VR attraction projects with Starbreeze
This year’s SIGGRAPH saw a major push towards location-based VR application of the latest high-end graphics and computer power – many exhibitors showing a shift towards this new business dimension. Leading tracking specialists OptiTrack, introduced their new Active Puck Mini at the event, offering a cost effective and 40% reduced option. The company confirmed that along with conventional motion capture business the system had Location-Based entertainment offerings squarely in their sites. The company has been deployed in many of the leading free-roaming VR installations, and OptiTrak has partnered with Dreamscape Immersive, offering their tracking solution, as well as working in conjunction with several other developers.
Dreamscape Immersive, have been in the news for the tests of their own free-roaming Alien Zoo concept – and the company partnered with movie theatre chain AMC Entertainment late last year, the deal coming after closing some $20 million (USD) of their Series B funding. It is this drive by the movie theatre business to embrace the opportunities of LBE VR that has seen momentous developments in recent weeks. One of the biggest was the announcement that Canadian cinema giants Cineplex had signed a strategic partnership with VRstudios (famous for their VRcade platform and VR experiences). The deal saw Cineplex strategically invest in their VR business, with at least 40 multiplex and location-based entertainment centres planned in the Canada territory by 2021.
Group of players start their progress through VRcade’s Terminal 17 at IAAPA 2017. (Credit: KWP)
This undertaking is mirrored by other cinema chains taking the plunge. The VOID’s “hyper-reality” location-based entertainment (LBE) operation, announced the first “In-Theatre” VR installation in the States – following the signing of an exclusive expansion agreement with leading entertainment and media company Cinemark. This development also saw The VOID LBE VR venues opening across Canada. This news follows on from continuing developments in the movie-theatre sector to embrace the opportunity of VR attractions tailored for their unique audience mix. With the expansion of the operation The VOID was also linked to brand new game content building on influential Intellectual Properties (IPs) – a joint venture of ILMxLAB, a division of Lucasfilm, and The VOID, will see a “one-of-a-kind, original adventure” based in the Wreck-it Ralph films’ unique world (tentatively called Ralph Breaks VR). This is the first of several immersive virtual reality properties from the developer, based on film licenses, building on previous Ghostbusters and Star Wars experiences.
Investing into the cinema scene has gained momentum as the theatre business has seen in the US a 16% decline in ticket sales, attributed to a need for a more diverse offering for the “millennially-minded” audience hoping to be attracted to their locations. Following a spate of mergers and acquisitions in this sector the market has fixated on finding an entertainment-mix to incorporate as a “in-theatre” offering. As we reported in our coverage from the LBE VR summit, manufacturers such as D-BOX Technologies had invested in their own D-BOX Cinematic VR Experience which launched earlier in the year at an Ottawa theatre.
D-BOX’s cinema seat put through its paces with the latest VR experiences created for this sector. (Credit: KWP)
This also brings us to developer Nomadic, who have been developing their own location-based adventure-based, tactile VR experiences – the company has promoted heavily in the cinema industry (presenting at the 2017 CinemaCon, and reportedly raising some $6 million in seed funding). Focused initially on a in-theatre approach, the company recently announced they had partnered with Vertigo Games to deploy a turn-key, modular-based VR platform based on Arizona Sunshine LB Elite. The first installations schedule to open fall this year. How much this space will mirror the wireless VR experience seen at Gamescom, in Germany recently has yet to be revealed. But this nicely takes us full circle from where this coverage began.
Arizona Sunshine LBE at Gamescom 2018. (Via HTC)
In just a matter of months and we have seen a level of investment in immersive entertainment focusing on developing virtual reality – far surpassing the previously wild speculation of the consumer VR sector. We have seen colourful analysis on the worth of the Commercial Entertainment or LBE VR market – most notably the SuperData chart that looked at a $995 million valuation of Location-Based entertainment by 2021. And we have seen other charts rise the gambit as high as $12 Billion by 2023 (Greenlight Insights), hopeful speculation to be sure – but based on a growing hunger to maximise the aspirations of the audience, to the abilities of this sectors technology, where the consumer equivalent has failed to deliver (for whatever reasons).
LBE Market Forecast via SuperData
It is important to understand that the VR arcades scene is still at a very early stage of development and has by no means established itself as a dependable business model. One such example of this is the IMAX pilot scheme to establish their concept of IMAX VR LBE operations. News recently broke that two of the seven opened sites had been closed (one in New York and one in Shanghai). The IMAX board had already revealed at the beginning of the year in an investor call that the sites were not all operating at the expected financial level, and there was no real surprise that the roll out was being reversed.
On a recent visit to the only European IMAX VR location in Manchester, the site was seen to be closed off for a private party – and while claimed to still be popular, it was revealed that the adjacent Odeon cinema had been giving away vouchers for free VR experiences, with the purchase of movie tickets; in a hope to drive some business. We have also heard reports of major reshufflings of executive teams and complete management replacements at some of the early LBE VR manufacturers and operators, The VOID saw the departure of their CTO and CEO, while other operations in pivoting towards a commercial entertainment business model have had to drastically restructure their executive team, unable to fathom the realities of the DOE business.
But we have not seen anything yet, and one of Europe’s largest amusement and attraction conventions is about to take place in a matter of weeks – already sources have revealed a record number of new VR attractions about to be launched. While the UK amusement trade will hold their Autumn Coin-Op Show (ACOS), taking place at Olympia London during October, and will include the first London Future of Immersive Leisure (FOIL) seminar run alongside ACOS, focusing on the business opportunities presented by immersive technology to the UK’s out-of-home entertainment industry (this event hosted by our consultancy KWP) – look out on VRFocus for the latest developments from these events in the days and weeks to come.
One of the major advantages of virtual reality (VR) is its ability to create or re-create an immersive world. This can involve creating fantastic worlds drawn from the imagination, or re-creating scenes and locations from history or legend. The latter is the case for a new location-based VR attraction called The Golem VR at Hamleys Toy Store in the Czech Republic.
Though not as well known as many other European legends, the tale of the Golem is deeply tied into Jewish history and the history of Prague. The new VR attraction lets visitors be a part of the legend as it unfolds all around them.
Visitors can don a VR headset to be transported to 15th Century Prague, where Rabbi Löw is creating a creature known as a Golem. The golem is usually depicted as being crafted from stone or clay, animated by a powerful incantation written on its forehead.
According to the story, the Jews of Prague created a Golem to protect themselves from persecution. This goes wrong when the golem displays an inability to tell the victims and the oppessors apart, and the body count starts to rise.
Visitors to Hamleys Toy Store in Prague can put on a backpack PC and Oculus Rift headset, along with Leap Motion hand-trackers before walking through a ‘time tunnel’ portal which transports the visitors to the historic Charles Bridge in the year 1608.
The unfolding VR experience is designed as a virtual escape room, where participants need to cooperate in order to move forward in the experience, such as assisting Rabbi Löw in throwing balls of energy in order to tame the golem.
The Golem VR was created by Ondřej Bach, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of DIVR Labs. Visitors to Hamleys Toy Store in Prague can pay $450 CZK (Roughly €17.6 EUR) to take part in the experience.
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