The Virtual Arena: London’s Immersive Time-traveling Experience

The application of XR into the attraction and amusement landscape is covered by industry specialist Kevin Williams in his latest Virtual Arena column. An amazing immersive adventure based in 1605 London is experienced with the launch of The Gunpowder Plot.

The Gunpowder Plot

The creation of an immersive experience that audiences will be prepared to pay ticket prices to participate in has been a constant challenge. The mixing of the right level of immersive, with live performance and themed environments has been attempted as both stage performance, art installation, and attraction. And London played host to the latest adaption of this process into the mainstream.

Based on the historical character Guy Fawkes, and the turbulent period of English history he was embroiled in, Layered Reality has launched The Gunpowder Plot. This is an immersive experience, combining theatrical theming, and live performance, alongside immersive projection, and virtual reality.

The Gunpowder Plot
Image credit: KWP

Located on Tower Hill in the shadow of the historic Tower of London, the Tower Vaults venue has been transformed into an entertainment space, bar, and dining hospitality. The developers have previous experience in offering this level of immersive entertainment, following on from their successful deployment of Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience – which we reported on previously.  

Layered Reality in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces and Figment Productions has been working to launch this ambitious historical reinterpretation of the gunpowder plot. Figment Productions, best known for their work in creating the ‘Derren Brown’s Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon’ theme park attraction; has worked hard to create a virtual recreation of the London of 1605. The developer employs over 50 actors to be represented virtually within this experience, including accurate period costumes.

The developer does not stop there, representing the old London landscape, with the Thames, the original London Bridge, and the surrounding castles so lovingly that you will want to be able to visually navigate the streets of the historic city – eventually lost to plague, and the Great Fire of London. The VR elements of the experience are broken into three distinct portions of the overall adventure for the audience. With the crossing of the Thames by rope, a harrowing night crossing across the river, and an audience with the King!

The Gunpowder Plot
Image credit: Mark Dawson

The adventure is a true immersive experience and builds greatly on a more theatrical representation of the immersive elements. A troop of well-known stage and screen actors fill the cast – led by Tom Felton, better known for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. It is the interweaving of the immersive technology with the live actors that has become a signature of Layered Reality’s artistry.

The Gunpowder Plot
Image credit: KWP

In groups of up to 16, guests are transported through time, with their guides being real actors, using their performances to immerse the audience, complemented by the theming of the vaults. Along the way there are sequences where guests don HTC Cosmos Elite VR headsets and immerse further into the action sequences of the story, concluding with the group having to agree on the moral decisions they should take impacting the conclusion of the adventure. The whole experience lasts over an hour and is broken up with the signature-themed pub area, halfway through the adventure, for the guests to mingle.

The Gunpowder Plot
Image credit: Mark Dawson

Aside from the obvious opening night jitters from the technology, the overall experience was an amazing undertaking and offered a compelling and fun adventure. Only wishing that we could have spent longer admiring the incredible historical recreation rendered virtually of the old city. The experience will be moving from soft opening to taking bookings and is expected to be the first of many immersive themed experiences based on popular properties.

In an interesting quirk of history on its own, the location of The Gunpowder Plot experience is situated in the same vaults that some 28-years ago housed the Legend Quest VR experience. Developed at the time by pioneers, Virtuality, in collaboration with Virtual Reality Design & Leisure, the first true multi-player fantasy VR game was incredibly rudimentary but pointed to the abilities of this fledgling technology. Jump forward to 2022, and again the Tower Hill location offers a tantalizing glimpse of a future in a technological endeavour that will start a revolution in guest entertainment.

Tower of London Opens its Doors to Immersive Experience The Gunpowder Plot in May

For those looking for the latest immersive entertainment experiences then you can’t go too far wrong with a trip to the UK this summer. Alongside the likes of Legoland Windsor and its Magical Forest augmented reality (AR) tour, the Tower of London is set to launch a brand new immersive experience based on Guy Fawkes called The Gunpowder Plot.

Gunpowder Plot
Tom Felton – The Gunpowder Plot. Image credit: Mark Dawson Photography

The latest project from Layered Reality (Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds: The Immersive Experience) in collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces and Figment Productions (Current Rising), The Gunpowder Plot combines live actors with digital ones in a multi-sensory theatrical adventure.

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter) will play the lead role of Guy Fawkes, digitally recreated thanks to Figment for guests to experience in virtual reality (VR). They’ll step back in time to 1605 to go undercover and play an active role in one of the most infamous stories from British history. Attendees will be able to explore a purpose-designed immersive theatre space inside Tower Vaults, a location that hasn’t been accessible to the public for 20 years.

“I’m very excited to be playing a character so famous (and infamous!) for being at the centre of the most famous conspiracy plot in UK history. Guy Fawkes is a fascinating character with a complex history and with passionate advocates and detractors then and now. To be able to bring the character to life through Virtual Reality, and to allow him to interact with audiences in a way that has never been done before, is thrilling,” said Felton in a statement.

Gunpowder Plot
Tom Felton – The Gunpowder Plot. Image credit: Mark Dawson Photography

“We cannot wait to share this groundbreaking production with an audience. Incredibly realistic sets you can step onto and run your hands across. Cutting edge VR that puts our audience in the heart of London in one of its most volatile moments,” adds Creative Director Hannah Price. “Layered levels of immersion so everything you see, feel, touch, and even smell takes you further into the story. Add live actors and a brilliant script and our audience will have an experience like no other.”

Tickets are on sale now for The Gunpowder Plot which opens on 20th May 2022 in Tower Vaults at the Tower of London. Prices start from £40 GBP per person, rising up to £110 for VIP tickets. Groups of 6+ can save £5 per ticket using discount code GROUPS85W at checkout.

For further updates on the latest innovative use of VR, keep reading gmw3.

The Virtual Arena: Going “Virtually” To The Opera

Current Rising

In his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams takes a walk beyond the normal immersive entertainment projects he reports on, and looks at the deployment of immersive technology into the arts, with the launch of the world’s first hyper-reality opera experience.  

Current Rising
Current,Rising. Image credit Figment Productions and Joanne Scotcher

Marking the beginning of the reopening of exhibitions, events and attractions in certain localities, this report covers the opening of a brand new exhibit that takes immersive technology into a new medium. What has been dubbed #Artainment – a collision of the arts and culture with the entertainment medium. But this is much more nuanced, representing immersive experiences developed to transcend more traditional gallery, theatre, and live event approaches to the arts.

The adoption of VR as a medium to immerse an audience into an artist realm is not a new application. And has seen many curators embrace the technology as it evolves. The National Theatre in London during 2016 debuted their production wonder.land, a modern Alice in Wonderland, with a VR experience developed in collaboration between Fifty Nine Productions and Play Nicely. Audiences transported into the magical portal of the lead character, viewed from sitting on toilets.

Game of Thrones

There have been many other artistic deployments of immersive technology into the museum, gallery and theatre scene (recently we reported on the VR attraction the Tutankhamun Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery). But for the world of opera, they had only toyed with the VR medium, with such deployments as the 2017 premier of We Cannot Sleep, as an immersive viewing experience using Samsung GearVR’s, and special VR content to place the audience into the heart of the narrative. 

We Cannot Sleep - Gear VR audience

The beginning of May saw a brand-new experiment in blending historic stagecraft, artistic excellence, and cutting-edge technology. Launched by The Royal Opera House, in London’s Covent Garden – this project sees a UK Research and Innovation funded development that brings together an all-female-led creative team, working with, award-winning Figment Productions and Royal Holloway, University of London. As part of the Royal Opera House’s innovation programme, Audience Labs – looking at new ways to engage the audience within the artistic experience.

Royal Opera House

Using the medium of Hyper Reality and based on the free-roaming platform developed by Figment Productions. A company with an extensive background in theme park attractions, (as we reported recently regarding Derren Brown’s Ghost Train VR experience). Working closely with the artistic leads, they have created the experience called Current, Rising.

A 15-minute experience inspired by the liberation of Ariel, at the end of Shakespeare’s Tempest. Groups of four guests at a time are taken through the multi-sensory opera, employing all the artifice of the free-roaming experience. But in this experiment, the audience is transported into a world exploring the possibilities of VR to expand the idea of what an opera can be, both in the process of creation and in the audience experience.

Current Rising
Current, Rising. Image credit Johan Persson

Guests don PC VR backpacks while wearing the latest HP Reverb headsets that include Ultraleap hand tracking. The combined platform allows the four guests to see their hands within the virtual world as well as ghostly representations of their fellow travellers through this realm. Starting in a neutral space, the guests enter the virtual environment and then navigate around the space, immersive by sight and sound, elements of the music and performance incorporated into the content.

Current Rising
Current Rising, ROH, 2020, Credit: Johan Persson

For many of those that will experience this, it will be their first time in VR, let alone, a Hyper-Reality presentation. The use of real-world effects like wind, rumble, movement, and tactile objects overwhelming the senses. Rather than a game experience, this is an ability to exist within a space, and comprehend the message of the performance. And proved a thought-provoking utilization of this technology.

The experience space is within the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre and starting from 21 May until 10 June, this incredibly specialized experiment has been developed to conform with the current restrictions, strictly adhering to social distancing guidelines. Guests who want to try this will have to book ahead to register for tickets via the theatres online box-office. A unique and compelling experience for those that are lucky enough to try it. This marks the first in a series of special reports that will commence, as we chart the reopening of many new immersive entertainment venues internationally, and we travel to see how the sector is adapting to the new conditions and the innovation being launched onto a very hungry entertainment market.

The Virtual Arena: HTC Vive’s Influence in Enterprise VR – Part 1

The Virtual Arena

In the first of a two-part feature in his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams marks the six-year anniversary of HTC’s Vive platform in commercial entertainment – initially looking at the lesser reported history of the VR tech in this scene and the influence it has had on shaping the business.

While many are focused on the consumer sales of virtual reality (VR), the commercial (enterprise) aspects of the market seem to be the new recruiting sergeant for innovation and advanced design. Following a major launch of new VR hardware, HTC shines a light on this approach. But it’s the commercial entertainment deployment that also needs some perspective to better understand the thinking going forward for VR adoption.

HTC Vive - LBE

HTC is a company that has epitomised the eventual separation of the VR community between the “Serious VR” and the “Casual VR” businesses. While many would see consumer videogames as a vital aspect of the industry, it is still a casual pursuit, and with the projection of the standalone VR scene as the focus of considerable investment this can overshadow the rest of the business. But as has been seen VR headset manufacturers now pivot towards a B2B, high-end PC-VR, approach.

– Early Period

HTC entered the VR space in 2016, being the first to field a PC-VR headset. Much of this lead was achieved by the licensing and partnership with Valve. This relationship fostered in the ashes of Valve’s abandoned involvement with Oculus. This after the controversial loaning of the famous Valve ‘VR Room’ proof of concept that defined the fundamentals of tracking, strong immersive display, and comprehensive controllers. Much of the lessons taught by the ‘VR Room’, would lead to the creation of Lighthouse tracking infrastructure, a mainstay of the platform. Allowing the HTC Vive to offer room-scale VR while others initially offered seated only VR.

Valve - VR Room
The famous Valve “VR Room” in operation

Selling at first to prosumers and commercial buyers, it was obvious that VR had drawing appeal, and while complicated hardware, the interest to use Vive systems in promotional work, as Pop-Up installations, allowing an audience to experience immersion that would normally be out of their price point. HTC working with many corporations to create deployable pop-up promotional experiences, such as the 2016 ‘Fantasy Forest VR Experience’ in partnership with Walt Disney and a promotional tool for their new Jungle Book properties.

Jungle Book

The Asian focus of the Taiwanese corporation has seen HTC partner with many companies in this territory. Regarding LBE development, HTC would sign a partnership with Chinese based LEKE VR. The company had already penetrated the VR amusement scene selling several of their unique VR platforms, and with the partnership with HTC could represent their VR headsets into the market, with LEKE VR getting early access to the new HTC VIVE Pro. This business approach would go on to feed HTC’s aspirations in this sector.

LEKE VR
Deep Ocean Adventure from LEKE VR

Taking the basic idea of the pop-up installation and placing experiences in a dedicated showroom environment led to HTC devising the creation of their own entertainment facility. Under the VIiveport Arcade brand, the company opened several Taiwanese based VR arcades, acting both as a showroom of HTC hardware, but also offering VR game experiences that the audience could try. The company would continue to invest in a facility style approach to the deployment of their hardware, and would even open HTC VIVELAND, with more attractions created by third-party developers on the hardware.

Viveland
One of the many experiences at VIVELAND

It was more than obvious the high price of VR technology and the skill set needed to effectively field this hardware that there would be an opportunity for commercial entertainment centres to operate as VR arcades. The hardware of choice would become the HTC Vive in the West, and one of the first to effectively roll out a chain of facilities was CTRL-V in Canada. Their first facility in 2016 would be located near the University of Waterloo campus and would set the model. With 16-stations for players to try out the latest VR experiences on the HTC Vive from a custom library of VR content. From this first facility, the company would go on to roll out a chain of some 10 facilities across the territory and be a popular model of excellence in VR arcades that others emulate. Proving the draw of a pay-to-play model for VR entertainment. 

CTRL-V
Inside one of the first CTRL-V facilities

Regarding Western LBE VR applications, one of the first to gain traction in 2016 was from Virtuix, forming a joint venture with Hero Entertainment to create Crisis Action – using the Omni-directional treadmill, players could compete in the hectic shooter, that used HTC Vive headsets. This concept would solidify and be relaunched as the standalone ‘OMNI Arena’ system that has seen a strong penetration into the amusement facility scene and is supported by a thriving eSports championship business.

Crisis Action
The initial design for Crisis Action

More unusual applications of VR hardware have been in the deployment for visitor attractions, using the immersive experience to entertain the gathered audience. One of the early examples was the Sky Circus Sunshine, located on the observation deck of the Tokyo landmark, several VR experiences simulated heart-pounding aerial exploits some 700 feet in the air from the towering structure. Including being launched from a cannon, or riding an immense swing. Deployed using the HTC headset, content developed by specialists Hashilus, who would go on to create other innovative pop-up entertainment installations in VR.

Hashilus - Cannon
One of the many unusual VR experiences at the observatory

The deployment of VR as more of an attraction would not be seen until the launch by Merlin Entertainment of ‘Derren Brown’s Ghost Train’ at Thorp Park. A unique attraction married VR experiences interspersed around a ghost train application. Some 14 passengers transported from a tube train through numerous environments including digital and grand scale illusions. The attraction, VR elements developed by Figment Productions, first launched in 2016 would see several revisions to address issues, and would prove a mixed bag with audiences, but paved the way for the deployment of VR, and in particularly HTC Vive headsets in large audience configurations. Opening the door to other VR attractions that would follow.

HTC Vive - scares
First virtual scares for theme park guests

The landscape to establishing LBE VR has been littered with many failures, and projects such as the IMAX VR arcade and Hub Zero as some of the more notorious false steps, but there has also been an incredibly successful and lucrative business in supporting the LBE VR scene for HTC, an aspect of their business not only involving unit sales of the Vive but also support and maintenance and an extensive software and firmware support infrastructure.

The amusement trade would see arguably some of the greatest penetration of VR hardware in an entertainment format, with key leading developers selling in the hundreds of VR amusement variants, and establishing a new genre of product.

One of the first to investigate the possibilities of VR for amusement would be Bandai Namco, after initial investment, the corporation set up an offshoot of its amusement GM operation, to specialize in VR development called “Project-i-Can”. The group would go on to create several formative VR entertainments that were fusions of popular amusement genres married to VR hardware based on the HTC Vive. The experiences would be placed in their own unique location-based venue named VR ZONE, with several sites, including a flagship location opened. VR ZONE Portals would offer pop-up opportunities for players outside of Japan to experience the delights. And Bandai Namco would even partner with Nintendo to create a VR interpretation of Mario Kart.

Ski Rodeo - Tokyo VR ZoneRodeo - Tokyo VR Zone
Player on ‘Ski Rodeo’ at a Tokyo VR ZONE

Along with more conventional applications of amusement VR hybrids, Bandai Namco would also broach into the realm of free-roaming VR experiences. The company developed several attractions that looked at PC backpack Arena Scale experiences. But one of the most notable being their partnership with Square-ENIX towards creating a four-player free-roaming attraction based on the popular fantasy title with Dragon Quest VR. An innovative multi-player adaptation, with the deployment of advance haptic feedback game interfaces based on the key roles of the players’ characters.

Dragon Quest VR
Players working as a team against the bosses in Dragon Quest VR. Image credit: KWP

This concludes the first part of this two-part feature on the anniversary of HTC’s investment into location-based entertainment. The second part will look at the continuing legacy and reveal some of the plans for the future of this vital entertainment sector.

VR Experience from Figment Productions Nominated for Two Raindance Awards

As has been covered a number of times on VRFocus, an increasing number of film festivals and award committees are recognising the contribution of immersive media. The Raindance Film Festival is due to be held in London later this month, and some virtual reality (VR) experiences have made the cut. Notably, a VR experience from Figment Productions has been nominated for two awards.

Figment Productions is best known for its work in location-based VR experiences, and now the company has been recognised by a noted film festival for its work on cinematic VR experience Kinch and the Double World.

The story of Kinch and the Double World concerns a young homeless boy called Kinch, living on the streets of Victorian London. After stealing a loaf of bread and being pursued by the law, he hides in an old theatre and find himself being taken in by an old magician, who reveals a secret world where magic is real.

The immersive VR experience will have its premiere at the Raindance Film Festival, where it will be shown at OXO Tower on London’s Southbank. Attendees will watch the experience on an Oculus Go headset.

According to Figment Productions, Kinch and the Double World acts as a test bed for new production techniques, including the use of lightfield display technology. The 360-degree film was captured using a combination of different camera types, including Google Jump and Nokia OZO. Four different locations across London were used during filming, and the final product features a melding of 360-degree live action combined with CGI environments, lightfield technology and real-time interaction.

Simon Reveley, CEO of Figment said: “Kinch and the Double World is an original cinematic VR experience but it has an unusual origin story of its own. Its primary purpose was to be the test case for a government funded research project called ‘ALIVE’. With government funding from Innovate UK we worked with technology partners (Foundry and the University of Surrey) whose tasks were to develop the core tech and the toolchain that would facilitate next generation production techniques particularly around 360 video and lightfields.”

Further information about the Raindance Film Festival can be found on the official website. Future coverage on Figment Productions VR projects will be here on VRFocus.

The VR Job Hub: The World Cup Is Ending But The Jobs Are Not

Even with the FIFA World Cup coming to a close soon it does not mean that the number of exciting opportunities in the immersive industry have slowed down. In this week’s entry of The VR Job Hub there are a number of positions available around the world in fields such as programming, art, design, and many more.

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

London, UK University of Westminster Assistant Technician (XR Lab)

Click Here to Apply

Hyderabad Area, India

Future World Studios Senior Game Programmer for VR

Click Here to Apply

San Francisco, CA, US

Niantic, Inc

Unity Technical Artist

Click Here to Apply

Sunnyvale, CA, US

Niantic, Inc

Senior Software Engineer

Click Here to Apply

London, UK

FundamentalVR Senior Haptics Engineer

Click Here to Apply

Melbourne, AU

RMIT University Senior AR/VR Developer

Click Here to Apply

Malvern, PA Tipping Point Media 3D VR/AR Developer

Click Here to Apply

Mountain View, CA, US Google Software Engineer, VR

Click Here to Apply

Mountain View, CA, US Google Software Engineer, ARCore

Click Here to Apply

San Bruno, CA, US YouTube Software Engineer, VR

Click Here to Apply

Guildford, UK Figment Productions Production Manager

Click Here to Apply

Eynsham, UK Adlens AR & VR Senior Design Engineer

Click Here to Apply

San Francisco, CA, US High Fidelity Senior Content Developer

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.

The VR Job Hub: Summer Job Opportunities Working On Immersive Technology

As the month of July continues so too does the heat and the World Cup. Along with these though there are also plenty of exciting job opportunities to discover within the immersive technology industry. This means it is time for The VR Job Hub where there are a number of positions available around the world. This weekend there are developer, designer, engineers, managers positions available along with plenty of others.

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

San José, San Jose, Costa Rica SweetRush Inc VR/AR Unity Developer

Click Here to Apply

Hyderabad Area, India

Future World Studios Senior Game Programmer for VR

Click Here to Apply

San Francisco, CA, US

Niantic, Inc

Unity Technical Artist

Click Here to Apply

Sunnyvale, CA, US

Niantic, Inc

Senior Software Engineer

Click Here to Apply

San Francisco, CA, US

Niantic, Inc UX Designer

Click Here to Apply

Pittsburgh, PA, US

Oculus VR Technical Program Manager (AR)

Click Here to Apply

Mountain View, CA, US Google Associate Producer, AR/VR Partnerships

Click Here to Apply

Mountain View, CA, US Google Software Engineer, VR

Click Here to Apply

Mountain View, CA, US Google Software Engineer, ARCore

Click Here to Apply

San Bruno, CA, US YouTube Software Engineer, VR

Click Here to Apply

Guildford, UK Figment Productions Production Manager

Click Here to Apply

Eynsham, UK Adlens AR & VR Senior Design Engineer

Click Here to Apply

Eynsham, UK Adlens AR & VR Manufacturing Process Development Manager

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.

Figment Products Announced Next Generation Virtual Reality Experience

Figment Productions have announced that following several years of developing virtual reality (VR) content for use in the leisure industry, what it considers to be the ultimate, next generation, immersive experience, codenamed Project Helix.

The company, which is based just outside London along with an office in Orlando, Florida, have worked on some world famous location-based VR experiences including Galactica at Alton Towers, Derren Brown’s Ghost Train at Thorpe Park and The Great LEGO Race at LEGOLAND parks around the world to name a few. With a team of content producers and creative technologists with nearly 150 interactive attractions around the globe Figment have proven themselves to be masters of their craft and now they claim to have created the ultimate hybrid immersive experience for the leisure sector.

Project Helix is being kept under wraps for now, but some of the details that Figment have shared for now reveal that is features multi-user, tactile, free-roaming VR coupled with interactive props and environments. However, aside from high quality content that breaks away from the current trend of free-roaming VR, gun-focused shoot-em-ups and zombie experiences, Figment have stressed the importance of the multi-user aspect which will feature realistic avatars of players.

“Over the years we’ve learned a huge amount from our clients who operate theme parks and visitor attractions,” said Simon Reveley, CEO of Figment. “We understand the importance of getting the throughput model right and the essential component of a shared, social experience. Previously, VR has struggled to deliver on that but the technology is evolving and so are our software solutions. At Figment, we’ve developed a system that allows us to scan guests and create realistic avatars for them almost instantly. Once they put on their high-end PC backpacks and high-resolution VR headsets, they’re able to see each other in the virtual world, to talk and interact. It’s a step change in how we experience VR.”

Harry Potter Diagon Alley

Reveley went on to comment on whether the content would be original or licensed saying: “Over the years we’ve been trusted to create content for brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Vodafone and Volvo, as well as entertainment IPs like LEGO and Harry Potter. Hopefully that tells you that with both original and licensed IP, the quality of the content will be superior to what the market’s currently used to. Also, we have some incredible partners lined up who I am desperate to talk about. It’s an incredibly exciting time for us. I can’t wait to share more news in the coming months.”

For now, Figment are keeping Project Helix close to the table but will license the system to customers in the leisure industry alongside operating their own sites with the first locations planned to open in Q1 2019. Until then, VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on Project Helix from Figment so stay tuned for more.