E3 2019 Interview: Survios Serves a Tasty Treat for Walking Dead Fans

AMC’s The Walking Dead isn’t just a successful TV show, it’s a highly successful franchise which has spawned a number of videogames such as augmented reality (AR) title The Walking Dead: OurworldA virtual reality (VR) version was on the cards via OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead and we all know how that turned out. Thankfully, AMC decided to collaborate with VR specialists Survios on another title called The Walking Dead Onslaught which the studio took to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2019. VRFocus caught up with Survios’ co-founder James Iliff to learn more. 

The Walking Dead Onslaught

Survios and AMC revealed The Walking Dead Onslaught in May, explaining that because this was an officially licensed project fans will be able to play as some of the most popular characters from the show. That’s as far as the tie-in goes by the looks of it, with the videogame having its own exclusive storyline rather than a spin-off from the series.

This means The Walking Dead Onslaught will feature a full single-player campaign designed for location-based entertainment (LBE) centres as well as home VR headsets. How the two will differ – VR arcades won’t want you occupying the headset for hours – is being kept under wraps for now.

Just like the TV series you’ll be able to use a range of ranged and melee weapons, with particular attention being focused on the melee portion of the experience. Survios has already spoken about its ‘Progressive Dismemberment System’ which will let players slice and dice the undead in proper gory ways. Every joint on a walkers body is fair game, allowing the removal of limbs almost however you want. There are several other features which will make the experience as realistic as possible, like being able to stab a zombie or restrain them with one hand to inflict a killer blow with the other.

The Walking Dead Onslaught

Which is exactly why VRFocus want to learn more, with Iliff going into greater detail regarding the precision mechanics the studio has employed to make The Walking Dead Onslaught one videogame that both fans and general VR gamers will equally enjoy.

Take a look at the interview to learn more, and keep an eye out for further The Walking Dead Onslaught updates from VRFocus.

Raw Data Developer Survios Raises $50 million in Funding This Year

Survios’ Raw Data has been one of the major virtual reality (VR) hits on Steam for HTC Vive since its launch during the summer. This week the Los-Angeles-based developer has announced that through two rounds of funding this year its secured $50 million USD, with the latest round including entertainment company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Back in 2014 Survios raised $4 million in an early round from a range of investment companies led by Shasta Ventures, helping support its first efforts in VR such as Zombies on the Holodeck! This helped Survios build towards Raw Data which it debuted during the Virtual Reality Los Angeles (VRLA) Winter Expo in January. The first financing round that was held this year featured Shasta Ventures again, alongside Danhua Capital, Shanda Holdings, Felicis Ventures, Dentsu Ventures and Lux Capital who led the round. The most recent investment round with MGM has meant that it’s chairman and CEO Gary Barber now joins Survios’ board.

Raw Data (3)

James Iliff, co-founder and chief creative officer at Survios spoke with GamesBeat about the investment, saying: “We want to build amazing VR content for the widest possible audience. We want to make the VR market succeed. It’s still early, and we want to make it happen.”

“MGM has incredible creative properties and access to a lot of intellectual property that could help us,” he added.

While the investment means Survios is looking to the future and diversifying its content lineup, how about Raw Data? Iliff addresses any concerns fans may have in a blog posting: “We are going to complete Raw Data as we originally set out to do, delivering more missions, heroes, items, and abilities; further polishing the gameplay; and adding in lots of story-driven elements so that the finished product is not only super fun to play, but also has the depth and fullness you crave. We also have a few unannounced surprises in store for you along the way.”

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Survios and Raw Data, reporting back with any further updates.