Category: smartVR

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EVA Unveils Free-Roaming VR Esports Stadium at Paris Games Week

Location-based entertainment (LBE) is a growing sector within the virtual reality (VR) industry, and a natural subsection of that are esports. During the annual Paris Games Week (PGW) event last month Esports Virtual Arenas (EVA) debuted a 1,000 square meter stadium designed to host VR competitions. 

EVA Stadium

EVA’s VR Esports Stadium concept is built around the premise of competitive player vs player experiences which can also be viewed by large, physically present crowds. While the initial debut featured a 1,000 sq meter stadium at PGW 2019, the concept can be tailored to suit a range of factors, from location size to number of players.

The EVA stadium can be scaled from 400 m2 (4,300 ft2) to 3000 m2 (32,000 ft2), accommodating a maximum of 30 players at once. When it comes to the public, 500 spectators can be seated around the arena to witness every move the competitors make in the stadium as well as watching their in-game actions displayed on gigantic screens hung in the centre. Additionally, matches can also be live-streamed for fans online.

At PGW 2019, EVA held competitive 4v4 matches using a specifically reworked version of the VR title After-H. Built when EVA used to be called SmartVR Studio, After-H was designed specifically for LBE venues but the developer decided to expand that support to home headsets in September. So After-H can currently be found on Steam Early Access as a free download for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality and Valve Index headsets.

EVA player

EVA is offering a turnkey solution for those interested in implementing the concept which includes exclusive videogames, equipment and structures, building a facility in three months. The company plans on opening the first EVA VR Stadiums to the public during 2020 in France as well as internationally.

Having originally started out as SmartVR Studio developing Top Floor, a VR experience about fear of heights and After-H,  the company rebranded as Esports Virtual Arenas (EVA), receiving €2m EUR from the Trust Esport Venture fund to develop its stadium idea.

As and when the stadium concept becomes publicly available VRFocus will let you know. Or for LBE action now, then check out Godzilla VR in London, UK or Terminator: Guardian of Fate at Dave & Buster’s locations in the US.

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Arcade FPS After-H to get Free Steam Early Access Release

Plenty of home virtual reality (VR) titles have made the leap into arcades as a way to make more money for studios. The same can’t be said for the other way around though. French studio and VR operator smartVR will be doing just that later this month by releasing After-H, a first-person shooter (FPS) designed for location-based entertainment (LBE) venues on home VR headsets.

After-H

With a basic story revolving around two human factions fighting for strategic points across the solar system in 2080, After-H is a pure multiplayer shooter. With maps supporting up to 4 vs 4 player matches, After-H is a fast FPS with the Early Access release featuring three modes (Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All and Domination), three maps (The Cliff / Ruins Bay / Coliseum) and three weapons (MX42 (assault rifle), The Needle (precision rifle), T1 Gauss (shotgun)).

The Early Access release doesn’t have a fixed timeline for an eventual launch but the studio has plenty of plans for the title, saying on its Steam page: “The full version of the game will include a larger set of weapons, skins, maps, game modes, in-game player and team features. We also have high esport expectations for After-H, which means we’ll have to define a competition system.”

Currently being worked on are Earth and Io maps, pistol, long-range rifle and bow weapons, a tutorial, an account system with levelling rewards and ranked games/leaderboards, plus new gameplay features like social interactions and abilities.

After-H

“Our goal was to make a true esport game with quality graphics for optimal VR immersion. We’ve worked hard on balancing and gameplay to launch a game that’s fun and quick to pick up, where players can also develop skills,” says Jean Mariotte, co-founder of smartVR in a statement.

Supporting Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, After-H will launch on Monday 23rd September via Steam and Viveport completely free, with the studio stating even with regular updates it’ll remain free.

For those that don’t own a compatible headset, After-H is available in over 200 arcades around the world which use the SpringboardVR system. For further updates on the videogame from smartVR, keep reading VRFocus.