Category: The Virtual Reality Company

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The Virtual Reality Company Want To Be The Disney Of Immersive And Interactive Storytelling

AR and VR on the Lot at Paramount Studios had some big names walking around, including companies seeking to create stories in both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) that are equivalent of Hollywood standards. VRFocus sat down with Guy Primus, the CEO of the Virtual Reality Company, a studio trying to do just that with VR experience Raising a Rukus in partnership with IMAX, for it and the Samsung Gear VR. As well as their AR app Follow Me Dragon.

Virtual Reality Company Raising a Rukus Family SceneThe Virtual Reality Company is co-founded by Robert Stromberg, who has created the world of Avatar (2009) and Alice in Wonderland (2010) as well as directed Maleficent (2014) and Guy Primus, a heavyweight in the advertising industry and previous Chief Operating Officer for Overbrook Entertainment, a film and television production company founded by Will Smith and producer James Lassiter. The 28-person team are on a mission to bring people “face to face with imagination” through immersive technologies.

Their mission has led them to creating Raising A Rukus, a VR experience about twins who follow a little dog named Rukus underground on an adventure that involve dinosaur skeletons coming to life on a wild adventure. The VR experience debuted at IMAX VR cinemas with the D-box chairs, which help further immerse viewers into the experience. Primus says that the feedback so far has been fantastic with people asking, “you can do a Pixar movie in VR?”

It’s not only VR that the Virtual Reality Company are looking into. They’ve most recently released Follow Me Dragon on iOS devices. The moment Apple announced ARKit, the team managed to get the Follow Me Dragon out and ready 10 weeks later. Primus hopes that the little dragon called Drake in Follow Me Dragon will be a mascot, like Mickey Mouse to Disney. They plan to iterate, add six brothers and sisters to the experience and have them overlap into VR. In other words, your dragon companion in Follow Me Dragon would develop its own personality as you travel with it and this would lead to various experiences in VR. No dates have been announced just yet, but it Primus hints at some very exciting projects that will be announced in the next few weeks. Watch this space.

To find out more watch the video below.

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D-Box and Cineplex Team Up For VR Cinematic Experience

Canadian cinema company Cineplex have already been involved in several ventures to bring virtual reality (VR) to various locations in Canada. The latest involves immersive entertainment company D-Box, who have partnered with Cineplex to bring a VR cinematic experience to Canadians.

Customers at Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre in Ottawa will soon be able to enjoy a VR motion experience in one of the 10 D-Box VR motion seats that are being installed in the theatre to offer a more immersive experience.

The new VR theatre experience is expected to open sometime in Autumn 2017 and will debut with the premiere of animated VR motion experience of Raising a Rukus, an animated adventure produced by The Virtual Reality Company that tells the story of a brother and sister as they go on magical adventures along with their mischievous dog Rukus.

Virtual Reality Company Raising a Rukus Family Scene

“We entertain more than 75 million Canadians a year so integrating VR entertainment experiences into our theatres is a natural extension of what we do best,” said Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex. “We love bringing innovative new entertainment choices to our guests and we are pleased to work with D-BOX to bring this new, immersive VR experience to the Ottawa community.”

“We’ve been working with Cineplex since 2009 and today they have more than 80 auditoriums equipped with D-BOX motion systems, providing movie-goers with an exceptional in-theatre experience,” states Claude Mc Master, President and CEO of D-BOX. “This new venture underlines our commitment to move full speed ahead into the world of VR through immersive storytelling and offers the movie industry a reliable, manageable, secure and efficient way to create recurring revenue.”

VRFocus will bring you further news on D-Box and Cineplex VR projects as it becomes available.

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The Virtual Reality Company Unveils AR app Follow Me Dragon

With the roll out of iOS 11 yesterday developers are beginning to release their augmented reality (AR) apps for Apple’s mobile devices. Today has already seen Climax Studios ARise launch and now The Virtual Reality Company has delved into the AR field with Follow Me Dragon. 

The experience features adorable dragons who dance, jump, pose for pictures, play fetch and fly through real-world environments. Designed to be enjoyed by participants of all ages, users can take pictures with their dragons and share their adventures via social media accounts.

Virtual Reality Company Follow Me Dragon

“With Follow Me Dragon, VRC is taking a leap forward into Augmented Reality,” explains VRC co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Robert Stromberg in a statement. “Beginning with the first dragon, Drake, each character will have a unique personality that will navigate real world environments with its own flair. Collectively, the dragons will serve as the foundation for an immersive new fantasy experience.”

VRC’s CEO Guy Primus adds, “while early adopters to the app will enjoy all the delightful interactions they can share with the current dragon, VRC’s development team is actively working to build and grow the world of Follow Me Dragon – both within the app and beyond.”

The Virtual Reality Company is known for its cinematic VR releases like Raising a Rukus and The Martian VR. VRFocus will continue its coverage of the studio, reporting back with its latest projects.

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The VR Job Hub: The Realities Centre, Within, moBack.Inc, Pearson and more

Whether you’re an experienced designer, programmer, engineer, or maybe you’ve just been inspired after reading VRFocus  articles, the jobs listed here are located worldwide, from major game players to humble indie developers – the one thing they all have in common is that they are all jobs in VR.

View the new listings below for more information:

Location Company Role Link
Los Angeles, CA The Virtual Reality Company Junior Software Engineer (Gaming/VR) Click here to apply
London, UK The Realities Centre Multiple Roles Click here to apply
Los Angeles, CA moBack.Inc Unity VR/AR Devs Click here to apply
San Francisco, CA moBack.Inc Unity VR/AR Devs Click here to apply
London, UK Pearson VR Video Experience Developer Click here to apply
Sheffield, UK Sheffield Hallam University Researcher – Games Developer Click here to apply
Los Angeles, CA Within Various Roles Click here to apply

 

As usual, you can check last week’s edition for further job listings. If you are an employer looking for someone to fill a role in a VR or AR related area and want that position to be featured on next week’s VR Job Hub, please send details to either pgraham@vrfocus.com or keva@vrfocus.com.

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at 3PM BST every Sunday for the latest roles in the VR industry.

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IMAX VR Experience Raising a Rukus Comes to Samsung Gear VR

Raising a Rukus, a virtual reality (VR) experience that debuted at the flagship IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles this month has now been made available for Samsung Gear VR.

Created by The Virtual Reality Company, Raising a Rukus is an animated magical adventures with twins Amy and Jonas and their mischievous pet dog, Rukus. Produced by two-time Academy Award winner and co-founder of VRC, Robert Stromberg, the experience transports viewers into a prehistoric world, as they chase Rukus with skeletal versions of dinosaurs appearing, braving a raging river, to discover it was all part of Rukus’ magical plan.

Virtual Reality Company Raising a Rukus Scene

“The vision for the Rukus franchise is to create stories built around universal themes and relatable truths that not only educate and entertain, we want audiences to connect emotionally with these endearing characters, and learn and take something away from their stories,” said Stromberg in a statement. “We are in the early days of unlocking the power of this new medium. It’s similar to my time working on Avatar, VRC is in a constant state of invention and innovation, testing and pushing the artistic, storytelling and technical potential of VR.”

The experience isn’t just a film you watch as it uses branching narratives that viewers can choose. Each character can be followed on their unique path through the adventure by merely gazing in the direction of Jonas or Amy at a particular point in the story.

“VRC set a milestone in VR on our work with ‘The Martian VR Experience‘ for 20th Century Fox Innovation Lab,” said Guy Primus, CEO and Co-Founder of VRC. “‘Raising a Rukus‘ sets several new milestones in VR production: location-based experiences through the cinematic release with IMAX for its IMAX VR centres, and now on mobile making it available on the Oculus Store for Samsung Gear VR.”

Raising a Rukus can be downloaded from the Oculus Store for $3.99 USD. VRFocus will continue its coverage of The Virtual Reality Company, reporting back with its latest projects.

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IMAX VR Centres to Showcase VR Experience Raising a Rukus

In March, VRFocus reported on The Virtual Reality Company (VRC) announcing work on an original animated virtual reality (VR) animated series called Raising a Rukus. Today, IMAX Corporation has revealed a partnership between the two that’ll see the first episode of Raising a Rukus debut at the flagship IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles this Friday, 19th May.

The animated VR adventure takes viewers on a magical story with brother and sister – Jonas and Amy – and their mischievous pet dog, Rukus.

“We’re excited to partner with VRC – which brings an immense amount of creative talent and expertise – to premiere ‘Raising a Rukus’ at our IMAX VR centres,” said IMAX Chief Business Development Officer Robert D. Lister in a statement. “This is exactly the type of original premium experience, which was designed specifically for location-based VR, we’re looking to provide our guests. This family-oriented fare is becoming increasingly important as we are seeing visitors of all ages come through our successful flagship centre in Los Angeles.”

Virtual Reality Company Raising a Rukus Family Scene

“With the Rukus franchise we want the audience to not only be entertained and connect with these lovable and endearing characters, we want them to learn and take something away from their stories, which are built around universal themes like sharing, love and compassion,” said Robert Stromberg, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of VRC. “VRC’s vision is to bring together the best narrative storytelling with captivating art to immerse viewers in the story, and do it in a way that this new powerful medium makes possible for audiences around the world.”

After its debut in Los Angeles, IMAX will then roll out VRC’s Raising a Rukus to its VR centres set to open in New York City, the UK, and other locations worldwide in the coming months.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of IMAX, reporting back with the latest announcements.

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The Virtual Reality Company is Raising a Rukus

The Virtual Reality Company (VRC) has announced that its working on an original virtual reality (VR) animated series to all major VR platforms called Raising A Rukus.

The animated series will be about the adventures of a brother and sister and their dog, Rukus. Robert Stromberg, winner of two Academy Awards and current Chief Creative Officer of VRC is producing the new immersive series.

Raising a Rukus

“VRC’s vision for ‘Raising a Rukus’ was to create an experience that allows viewers to step into this world and connect emotionally with these lovable and endearing characters and their stories in a way that only VR can make possible,” said Stromberg. “VRC is working to bring thrilling VR worlds to life through stories that will be memorable, thought provoking and entertaining to people around the world.”

VRC said that Raising A Rukus will feature branching narratives that allow the audience to follow the story of a specific character in order to see a story from differing perspectives. The creators hope this will allow the audience to better bond with the characters in a way that will keep them returning for further adventures.

“VRC has brought together the best artists, storytellers, filmmakers and technicians who are working to create impactful and immersive VR experiences that will bring people face-to-face with imagination,” said Guy Primus, co-founder and CEO of VRC. “‘Raising a Rukus’ is one of many milestone VR experiences we will announce and release in 2017. This is the premium VR experience that people have been waiting for, and we know they will be thrilled.”

A firm release date has not been set, but VRC say it should begin distribution to all major VR platforms, both high-end and mobile VR in the Spring.

VRFocus will bring you further news on Raising A Rukus as it becomes available.

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Raising A Rukus Is A New Animated VR Series From The VR Company

Raising A Rukus Is A New Animated VR Series From The VR Company

Baobab Studios is testing the waters of VR animation with its short films, Invasion! and Asteroids!. Now The Virtual Reality Company is adding its own experiments to the mix with Raising A Rukus.

Announced by the Los Angeles-based studio today, Raising A Rukus is to be a fully animated VR adventure series aimed at families. It aims to take full advantage of VR as it brings viewers to other worlds which they’ll explore alongside a brother and sister that are accompanied by their pet dog, Rukus. The series aims to both provide entertainment and be educational for younger viewers.

This won’t be a simple linear experience, however. Episodes will feature branching narratives that allow viewers to see the story from different angles, giving them something new to see every time they watch it. In their own way, each episodes will have multiple episodes within them.

The series will be produced by Robert Stromberg, the Oscar-winning director known for his work on 2011’s Alice in Wonderland and 2009’s Avatar, as well as his Disney directional debut with 2014’s Maleficent.  You may recall that he already worked with Oculus’ own VR division, Story Studio. The Virtual Realiy Company itself, meanwhile, has worked on several VR experiences including the recent app based on Ridley Scott’s The Martian.

All we have to go on right now is the artwork above. The series will be available on a variety of VR headsets both in the home and at certain locations. The first episode will be running in cinemas this spring and is expected to be revealed in full over the next few weeks.

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Headout Into the Stars Tomorrow when The Martian: VR Experience Arrives for PlayStation VR and HTC Vive.

There’s been a few cinematic and virtual reality (VR) tie-ins, with The Walk and Ghostbusters being two recent examples. One of the most well known and eagerly anticipated is The Martian: VR experience, which debuted at CES 2016 back in January. Today Fox Innovation Lab at Twentieth Century Fox has announced that PlayStation VR and HTC Vive users will get to enjoy the experience tomorrow.

The Martian VR Experience is described as an “interactive, immersive adventure with viewers participating from astronaut Mark Watney’s perspective, performing tasks that will facilitate his chances for survival. Viewers can fly onto the surface of Mars, steer at zero gravity through space, drive a rover navigating over craters and experience key scenes from the hit film in a 360-degree virtual reality environment.”

The Martian: VR Experience screenshot

When VRFocus previewed the experience we said at the time: “The Martian: VR Experience is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful VR titles VRFocus has yet witnessed. Putting most other Oculus Rift and HTC Vive titles to shame, [it] presents a landscape that is truly unbelievable.”

In the trailer Ridley Scott, Executive Producer of The Martian VR Experience says: “I’ve always tried to approach film-making from the standpoint of creating an immersive experience. Now with the tools that are available to us in virtual reality, we can raise the bar even higher. The audience can experience storytelling in ways we previously could only imagine.

“With VR you’re inside it you’re the person walking on the planet, it’s uncanny. Mars has never been closer to being within our grasp and I’m so thrilled that we can invite people into The Martian VR Experience,” he adds.

The title will be available to purchase for $19.99 USD from the respective headset stores on 15th November. While no date has been confirmed for Oculus Rift, as the original CES debut did include Oculus Touch compatibility its likely that the experience will arrive around the same time as the controllers next month.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of The Martian VR Experience, reporting back with any further updates.