I just got back from a grueling seven hours on my feet after checking out this years’ IAPPA Expo. While the size of the expor only grew, I have a hunch, I honestly was only focused on the evolving state of the immersive experience industry. More specifically I was looking at attractions which focused on interactive and non-linear storytelling. In a nutshell, I would have to say this is the year of the VR escape games. VR escape games are different form the other VR games in that they are usually longer, ranging from 25 minutes to an entire hour and they are not focused on distribution through typical platforms such as Steam. Moreover, all of the development companies I talked with not only produce their own escape games but they also produce their own “Turnkey” operations. A Turnkey operation is a VR setup including all of the equipment needed for a VR arcade to install into their location and immediately start charging per use for their experience. All of the companies I talked with offered their own turnkey solution except for Breakscape games. Ironically almost all of the experience companies are anchored outside of the US; mostly Canada. Here is a list of the Companies I talked with:
- Breakscape Games – Sells their product for $1500 per player. For a four person game the company would need to pay $6K for the license. Sit down experience, non free-roaming.
- VR Cave – From Alberta, Four available titles.Up to six players and up to 30’X30′ play space with new Steam VR 2 Lighthouses.
- Back Light – From France, Offers a haptic floor which is an extra nice touch and utilize 6 Point tracking for full body avatars – Super Nice! First game is called Eclipse.
- Hollow Zone – From LA Area. VR arm of visual effects studio, Hollow Studios. One available title, Jack the Ripper, Three more on the way.
Good luck Teams!
