BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment has installed a new virtual reality concept at the Hollywood Bowl location in London, UK.
The success of VR entertainment has gained momentum over the last few months and the first major investment by an amusements developer into this space was revealed in London’s O2 venue.
Opening during August as a test location, VR Zone Portal London is the first of BNAE’s VR pop-up installations to be seen outside of Japan.
Located in the new Hollywood Bowl entertainment facility at the O2, the VR Zone Portal offers a separately ticketed and themed VR attraction, comprising two of the latest immersive amusement attractions. Players can either experience Argyle Shift, an air combat game taking place from the cockpit of a mech power suit, or Hospital Escape Terror, in which players navigate a wheelchair through a body strewn abandoned hospital, evading pursuers and their traps.
These games are specially developed using the latest VR technology, based on the HTC Vive head-mounted display, and comprise either special controls or motion seats to create a totally immersive experience. Both games brought from Japan to the UK comprise a core element of co-operative play and promote the elements of the Project i Can initiative created for this venture.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, a separate division to the corporation’s amusement and game sales operation, has already established the Project i Can concept, opening its second and flagship facility in Japan with VR Zone Shinjuku. But, along with the large multiple attraction facilities, the company is also investing in smaller VR Zone Portal installations that can be added to existing venues, as seen with the Hollywood Bowl development at the O2.
Additional locations in the US and the UAE are expected to be installed, with BNAE looking to roll out this latest application of VR entertainment in a package that embraces many of the elements learned from its successful amusement machine and operation business, allowing a greater audience to enjoy this new technology.
This new installation is a part of the amusement trade’s drive to find the right mix of technology and game content to offer a compelling repeat experience that can continue to draw the digital native players to our business.
InterGame is one of the media sponsors of the coming conference and exhibition dedicated to covering developments this sector - the Future of Immersive Leisure, taking place on September 13-14 in Las Vegas in the US state of Nevada.
