A look at the success of location-based virtual reality during the pandemic has been prepared by supplier Inowize.
The company’s Arkadia VR Arena is a major player on the international scene in VR products. It is present in the US, the EU, the Middle East and Australia.
The report, which collated data from May to October, stated: "Although the market was shaken and people weren’t as confident at the beginning of the pandemic that a location-based VR solution would continue to bring a significant ROI, our results were positive, meaning that people still want to come to a family entertainment center and enjoy VR."
Although the impact of the lockdown varied from country to country, the data revealed that some of the Arkadia venues saw 2019 results surpassed, rising to 110 per cent. The best-performing venue reached 2514 players per unit per month in July, with the six-player Arkadia VR Arena.
From a revenue standpoint, the data showed that May and June saw a slow bounce-back, but July and August had considerable success with one location reaching $25,000 per unit in July.
The report quotes one customer, Dutch Magrath of Sir Goony’s Fun Zone and president of Amusement Products, Inowize’s partner in the US: “The results have been quite surprising. While our arcade is doing about 30 per cent of last year’s revenue, the Arkadia VR Arena is doing very well. It has out-performed some of our other attractions."
He said sanitisation procedures had put players at ease and added that "the game play has been so exciting that they have come back to play it again."
