For those saying VR isn’t advancing quick enough…it’s making progress! Arcades are a huge hit and studios are also embracing location-based VR and AR experiences. Case in point – Dark Slope, a VR and AR developer studio has just been awarded with $1.5 million in seed funding!
Scarygirl Mission Maybee Gets Funded
The Toronto, Canada developers are launching the multiplayer free-roaming LBE game Scarygirl Mission Maybee to the public beginning on February 28th. They are also planning on propelling the gaming experience worldwide this year as well.
Scarygirl first started out as a graphic novel with a cult following by Nathan Jurevicius. Art and design is an intuitive step to crossing over into VR and AR experiences. The experience is supported by Ontario Creates and the Canada Media Fund.
Dark Slope is bringing the cartoon heroine into virtuality so that players can become a part of her world, eye patch and all. “Scarygirl Mission Maybee showcases our hyper-focus on developing multiplayer free-roam VR and AR experiences that bring people together in immersive worlds,” said CJ Hervey, President and co-founder at Dark Slope.
“We’re excited for audiences to come and be the among the first to experience Scarygirl Mission Maybee and to witness how incredible free-roam multiplayer VR can be.” Those that play the game will get to walk around as a team wearing computer backpacks that are unhindered by wires.
Full Immersion LBE and VR Gaming
Up to 8 players will jump into Scarygirl Mission Maybee and step into a mission to save the world from Dr. Maybee. The
Scarygirl and her friends (you and your friends) must go on a quest to take back control and to make the world return back to normal by getting rid of the doctor’s green goo. There are real gun blasters with haptic vibrations and 6-point full body tracking, so this LB experience is going to be sensational for guests of all ages.
For those curious about the tracking, it looks like the headset, blasters, waist, hands, and feet are where the tracking takes place. This gives full body presence and interactivity to the game itself. No top only ghostliness here, you become the characters.
The experience can be played in a space as small as a shipping container or as large as a 30’x30’ play space their website says. This gives businesses and arcades with a range of space the flexibility for players to walk around and really get immersed in VR.
Dark Slope announces that the funding round has a “new investor Steven DeNure, co-founder and former President/COO of DHX Media, to the board of Dark Slope.” The company is also bringing on “Nathan Jurevicius, creator of Scarygirl, as the company’s Creative Director.” their press release reports.
A Sign of VR and AR Industry Growth
VR and AR are seeing an influx of film, art, and music industry studios and creators jumping on board with the medium. In a diverse industry where content takes time for full realization, quick returns are an unrealistic expectation to have. No wonder people keep touting that VR is dwindling or dying. It’s their outlook.
Seeing LBE VR gaining funding by branching into content inspired by a graphic novel is an indicator that VR and AR technology and its content are strengthening the industry’s core and extending its reach into new creative potential. By brilliantly weaving graphic novels into location-based experiences the fan base will likely grow right along with it.
