Following several years pioneering the use of virtual reality in the leisure industry, delivering VR to nearly 4 million visitors at attractions around the world, Figment has developed what it considers to be the ultimate, next generation, immersive experience.
Based just outside London in the UK and with an office in Orlando, Florida, Figment Productions has delivered world famous location-based VR experiences including Galactica at Alton Towers, Derren Brown’s Ghost Train at Thorpe Park, Kraken Unleashed at SeaWorld Orlando and The Great LEGO Race at LEGOLAND parks around the world. As a team of content producers and creative technologists, with nearly 150 interactive attractions around the globe, Figment is uniquely placed to create the ultimate hybrid immersive experience for the leisure sector.
Whilst Figment remains secretive about the official name of the product, codenamed Project Helix, they revealed that it features multi-user, tactile, free-roaming VR coupled with interactive props and environments. However, aside from high quality content that breaks away from the current trend in free-roaming VR of gun-focused shoot-em-ups and zombie-shooting experiences, Figment has stressed the importance of the multi-user aspect which features realistic avatars of players.
“Over the years we’ve learned a huge amount from our clients who operate theme parks and visitor attractions,” said Simon Reveley, CEO of Figment. “We understand the importance of getting the throughput model right and the essential component of a shared, social experience. Previously, VR has struggled to deliver on that but the technology is evolving and so are our software solutions. At Figment, we’ve developed a system that allows us to scan guests and create realistic avatars for them almost instantly. Once they put on their high-end PC backpacks and high-resolution VR headsets, they’re able to see each other in the virtual world, to talk and interact. It’s a step change in how we experience VR.”
Regarding whether content would be original or licensed, Reveley had this to say: “Over the years we’ve been trusted to create content for brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Vodafone and Volvo, as well as entertainment IPs like LEGO and Harry Potter. Hopefully that tells you that with both original and licensed IP, the quality of the content will be superior to what the market’s currently used to. Also, we have some incredible partners lined up who I am desperate to talk about. It’s an incredibly exciting time for us. I can’t wait to share more news in the coming months.”
Figment will license the system to customers in the leisure industry as well as owning and operating their own sites. They expect the first locations to open in Q1 2019.
