Hey folks, it’s been another jam-packed week in Immersive-Stan, particularly as the E3 announcements come flying in. The hit VR game Beat Saber announced an expansion back with popular band Imagine Dragons. Social VR app Rec Room announced that they have raised $24 million in funding. Dreamscape Immersive have announced a new Men in Black VR experience coming later this summer, as their first experience with pre-existing IP. Immersive theatre juggernauts Punchdrunk have announced they’re expanding into TV production with a new show on Sky starring Jude Law. And Oculus announced that the Quest has sold $5 million worth of content in the 2 weeks since its launch; meanwhile, they’ve also been battling controversy around the curation of the Quest app store and rationale for rejecting some projects by indie developers.
We’ve also got Robin Arnott, CEO of Andromeda Entertainment on the podcast this week—and some of this episode was recorded while in a moving vehicle! We’ve also got our Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019 immersive coverage heating up, including full reviews of The Pod and Ascend (see our hub page below for micro-reviews of other experiences). And we spoke to the creators of a support group for the dead LARP, an interactive installation of a comic strip gone haywire, a metaphysical beat cafe for insomniacs offering a menu of immersive selections, and subjected the fine folks at Broken Ghost Immersives to our Immersive 5.
And this and more, below!
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ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK
I first met Robin Arnott, CEO of Andromeda Entertainment, at E3 many moons ago when he was showing an audio-based thriller game Deep Sea at the Indiecade booth. It was a true oddity — a video game without video — an immersive experience before we were throwing that term around as we now do.
In the years since Robin and I have crossed paths on his home turf of Austin — when I was working a story on indie games for NPR — at GDC, and Indiecade. In my mind he’s always been one of the “weird art kids” making games in the space beyond the horizon.
So it was a shock when I was at an event months ago and learned that he had become the CEO of a start-up that was looking to redefine just what games could be. Robin? A CEO?
Get ready for an adventure as we catch up, road trip style, from the heart of DTLA to the Hollywood Hills — and from Austin’s indie game scene to the philosophical frontier.
HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL IMMERSIVE
The NoPro Hollywood Fringe Diary 2019 (Updated 6/12/2019)Enter a dimension beyond which is known to theatre…noproscenium.comThe Guide To Everything Immersive at the Hollywood Fringe 2019Our breakdown of all things Immersive at the annual Festivalnoproscenium.com
FROM THE WIRE: SHOWS, EVENTS, & EXPERIENCES
Baltimore: Macbeth
Boston: Night Cafe
Chester, MA: Gem of the Valley
Dallas: Rainbow Vomit
Denver: Woodlands & Wyverns
LA: The Green Waltz; SPIRIT LOUNGE; Unihiekka…sleep sand
Portland, OR: Lloyd Gardens
Roanoke, VA: In the Ether
Tallahassee: Musicals on the Move
Turners Falls, MA: Sam’s Place
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REVIEWS
From No Proscenium:
‘The Pod’ Journeys to Space to Explore Humanity (Fringe Review)Lucid Dramatics & Spy Brunch’s new collaboration is a small show with big ideasnoproscenium.com‘Ascend: When Myths Fall, Heroes Rise’ Mixes Theatre and Gaming (Fringe Review)Hidden Realms’ new show lacks polish but holds promise and potentialnoproscenium.com
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
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“Sherlock: The Game was made in partnership with Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue, and Mark Gatiss, the writers and producers of the BBC’s Sherlock. Sherlock: The Game is Now is a fantastic experience if — and only if — you are a fan of the show.”
“Project Delta was a 100-minute sci-fi mystery that took risks in service of storytelling. We wholeheartedly recommend it to players who are looking to explore a narrative-driven world.”
STORIES
From NoProscenium.com and our Twitter feed:
Considering Death and Grief Through The Lens of Role-Playing in ‘The Group’ (Q&A)An interview with creators Katie Green and Michael Raunoproscenium.comStep Into a Comic Strip Gone Haywire with ‘Rainbow Vomit’ (Q&A)A conversation with ‘Vomiteer’ Rainbow Rob of the popular ‘selfie studio’noproscenium.comHang Out in a Metaphysical Beat Cafe for Insomniacs with ‘The Night Cafe’ (Q&A)An interview with co-creators Kellian Adams Pletcher and Lizzie Starknoproscenium.comThe Immersive 5 with Broken Ghost ImmersivesWe pick the brains of Austen Anderson and Ian McNeelynoproscenium.comAIXR Insights - Why VR/AR Developers Should Prioritize Accessibility in UX/UI Design"Immersive Technology has a big problem and it isn't adoption. Accessibility for all in XR application design is a…aixr.orgLaurie Anderson: 'It's a great time to be creating new realities'The avant-garde pioneer's virtual-reality installation To the Moon is coming to Manchester international festivalwww.theguardian.comTransmedia Storytelling Initiative launches with $1.1 million giftDriven by the rise of transformative digital technologies and the proliferation of data, human storytelling is rapidly…news.mit.eduPunchdrunk expands into TV production with Sky series starring Jude LawImmersive theatre company Punchdrunk has announced a move into television, with a drama series written by Dennis Kelly…www.thestage.co.ukOculus sold $5 million worth of Quest content in first 2 weeks on saleFacebook's Oculus Quest standalone VR headset hasn't been out long, but VP of AR/VR Andrew Bosworth says the company is…techcrunch.comAs Galaxy's Edge opens, Disneyland gets permit to launch Marvel landStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge has altered Disneyland's universe as fans from all over the world are coming to experience the…insidethemagic.netStudio Behind Social VR App 'Rec Room' Raises $24 Million in FundingAgainst Gravity, the studio behind the popular social VR game Rec Room, has raised an addition $24 million in venture…www.roadtovr.com'Men in Black' VR Experience Coming to Dreamscape (EXCLUSIVE)Ahead of the launch of " Men In Black: International" this week, Sony Pictures Entertainment is getting ready to…variety.com
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
“Some thoughts on why escape rooms shouldn’t sell hints:”
From Laura E. Hall of Timberview Productions:
“Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania is now the first officially autism-certified theme park in the world, with specialized staff training, quiet areas, sensory guides, and more:”
From Kent Bye of the Voices of VR podcast:
“Indigenous artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun & Paisley Smith premiered UNCEDED TERRITORIES at Tribeca where you embody a colonial super predator. I interviewed them about how they used VR art to explore indigenous perspectives, decolonization, & ecology:”
“I talked with Beat Games co-founder Jaroslav Beck to capture a 1-year retrospective after Beat Saber has become the biggest VR game ever, selling over 1 million copies. We talk about the future of music licensing as Beat Saber launches an Imagine Dragons expansion pack.”
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