The first VR ARENA esports system has been installed at Pinballz, a family entertainment centre in Austin, Texas. The news comes from Omni VR treadmill developer Virtuix, which also created the VR ARENA” esports attraction and Funovation, an industry leader in developing small-footprint attractions.
During its first 10 days of operation, the attraction generated revenues of more than $10,000 from a total of 820 guests, paying $15 per play or $12 as part of a combo package.
“VR ARENA is off to a great start,” says Darren Spohn, owner of Pinballz. “Revenues and player numbers have so far exceeded our expectations, and technical issues have been minimal. Virtuix’s virtual reality attraction looks awesome and is a big draw for our guests, especially those in the gaming community. The ability to compete in an esports arena and win weekly cash prizes is a big plus.”
VR ARENA includes weekly and monthly esports tournaments, organized and sponsored by Virtuix, Funovation, HP, and HTC, with an annual prize pool of more than $50,000. The companies plan to install three more VR ARENA systems by June, and a total of 20 systems by the end of 2019.
“The launch of VR ARENA is a big milestone for our company,” says Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix. “The initial reactions and orders since our unveiling at IAAPA 2018 have been overwhelming. Our main focus now is to fulfill our order backlog and, ultimately, we aim to install a VR ARENA at every FEC, trampoline park, bowling center, and large entertainment venue in the U.S. and elsewhere.”
VR ARENA is a high-energy, four-player esports attraction that features four Omni motion platforms for walking and running inside virtual reality, an automated staging area that keeps throughput at 20 players per hour, and social sharing stations for players to upload gameplay videos embedded with the venue’s logo.
“After a successful debut at IAAPA 2018, the VR ARENA installation at Pinballz is the first of many,” says Ryan Borton, CEO of Funovation. “Thanks to its active, multiplayer, and competitive gameplay, VR ARENA has the potential to become an anchor attraction for the family entertainment industry. Walking and running around in virtual reality games, combined with esports, is a unique experience that drives players to come again and again.”
The launch of VR ARENA demonstrates that VR can bring in new business to FECs. 45% of guests who attended VR ARENA’s opening night at Pinballz had never visited the FEC before.
Virtuix has published five tips on marketing VR attractions at FECs and using VR to attract new audiences, and new money, to FECs. You can read Virtuix’s blog post on these tips here.
Jan Goetgeluk will present more data and insights from VR ARENA and Omniverse ESPORTS at a deep-dive educational webinar with industry expert Bob Cooney on March 21 (sign up here) and at the VR Summit at Amusement Expo on March 26 (sign up here).
Interested operators can sign up for a demo at either Amusement Expo or at Virtuix’s headquarters in Austin here.
