Exclusive: Moscow startup eyes global expansion with free-roam VR experiences
POSTED 23 Jun 2017 . BY Tom Anstey
Anvio VR offers a completely immersive experience and is currently the only company to offer full-body tracking Credit: Anvio VR
Russian virtual reality startup Anvio VR has set its sights on establishing multiple worldwide attractions after launching its debut product, a free-roam multiplayer zombie shooter which tracks the entire human body.
Called City Z, the Oculus Rift-powered experience debuted in Moscow in April.
It uses sensors placed on the hands, feet and back, which interact with infrared cameras, meaning players’ avatars move exactly as they do in real life. The Moscow attraction can comfortably accommodate four players, though Anvio's system can host more.
According to Anvio, the product is currently the only virtual reality system available with full-body tracking.
In City Z players must complete a series of levels, taking out a number of zombies before moving on to the next level as they make their way up a tower block in a post-apocalyptic version of the Russian capital.
Some levels are zombie free and require balancing acts over perceived drops, while others feature a non-stop horde of the undead surging towards players. Others use darkness to incite fear, with sudden zombie attacks coming from the shadows. Players move through a physical arena, with the game designed so they don’t leave its confines, while simultaneously creating the illusion they are exploring an expansive space in an immersive virtual world.
Players can take part for between RUB6000 (US$100, €90, £80) and RUB8000 (US$134, €120, £105) for a 45-minute session of up to four people, with the VR element lasting roughly 30 minutes.
Anvio is now planning to open a second attraction in London. The company is currently seeking a suitable site in the UK capital and partners on the basis of a franchise and licensing model to launch further Anvio attractions worldwide.
While City Z is currently the only game in its library, Anvio is not limiting its product base. A second adventure game in the style of Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones is in the works with additional games in the pipeline.
“We’re strictly doing no guns on this one,” Anvio founder Eldar Iskhakov told Attractions Management.
“At the start you go down into a huge cave, which is essentially like a lost city. There’s a lake at the bottom of this cave where you can see treasure, so you have to traverse it and go all the way down through different puzzles and traps. Environmental elements you already have in City Z, such as walking over narrow planks, is going to be included. We’re going to have dark traps, labyrinths – things like that.”
For more on Anvio VR, check out the next issue of AM2 magazine, available 28 June.
Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic
England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo
and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Exclusive: Moscow startup eyes global expansion with free-roam VR experiences
POSTED 23 Jun 2017 . BY Tom Anstey
Anvio VR offers a completely immersive experience and is currently the only company to offer full-body tracking Credit: Anvio VR
Russian virtual reality startup Anvio VR has set its sights on establishing multiple worldwide attractions after launching its debut product, a free-roam multiplayer zombie shooter which tracks the entire human body.
Called City Z, the Oculus Rift-powered experience debuted in Moscow in April.
It uses sensors placed on the hands, feet and back, which interact with infrared cameras, meaning players’ avatars move exactly as they do in real life. The Moscow attraction can comfortably accommodate four players, though Anvio's system can host more.
According to Anvio, the product is currently the only virtual reality system available with full-body tracking.
In City Z players must complete a series of levels, taking out a number of zombies before moving on to the next level as they make their way up a tower block in a post-apocalyptic version of the Russian capital.
Some levels are zombie free and require balancing acts over perceived drops, while others feature a non-stop horde of the undead surging towards players. Others use darkness to incite fear, with sudden zombie attacks coming from the shadows. Players move through a physical arena, with the game designed so they don’t leave its confines, while simultaneously creating the illusion they are exploring an expansive space in an immersive virtual world.
Players can take part for between RUB6000 (US$100, €90, £80) and RUB8000 (US$134, €120, £105) for a 45-minute session of up to four people, with the VR element lasting roughly 30 minutes.
Anvio is now planning to open a second attraction in London. The company is currently seeking a suitable site in the UK capital and partners on the basis of a franchise and licensing model to launch further Anvio attractions worldwide.
While City Z is currently the only game in its library, Anvio is not limiting its product base. A second adventure game in the style of Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones is in the works with additional games in the pipeline.
“We’re strictly doing no guns on this one,” Anvio founder Eldar Iskhakov told Attractions Management.
“At the start you go down into a huge cave, which is essentially like a lost city. There’s a lake at the bottom of this cave where you can see treasure, so you have to traverse it and go all the way down through different puzzles and traps. Environmental elements you already have in City Z, such as walking over narrow planks, is going to be included. We’re going to have dark traps, labyrinths – things like that.”
For more on Anvio VR, check out the next issue of AM2 magazine, available 28 June.
Holovis has debuted a new virtual reality ride at this year’s Asian Attractions Expo,
combining interactive VR with a robotic arm to create a virtual flying taxi ride through
Singapore.
Fox’s interactive entertainment division has announced plans to develop a free-roaming
multiplayer virtual reality game based on iconic sci-fi horror franchise Alien.
Cornell University’s Organic Robotics Lab has created a new method of delivering haptic
responses in virtual reality – using a flexible rubber sheet on a handheld controller with a
pneumatic response system to provide tactile feedback.
Multi-player virtual reality startup The Void has opened its doors for the first time in two
new locations, with the immersive experience now available in Utah and Dubai.
Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic
England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo
and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Populous have unveiled their plans for a state-of-the-art e-sports arena, designed to stand as a
central landmark in Qiddaya City’s gaming and e-sports district, Saudi Arabia.