As the virtual reality market continues to hot up, Facebook has hired a dedicated team of experts based in London as Mark Zuckerberg aims to become a global leader in the emerging technology.

Following Zuckerberg’s US$2bn (€1.7bn, £1.4bn) purchase of Oculus in 2014, the UK office will be the company’s first in Europe, with former Google senior engineer Mike LeBeau heading up the London office.

Via LinkedIn, 12 Oculus workers are listed as working in the UK office, eight of those joining in the last six months. Facebook also has a strong presence in London, with its satellite site there the largest outside of the main US offices.

“This really is a new communication platform,” said Zuckerberg in 2014 following the purchase of Oculus. “By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.”

Oculus released its Rift headset in March, selling at US$599 (€557, £409) internationally and at £499 (US$730, €679) in the UK.

2016 has been hailed as the year of VR, with the technology predicted to enjoy its first billion-dollar year, providing new opportunities to businesses that want to create more immersive experiences for their consumers. Playstation and HTC are the big competitors to the Oculus in 2016, with HTC’s Vive released in April and Playstation VR coming in October.

The technology has already been incorporated into the attractions industry, arguably most impressively combining VR with a rollercoaster to create a completely new type of simulation.