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Virtual Arena #18 - Immersive Performance
In this latest episode, we look at the emergence of immersive audience engagement, using both virtual and mixed reality technologies. Far beyond the limitations of consumer VR applications – the ability of interacting in groups offers a new dimension to immersion, and points towards a possible theater and exhibition-based future of XR. The need for physical engagement the special element that defines the new level of immersive experiences sweeping the international attraction, stage and exhibition scene.
This is the Virtual Arena issue number 18, immersive Performance by Kevin Williams. We look beyond the growth of spatial reality systems that are taking audience experiences to the next level. In this latest column, we look at the emergence of immersive audience engagement using both virtual and mixed reality technologies, far beyond the limitations of consumer VR applications. The ability of interacting in groups offers a new dimension to immersion and points towards a possible theater and exhibition-based future of XR. The need for physical engagement, the special element that defines the new level of immersive experiences sweeping the international attraction stage and exhibition scene Shared VR the technology advantage of shared reality SR applications offers the ability for groups and audiences to enjoy the experience together, sharing the immersion and narrative. While the big-screen consumer VR experiences have proven one of the recurring popular consumer VR applications across platforms, the ability to enthrall actual large audiences beyond low-quality disembodied heads has enthralled audience members to the new generation of experiences and exhibits. As we reported in previous coverage on VR exhibits, the ability to share a group experience has proven a strong draw for amusement and attraction venues, and the latest commercial VR technology location-based virtual reality is driving the latest phase of shared reality deployment. Most recently, portaventura World, the Spanish theme park announced the launch of their first XR experience, called Hysteria. In Boothill, groups of six guests take part in what has been dubbed a paranormal adventure comprising physical and virtual elements. The attraction has been developed to employ VR headsets with mixed reality MMR capability. In the case of this installation, using customized MetaQuest 3 headsets, guests traverse the whole of the 200-square-metre environment, interacting with the immersive experience that has been developed for the park by Studio Spatial Voyagers.
Speaker 1:This follows a short history of other deployments in theme parks of audience-based VR experiences turned into attractions. One of the first was Thorpe Park and their innovative but early Derren Brown's ghost train. One of the first was Thorpe Park and their innovative but early Derren Brown's ghost train, rise of the Demon. First opened in 2016,. This attraction included live actors and themed environments, all connected by a VR ride element, enhancing the haunted train car experience. Early versions of the HTC Vive headset, tethered to give a virtual illusion of still residing in the train carriage during a supernatural attack, developed by park owners Merlin Entertainment and Figment Productions, working within the limitations of the then hardware of the time and, sadly, not representing the other guests within the virtual experience, negating a key factor of shared reality experiences Large audience VR. The technology of commercial VR has evolved greatly from that point, and tethered VR systems have been superseded by the rise of wireless, free-roaming arena experiences. These platforms can offer large audience throughput beyond the limitations of consumer VR applications. One such example of this approach is seen from Felix and Paul Studios, one of their divisions working with PHI Studios, responsible for creating the award-winning space explorers, the Infinite, a standalone attraction enabling guests to virtually explore the International Space Station wearing modified MetaQuest headsets for audience engagement, an attraction that has seen some 400,000 visitors since opening in 2022, first in Canada and traveling through other major cities internationally. This experience saw a companion app created called Space Explorers, the ISS experience for consumer application on the then-Oculus Quest headset. Felix and Paul Studios announced in 2024 that they had secured strategic financing from Export Development Canada, edc, the Bank for Canadian Entrepreneurs, bdc, the Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles, sodiec and National Bank of Canada's Creative Industries Group for its largest production to date, what was called their most ambitious project yet, a location-based VR LBVR experience based on a brand new IP set to launch in 2025. And again, this would focus on large groups of simultaneous VR users immersed within the experience.
Speaker 1:The drive to create audience-based shared environments define the very heart of the new immersive experience in deployment, internationally Developed by Universe. One such example of a large audience simultaneous VR experience is based on the ancient city of Pompeii and the build-up and aftermath of the horrific eruption Called the Last Days of Pompeii, the immersive exhibition. The experience combines actual artifacts from the dig site, an atmospheric projection, mapped gallery and a free-roaming VR experience through a Roman villa at the site, recreated in all its glory. The free roaming element of the experience builds on university architecture that can accommodate large numbers of users within a virtual environment, users wearing HTC Focus 3 headsets and supported by the platform that has accommodated over 2,000,000 visitors at installations globally. The edutainment Marriage of Education and Entertainment experience has proven successful, with audiences Opened in Madrid Artes Digitales in 2022, located in their Immersive Experience Centre.
Speaker 1:The developers also having created for Barcelona its own exhibition, pompei, the Last Gladiator, univirus, working on new exhibits based on their platform that build on the VR shared environment, vr role-player, the mixing of physical elements, virtual reality and even live actors, including the application of live-action role-playing, larping, all creating strong audience-based experiences. This can be best seen with the rise of Layered Reality, famous for their War of the Worlds immersive adventure based on the Jeff Waynes Martian Invasion and the historic the Gunpowder Plot. Audiences navigating the atmospheric stages populated with real actors progressing the narrative. The experiences interspersed with actual VR attraction elements. Guests wearing headsets to view the immersive tableau, be this crossing the Thames of 1605, or viewing a mighty Martian war machine embroiled in an epic battle with a Victorian warship. The development of immersive experiences has now progressed into the realm of audience-based engagement traversing the lives of the famous, allowing guests to be immersed within their story, and Layered Reality. Working with creative agency HeyWhat, have revealed their next project called Elvis Evolution, this state-of-the-art multi-sensory celebration of the artist's life and musical legacy. An event that will depend on a shared reality experience, technology ranging now towards augmented reality, ar and holographic projection, the company working closely with the estate of the music legend towards creating a unique attraction that will be touring numerous cities after launch next year.
Speaker 1:The ability for the audience to relive a popular performance has also been developed by MAC-1. Deployed in Germany's largest theme park, europa Park, the Phantom of the Opera is a recreation of the world of 19th century Paris' Opera. Populaire from the stage, musical Guests wearing HTC Focus 3 headsets traverse the opera in a pre-show element before jumping aboard their signature VR roller coaster, developed by the company Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, with special music created for the attraction. This is the first virtual interpretation of the IP Launched this year. The experience offers a unique way for the audience to be engaged Immersive performances, from special performances to audience events.
Speaker 1:The use of shared reality technology as a new form of music event experience was seen in several hologram-based stage performances using technology covered in our feature. Looking at Pepper's Ghost, hatsune Miku, created by Krypton Future Media, representing a vocaloid synthetic singing voice captures through software. The million-song-selling virtual avatar Singing Sensation, first hitting the stage in 2007. A shared audience experience for a virtual actor, vactor, proving a highly compelling experience linked to an immersive stage performance. It was this and other applications that fuelled the development of ABBA Voyage, an audience experience using state-of-the-art lighting and projection, achieving holographic representations of the supergroup members placed in its own purpose-built ABBA Arena space, supported by a real ten-piece instrumental band on stage. The digital experience and holographic captures of the performers, dubbed ABBAtars, all developed by ILM. Launched in 2022, the sold-out London event is soon to tour its next destination, ending this current tour in 2025.
Speaker 1:The audience-shared reality approach has been taken to new heights with the launch of the Cosi M venue concept, the first facility opened in 2024 in Los Angeles, offering an immersive sports and entertainment environment. A giant ATT7 Fert wrap-round LED 12K screen immerses the audience watching from their own corporate box-style tables, enthralled in the live sports captured remotely and represented on the vast display as if actually there in the best seat in the house. The operation focused on the shared reality approach, placing the audience members in a unique and compelling environment without the encumbrance of technology, where consumer applications of 360o and VR sports watching and live performance has stumbled, missing that all important authentic audience participation. The venue is also utilized for music performances and in a series of licensing agreements, cosm has signed Cirque du Soleil to produce special performances for the shared reality environment, aosm announcing a raise of some 250 mellas towards opening several venues in the coming months. This is the type of enthralling, immersive, large screen performance that was seen with the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas. Likewise, we have seen other venues look towards enthralling groups of guests within projected immersive experiences, such as with the edutainment-based exhibitions, such as with Fever's. Contemporary art experiences such as the Van Gogh Immersive Experience and Dali Cybernetics the Immersive Experience Engulfing guests within a projection mapped environment allowing shared adventures and a unique way to present a narrative Deployed internationally, many see these edutainment exhibitions as the future of museum and gallery spaces.
Speaker 1:Immersive agency Towards the future of these applications is the vital need for the inclusion of agency for the audience. The fundamental aspect of immersive technology is the ability need for the inclusion of agency for the audience. The fundamental aspect of immersive technology is the ability for the individuals interacting with the narrative. This agency is missing from movies but is achieved through audience participation to a point. The new immersive technology employing social engagement through shared reality achieves this. One of those operators of immersive projection-style venues is Illuminarium, having opened four of their immersive theatres in North America. Previously focused as a passive walkthrough approach to shared reality, engagement has now started to invest in agency-based experiences. Away from their previous curated content, we have seen the installation of Light Bright World of Wonder, based on the Hasbro toy IP that adds an interactive element to the walkthrough experience, guests' movements tracked and represented in the experience Agency within multiple player experience has been achieved with virtual reality systems to a point, though the encumbrance of the tech limits their application.
Speaker 1:New development has been seen, such as from amusement developers Valo Motion with their audience-based Valo Arena system. Up to six players placed into the mixed reality immersive enclosure Through computer vision. The guests' movements and their likenesses are placed into the game experience, creating compelling social fun. One social media feed of player enjoying the experience, going viral with over 21 million views on X, formerly Twitter. Active engagement in the new generation of immersive entertainment supporting the shared experience.
Speaker 1:Announcement of another computer vision MR Technology Deployed came with news of the Merge, a platform developed by M3D Technology and District Cinema, offering a means to place the guest into the game experience and track and represent their movements seamlessly into the virtual space with no needs for controllers or wearables. It is the ability for the guest to feel engaged within the virtual experience that will drive the next generation of immersive enclosures. Tracked guest agency placed directly in the narrative will drive not only attractions by the new audience-based performance and exhibition developments what we have defined previously as the digital, interphysical or vice versa. The ability for the digital realm to be touched and interacted with by not just individuals but groups will define the next generation of immersive entertainment platforms in this burgeoning sector. This concludes the latest snapshot of developments in the immersive out-of-home entertainment landscape. Our next feature will follow shortly.
