Dave & Buster’s new “Jurassic World VR Expedition” ride has become the biggest game launch in the company’s history, CEO Brian Jenkins revealed during the company’s Q2 earnings call.
The restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s launched “Jurassic World VR Expedition” in over 100 locations across the U.S. and Canada in June. The ride uses motion chairs with HTC Vive VR headsets. Up to four players can enter the world of the movie franchise together.
CEO Brian Jenkins said: “Guest response has been strong and bodes well for future game releases on this platform.” The company plans to launch a second VR title towards the end of the year. “The plan is to build a library of VR content that allow us to capitalize on this opportunity for years to come.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM9pteOF4gQ
“Jurassic World VR Expedition” has been “meaningfully incremental” to Dave & Buster’s Q2 2018 revenue, Jenkins said in the earnings call.
Dave & Buster’s is just one of a number of companies looking to cash in on VR in an out-of-home setting – but costing just $5 per ride, “Jurassic World VR Expedition” is significantly cheaper than some other VR center operators charge for their attractions.
Virtual Reality (VR) has begun to establish itself as a part of consumer life – most notably in gaming but also in social media (eg Facebook’s social VR) and other sectors. In China, the industry is expected to top $1.5 billion this year.
Europa-Park is set to develop a new VR Paddington attraction, LEGOLAND will debut its first VR coaster across the world and Hong Kong is set to open the gates on its first VR coaster.
Also taking gaming away from the console, the VOID and Zero Latency offer increasingly sophisticated and immersive free roam multi player experiences.
Last month, Universal Brand Development (UBD) has revealed how new initiatives, including immersive LBE experiences and gaming add-ons, will keep fans interested in the dinosaur franchise.
