The Park Playground, a unique VR franchise, has announced that its virtual reality (VR) system will be integrated at a further Center Parcs location in Germany. The attraction will launch at Park Allgäu this year, following its successful implementation at Hochauserland in 2023.
The system is also set to be integrated at locations in Belgium and the US. A new collaboration with Bowling Stones, a renowned bowling destination with numerous venues across Europe, will see a new deployment in Oudenaarde, Belgium, and a new partnership with Player One VR World, an immersive virtual reality destination, is bringing the system to Los Angeles.
Player One VR World is The Park’s first facility in the United States and marks the beginning of the firm’s growth in the region.
See also: The Park Playground: elevating entertainment experiences
Extended collaboration with Center Parcs
As customers seek more socially engaging entertainment, The Park Playground’s VR System enables any leisure venue to rapidly and effectively meet these expectations while driving increased footfall and revenue. The turnkey solution requires minimal space and resources. It uses The Park’s VR technical workflow and entire library of immersive VR experiences to enable operators to increase their entertainment offerings for up to 16 visitors an hour.
Erwin Lochtmans, director operational support at Center Parcs, says: “The Park VR System has allowed us to enrich the guest experience at Center Parcs Park Hochsauerland, offering entertainment options that can be different each time they visit. The Park’s VR offering is the perfect fit for Center Parcs’ family orientated, high-quality, year-round facilities and we’re thrilled to be able to offer this always-evolving entertainment option to even more of our guests at our Park Allgäu village.”
The VR System will be launched at Center Parcs Park Allgäu on 28 November and will include an 8×8 meter free-roam VR field and a dedicated space for Carnival Showdown, The Park Playground’s new series of VR minigames. This will be The Park’s first partner venue to provide the experience as a standalone attraction. Furthermore, guests can extend their VR experience or play the Plank Experience.
This continued collaboration with Center Parcs includes plans to integrate The Park VR System into several other Center Parcs villages in the near future.
International openings
The Park Playground will make its debut in the US at Player One VR World’s new location in Hollywood on 14 October. The Park’s VR experiences, such as the strategic eSports battle arena Nanoclash Focus, will be located in a two-field 7x7m playing area. Player One VR World’s existing location in Santa Monica is one of California’s largest VR destinations and brings together the world’s leading VR brands.
Bowling Stones is set to reveal its new installation of The Park VR System on 24 October. The attraction in Oudenaarde will offer a completely new entertainment concept to its guests with the addition of two 7x7m playing fields and The Park Playground’s varied selection of virtual reality experiences.
The Park VR System, a turnkey system introduced by The Park Playground in 2023, makes virtual reality more accessible to entertainment providers than ever before. It includes on-site training for staff, regular online training on new features, and KPI tracking with the venue’s key account management team. All partners can access technical support seven days a week, as well as a straightforward ticketing system for spare parts and maintenance.
Peter Vindevogel, CEO at The Park Playground, says: “The Park VR System enables our partners to meet the increased customer demand for immersive entertainment in the quickest, easiest and most cost-effective way possible.
“We’re honoured that brands like Center Parcs continue to trust The Park as its partner to deliver engaging and interactive experiences to its guests and we’re very excited about the growth of our new partnerships with Bowling Stones and Player One VR.
“This expansion into the U.S. with a major brand like Player One VR is a particularly exciting chapter for The Park and it’s testament to the growing demand for diversified immersive entertainment options around the world. Our focus and our commitment going forward will be to continue delivering our high-quality experiences through partnerships.”
The Park’s collaborations continue to expand in the UK. Its newest franchise partner, David Bennison, will manage The Park’s entire library of free-roam immersive VR experiences at its flagship standalone location in Leeds. The Park will provide a variety of VR experiences, including new releases like Carnival Showdown and The Break-in, to cater to all ages and interests.
The Park Playground showcased its first VR minigame experience, Carnival Showdown, at IAAPA Expo Europe in Amsterdam last week. This new competitive multiplayer VR experience brings the joy and familiarity of amusement park games to life in a series of immersive minigames. It is already available to customers at The Park Playground’s Ghent and Antwerp locations in Belgium.
