Virtuix, developer of the Omni virtual reality treadmill and VR Arena esports attraction, has announced a successful first two months of operation for the world’s first VR Arena installation. The VR Arena at Pinballz in Austin, Texas, achieved a high repeat play rate as well as earning $52,000 in revenue.
Virtuix is pleased to reveal these figures after the first two months of operation at the Pinballz family entertainment centre. Not only has the attraction generated revenues of $52,000, but it has also reported 26% repeat play amongst visitors with a player account since opening.
Pinballz is able to operate VR Arena with only one attendant and charges $15 per play. The FEC is happy with the results of the attraction so far and Virtuix is pleased with its performance, “VR ARENA continues to beat all expectations,” says Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix. “Our ongoing esports contests drive strong repeat play and attract gamers who wouldn’t otherwise visit this entertainment venue. We’ve met players who drove over an hour to Pinballz to play VR ARENA.”
A unique esports attraction
VR Arena lets up to four players walk or run around inside the worlds of games, such as first-person shooters. Visitors can play or compete with friends, aim for high scores on the leaderboard, as well as winning prizes. There is a $50,000 cash prize pool, and weekly prizes to be won during contests sponsored by Virtuix, HP and HTC.
The experience lasts for 15 – 20 minutes, and gamers can also share videos afterwards on social media platforms. In a survey of 33 players who took part an event at Pinballz, all responded that they would play VR Arena again. 45% said they had specifically travelled to the centre to play VR Arena. Overall they scored the experience as 92% positive. VR Arena is an affordable and compact option for FECs looking for a new anchor attraction.
VR Arena is the first attraction of its kind and launched in March 2019.
