Stinger Report - 26/10/2020

TSR Newsletter | October 26, 2020

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-- The Stinger Report: Service Message --

The Global Digital Out-Of-Home Entertainment (DOE) Sector covered in The Stinger Report .

Wishing all our subscribers, famlies, loved ones, (and those serving) stay safe and well.

Kevin Williams

Publisher, The Stinger Report (TSR)

Reinvesting in the Entertainment Landscape

Part 9 | # 1043

Report Skinny

Redefining the new phase of Immersive Entertainment coverage in The Stinger Report; and in this ninth part we continue looking at the impact of new attractions, this time at the Mid-Scale Attraction business, along with looking at how media attractions are scaling for FEC and UEC deployment. We also include the announcement of the brand new Star Wars VR experience.

Main Report

The changed landscape for the Out-of-Home Entertainment market has started to be reflected in the new investment being considered in the scene. Especially the new investment in location-based entertainment venues, which hope to drive from the normal and focus on offering a unique experience for an audience desperate for escapism, and also looking at a “Staycation” style of approach to future expenditure. In a recuring style of report, we start with a look at the entertainment offerings to address the needs of this new direction in business.

- Growth of targeting Mid-Scale Attractions

Another aspect of the changing landscape is the activity in the Urban Entertainment scene – several major projects have been started during this time of major upheaval. What is being seen is, while operations in the UEC sector that have overarching debt struggle to keep liquidity under the restrictions of the post lockdown measures, new operations are being planned that embrace the latest technology and look towards new investment structures, benefiting from the “new normal” thinking that is driving many who look towards the market post COVID. In a series of features, we look at the technology and applications that will be “parachuted” into these new UEC concepts. In this report we look at “Mid-Scale Attractions”.

The ability to scale down all the benefits of a theme park attraction into a scale that can be deployed in a smaller venue – such as a UEC, FEC or LBE location – has seen a growth in development of such platforms. The common characteristic is that these platforms have to offer “large-audience-throughput” (LAT), have to include at least a digital media, if not a full interactive component, and also be packaged to be flexible to sit in a wide variety of spaces. This variety of space includes shopping malls, zoos, and event leisure center deployment, with the drive of the post-COVID market for flexible and accessible entertainment, far beyond the staid amusement offering.

Sally Corporation – the inspirational developer and creative team behind numerous full-scale attractions, known for their animatronic work, has been investing considerable research into the scaling of their interactive attractions for smaller venues. Most recently by launching in PortAventura, Spain, ‘Sesame Street: Street Mission’ – an interactive dark ride, media-based attraction, covering some 14,000sq.ft. Sally has now invested in a number of IP partnerships to release dark rides based on these, which can be flexible enough for smaller venue deployment.

TRIOTECH – a major developer, that has pivoted from the amusement scene into attraction, and has set many of the standards that have shaped the consideration of FEC based attraction deployment. Famous for their dark ride theaters, offering motion seats and a shooting gallery theater experience, the company has also broadened into more Mid-Scale Attractions – creating ‘Interactive Dark Ride’, a trackless dark ride platform for deployment in spaces as small as 3,800sq.ft, with five media scenarios and four player ride cars traversing the experience (building on much of their experience from their theme park attraction work, as for Legoland Resort ‘Ninjago the Ride’ attraction). Most recently the company announced its partnership with Ubisoft, to produce the ‘Rabbids Team Battle’ attraction – offering a high capacity duelling interactive experience for up-to-80 players. Based on the Rabbids IP, the theater attraction has competing teams vying for control of the game, as each group shoots at the screen during the experience. Regarding compact theatre attractions suitable for the FEC and UEC market, TRIOTECH has also developed its new ‘The Flyer’ theater system – in its smallest configuration, able to offer a single row of 12 motion seats. Looking towards greater collaborative development, and TRIOTECH has undertaken a number of partnerships – seen with CL Corp, and more recently with BoldMove, that will see the leveraging of these media-based attractions in the Mid-Scale sector.

BoldMove – one of the latest entrants into the Mid-Scale Attraction scene, founded by veterans of the attraction scene, to create a new company and offer a brand new approach to the business. An example of this new thinking comes with the launch of the company’s first platform, with the ‘Smash & Reload’ concept. The platform is available in three variants, with the smallest being the ‘XXS’ ultra-compact, at a 12x12m footprint, with six-player ride-vehicles traversing the track from screen to screen, while the players blast at the hordes of opponents in the narrative. BoldMove has partnered with Polymorph to create this media-based dark ride attraction (what we have defined as a “Mid-Scale”). And with this launched the first IP based on the attraction, with ‘TooMuch’ – based around the antics of a cartoon mushroom battling a mutated enemy (the “Mushies”). The ‘Smash & Reload’ platform is supporting by scoring mechanics as players traverse through the levels of the experience, blasting the enemy.

AlterFace Projects – a leading European developer of attractions, the company has proven an innovator in the interactive media-based experiences. Focusing beyond the usual theme park attraction scale, the company has been looking at Mid-Scale platforms that can support smaller venues. The company has on its books Interactive Theaters, and Interactive Dark Rides, based on its screen shooting system. Most recently the company announced the new ‘Action League’ attraction. The smaller version of the system sees three large screens for groups of six-players to compete against. Frantic rotating motion pods have the players shooting at the screens, to score points in tournament duelling sessions, that are also great to watch by the waiting audience in the queue line. The smallest version covers a 3,760sq.ft. footprint, looking at a 350 players per hour throughput. The company has also created a scalable ‘Interactive Walkthrough’ attraction, using a unique player device – able to offer a throughput from 100 all the way up to 400 players per hour.

Lagotronics Projects – the specialist in custom amusement and attraction projects has had a dedicated investment in media-based attractions, developing several interactive concepts. The company announced its latest interactive system aiming at the Mid-Scale” sector, such as FEC and museums. What the company has dubbed its 4th Generation Interactive Technology, the operation is employing the latest GPS (positional) systems and immersive technology. This will be applied to the new ‘GameChanger-XS’ platform, designed for smaller location deployment, covering less than 36 square meters. The system is segmented into four areas, each facilitating two players, before rotating to the next section – with interactive projection shooting action. The system is designed for a capacity of 225 players per hour and collects the personal scores of the players to generate repeat play.

Simworx – media-based attraction specialist and innovator of theme park attractions, the UK company has been working on a range of immersive attractions and has started the process of making a range of these attractions more accessible to smaller vendors. One such example is the new ‘Mini Flying Theater’, that can accommodate 20 riders, experiencing the flying thrills from a compact 1/4 dome screen in 4K. The company has also redeveloped many of its proven attractions, such as the ‘Immersive Adventurer’ (16 riders), and their four-rider ‘Robocoaster’ dark ride solution, to be configurable for smaller sites. Regarding virtual reality attractions for flexible deployment, the company partnered with Frontgrid to launch ‘Paradrop VR’, the vertical surge VR paragliding experience. A highly scalable attraction, it is available in a range of configurations to accommodate the required throughput of the venue. Simworx has also developed its own ‘4DVR Theater’ platform, offering a flexible attraction to view and interact with VR ride experiences on a motion seat.

Holovis – another media-based experience designer and developer, a company that has dedicated its own development to support FEC and UEC projects away from their previous focus on Theme Parks. The company recently demonstrating VR and AR concepts for deployment in smaller scale venues, and is looking to promote its own VR attraction for FEC, with the title ‘The Descent’, developed in partnership with D-BOX –it is an intense alien blaster which uses the physicality of a special-effects mine-cage. This, and the company’s AR concepts, are seen as being suitable to the needs of FEC operators needing an attraction level draw to keep their venues relevant.

MediaMation – a well-known name in the development of MX4D theater seating and installations of dome and larger flying theaters. The company has branched into eSports with its own installation for not just cinema and theaters, but also for consideration in smaller sites (with the promoted ‘GameSphere’ platform). Along with this, the operation has created Mid-Scale applications of its MX4D theater, including both VR and interactive variants. MediaMation has also developed a compact version of its popular ‘Flying EFX Theater’.

Brogent Technologies – the international attraction developer has been offering a broad selection of simulation and media-based attractions. The company is mirroring the changes in the market, having invested in its own ‘Mid-Scale’ attractions for smaller venues, such as versions of the ‘v-Ride’ motion platform with a 12-seat capacity. The company has also looked at virtual display attractions, such as the ‘Q-Ride’ – developed for Mid-Scale application. Both ‘v-Ride’ and ‘Q-Ride’ systems will be opening as part of new indoor areas at Shijingshan Amusement Park, in Beijing, in November.

Zamperla Plus – the media-attraction division of the venerable manufacturer has worked to create a library of interactive attractions that also look beyond the traditional theme park and carnival locations. Regarding Mid-Scale style products from Z+, one of the first is the VR theater system, called the ‘VR Coaster’ – the turnkey enclosure offers a roller coaster VR experience, with motion seating emulating the coaster ride experience, for up-to-eight riders, with a 15 riders per hour capacity, covering a 9m. x 9m, footprint. The company has also developed its own AR-based experience, with ‘Bumparcade’ – taking the tradition bumper car experience and offering a projection mapped environment for the drivers to interact with. Another veteran developer of attractions, and in particular bumper cars, is I.E.Parks, who has developed its own media-based configuration for their new generation of bumper cars (under the ‘NK Arena Bumper Cars’ brand).

Continuing the investment by ride manufacturers addressing the unique needs of COIVD measures, Zamperla announced its new ‘Wash-Through Ride System’ – offering an effective cleaning solution for attraction ride vehicles. The system offers a spray station for the ride vehicles on coasters, and flat rides that can automate the process and free staff from the laborious process of wipe downs undertaken in some venues under COVID measures.

CAVU Designwerks – well known provider of integrated immersive experiences, recently announced their entry into the more modular and flexible interactive attractions with the introduction of the ‘Quest’ – stated as the world’s first “Walkthrough Ride”. The company revealed to The Stinger Report that this new attraction for smaller venues restrained by throughput, physical space and budget limitations – developed to accommodate a flexibility in size from a FEC to a e-ticket placement (ranging from operators selecting just two rooms to up to 10). The concept borrows heavily from elements of the Escape Room approach, with the guests interacting with ropes pullies and physical objects as they navigate the space, their movements also tracked remotely for touchless elements – offering an interactive experience, as a diverse story based experience.

One new trend in Mid-Scale Attractions has been the adoption of Projection Mapping systems, from companies such as NeoXperiences and its range of "immersive playgrounds". The ‘NEO ONE’ innovative system offers a giant interactive projection wall platform, for up-to-ten players, covering an area from 16 square metres, with touchscreen operation and which can be deployed as a standalone pop-up with its dedicated ‘NEO ONE ARENA’. It has a selection of active, life-size video games and many universes, gathered in a unique playground, and caters for a large audience (children, families, and friends). The mixture of projection mapping with an active experience has become the signature of developer VALO Motion – be it turning a climbing wall into a dedicated game platform (‘ValoClimb’), or the trampoline competitive entertainment platform (‘ValoJump’), with over 100 venues installing these systems. Meanwhile, media-based attraction developer Attraktion! has been fielding its arena-based projection attraction with ‘Playoke Dance and Kids’ – a large projection wall shows the actions of the players on their individual sports, with the players having to emulate the actions to achieve scores. The system is developed to be flexible able to accommodate from four to 32 players, with ceiling mounted 3D motion tracking allowing them to play – games range from fun to exergaming style experiences.

As already mentioned in previous reports, Project Mapping has been finding interest from many operators, including the bowling industry, which sees this as an interesting inclusion to the existing bowling lanes, attracting the next generation of active gamers to the bowling experience. Companies such as EyeClick, andits award-winning interactive projection motion tracked game system, under the ‘BEAM’ brand, creates virtual playgrounds with an extensive library of games; along with Breeze Creative with their projection platform. And TouchMagix has launched its ‘MotionMagix’ – an interactive floor system offering projection mapping in a turnkey solution. Based on this experience, the company announced its association with Brunswick Bowling Products, to launch the ‘Spark’ – an on-lane projection experience, turning bowling into an interactive digital experience. The key aspect in the current climate, to have projection and frictionless game experiences, is the limited hygiene impact – another attractive feature.

The drive to more immersive MR technology has seen the development of new systems for guest engagement within the digital environment. Launched by TeamLab is the “Interconnected Reality” (IR) platform – first deployed in September in the “Catching & Collecting Forest” experience. While many of our readers will be more familiar with the terminology of IR meaning infrared, this latest definition sees the use of smartphone technology to register and capture digital items, projected round the virtual environment created in the TeamLab exhibit. Guests are able to snap shots of forest animals and collect them on their mobile device, in a mixture of AR and this new IR application. MR is seen more as a facility-wide deployment rather than currently as a dedicated standalone attraction, though there have been several attempts to create such a system and it will be achieved eventually.

Towards the final current technology and as covered in our recent extensive coverage on the VR LBE Free-Roaming sector, there are also a number of virtual attractions that are being created to offer a Mid-Scale level of immersion for multiple players, that compete alongside these abovementioned scaled-down theme park alternatives. The FEC and UEC business in the coming months will be dominated by the needs of weighing the inclusion of big “centrepiece” attractions to draw the audience, and the needs of the more conventional amusement aspects to achieve the best recipe in Mixed Use Entertainment venues.

- New Amusement Investment

As previously reported, October saw a special announcement, taking place virtually on the ShowUp live conference platform. It was revealed in a press release from ILMxLab, well known for their media work in film and interactive gaming, partnering with Nomadic for a second time to release a brand new FEC and amusement version of 'Star Wars Lightsaber Dojo'. Previously, the two companies worked on an Arena Scale pop-up installation based on this concept, using Oculus Quest headsets, that was deployed in Simon centers and Cinemark theaters as a 10-minute pay-to-play attraction back in 2019. With this new announcement, we see the content reconfigured in partnership with VRsenal to be launched on the retractable headset upright kiosk VR cabinet (most recently used for ‘Beat Saber Arcade’), reskinned for the new release. The new version of ‘Vader Immortal: Lightsaber Dojo', sees the game converted to a three-minute experience, and including unique features – the game experience is now running on the HTC VIVE headset.

This marks the latest entrance of the Star Wars franchise into the amusement sector and is an important milestone in both VR and amusement investment for Nomadic and ILMxLabs, working closely together. The announcement of this new title was also marked by the support and investment offered by leading UEC chain Dave & Buster’s, who have been instrumental in bringing this interpretation of the original concept to the amusement market. The upright kiosk version has been on loc-test under the unusual conditions for the chain regarding facility opening but has still seen incredible audience anticipation. It is expected that the game will be installed across the D&B operation in the coming months – while at the end of the year the rest of the industry will be able to acquire this new hardware, with VRsneal working with a cabal of distributors to ensure wide circulation. Further information on the D&B plans for the rollout of the platform, and details of the game mechanical will follow in shortly.