Commentary

Live OOH experiences jump into the exciting post pandemic entertainment mix

Live experience with digital interactivity has emerged in a big way in the amusement space, but is only one of a number of technology innovations in the works.

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March 14, 2022 by Kevin Williams

One of the new applications and technologies to move into the out-of-home entertainment landscape has been the deployment of "gamification" and "interactivity" towards live experiences. Be this the use of immersive digital screens in live-performance entertainment or the ability to capture guests' actions and scores and relay them during an immersive theater performance.

One of the new immersive enclosure developments that leans more heavily on a digital game application than a digital screen presentation has been introduced by Magnetag. The company has revised an earlier concept and created a 120-square-foot enclosure with the "Magnetag Electric Dojo," a complete turnkey system with illuminated walls, scoring, combat vests and foam weapons. It is an interesting concept in the gamification of fun activities with scoring and a repeat value.

Many will be familiar with Live Action Role Play ("Larp'ing") in murder mystery, D&D experiences and secret cinema. Performers are used as part of the experience to steer the narrative. One of the most famous applications to date is the "Quark's Bar" at the Las Vegas Star Trek: Experience.

Live experience with digital interactivity has emerged in a big way in the amusement space, but is only one of a number of technology innovations in the works.

Theme parks set the pace

Recently, the large theme parks have started to invest into this application, and we saw the immersive hotel experience launched by Walt Disney with its "Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser."

The concept sees guests paying top tier pricing to experience two nights within a hotel that fully immerses the guests in the Star Wars universe, including real actors and immersive experiences. Even after a backlash at the high prices to book (costs up to $6,000 per stay quoted), Walt Disney has revealed that the hotel is now fully booked for its first four months from its opening this month.

London was the latest recipient of this kind of approach — as part of the U.K. government's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund's Audience of the Future initiative.

Funding was given to create a research and development project, called "Lost Origin Experience" — developed by studio Factory 42, and presented in partnership with the Almeida Theater and broadcaster Sky.

It is a mixture of immersive escape room, live performance and AR experience, led by live performances from the cast assembled to steer the narrative.

The small audience groups navigate a clandestine investigation and paranormal experience as the story. The unique element of this latest adaption of immersive theater was what was called the first ever large-scale visitor AR experience deployed with Magic Leap headsets.

The project started in 2018, working with the AR headset company. The experience only opened for a short period of evaluation, from Nov. 21 to Dec. 4 2021, as a proof of concept.

Nintendo, not to be outdone, announced it will spend some $2.7 billion over the next few years in theme park development, some of which is based on the company's involvement with Universal Studios, but is also looking at standalone attractions and location-based entertainment projects that would also include their own venues.

More to join the fray

Lionsgate, Netflix, Ubisoft, Hasbro and Mattel are just some of the names that have revealed dedicated investment into this OOH space — with many more waiting in the wings.

The Paramount organization, with an extensive library of properties, was revealed by Variety to have entered an $8 billion project to open an 1,899-acre Paramount resort in Kumming – the capital city of the Yunnan province of China. This vast undertaking would make this the third largest theme resort based on Hollywood properties following Shanghai Disneyland and Universal Beijing.

Across the pond, Accesso Technology Group PLC, a Berkshire, U.K. based, publicly listed technology player, has signed a three-year partnership with Illuminarium Experiences regarding the operation of the Las Vegas version of their Immersive Theater facility. This venue will be part of the Area 15 entertainment hub, and the plan now is to deploy this using the "Accesso Passport" e-commerce and ticketing suite, along with the "Ingresso" ticketing distribution platform.

Traditional movers on the move

Meanwhile, the more traditional amusement trade in the West has been re-emerging from the privations of the lockdown and post-COVID business landscape.

Sega Amusement International introduced "Men In Black," a two-player mounted shooter that offered Videmption capability with ticket vending, a first for SAI. The cabinet was a standard configuration with styling called "neo-futuristic," based on the popular Columbia Pictures franchise, a division of Sony Pictures.

Supporting this, SAI also revealed a new version of a previously released title with the two-player stand-up version of "Mission Impossible: Arcade." This takes the 55-inch screen, two-player position, and the unique mounted pistol controllers from the four-player Deluxe (SDX) cabinet and creates a standard (SD) amusement scale piece.

It seems to have taken the Western amusement distributors some time to revert to type and offer both a SD and SDX alternatives.

But the big new SAI development is "VR Agent," marking its entrance into VR. While manufactured and distributed in China by Wahlap, the new piece will be represented in North America and Europe by SAI – the unattended attraction is another example of self-service VR kiosks with the ability to network up to four cabinets.

The system uses the novel approach of fusing the gun controller into the VR headset. It is interesting to note that this makes Sega's western amusement operation the last major distributor to include a VR offering in their library. The western team has been surprisingly reticent to jump into the virtual waters until now and a factor in this decision was SAI's previous involvement with 3MindWave, developer of "ATV Slam." SAI is working closely with the team in conceptualizing the new VR product.

Regarding the license supporter and previous parent of SAI, Sega Corp. announced the signing of a far reaching "strategic alliance" with software computer and console giant Microsoft and its Xbox operation. The agreement will see Sega content placed on the console and online portal services and will include exclusive launches of properties and licensed characters.

This move is seen to massively help Microsoft establish its console within the Japanese region and cement a library of content that will appeal to Asian and western players alike.

Live experience with digital interactivity has clearly emerged in a big way in the amusement space, but it is only one of a number of technology innovations in the works.

(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by KWP and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)

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About Kevin Williams

Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.

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