USA: Virtuix and Funovation Launch New “VR ARENA“ E-Sports Attraction

Virtuix, a Texas-based provider of VR applications, and the Funovation company from Colorado, which has specialized in the creation of small-footprint attractions, have recently launched their new “VR ARENA” concept as a location-based e-sports attraction. It combines the “Omni” VR hardware system from Virtuix, a treadmill enabling players to physically run in the virtual environment, with the company’s “Omniverse” content platform, currently featuring 18 different VR games. The arena requires an area of some 35 square meters (375 square feet) and can be used by four players at the same time, either for training or for participating in e-sports tournaments.

“We’ve been organizing e-sports tournaments since 2016, and we’ve learned that competitive gaming boosts revenues. Ongoing prize contests result in repeat play by guests and build a community of frequent and loyal players. Our VR ARENA attraction is exciting both elite gamers and casual players […],” stated Jan Goetgeluk, founder and CEO of Virtuix.

Ryan Borton, CEO of Funovation, added, “VR ARENA combines the compact footprint of tethered VR attractions with the full immersion of free-roam VR, while being a lot more affordable. We’re especially excited about increasing repeat play through e-sports, which is the next horizon in location-based family entertainment […],” said Borton.

In Germany e-sports centers are also becoming more popular. The Hertha BSC soccer club (from Berlin) has recently announced to open its own e-sports academy as the first soccer club listed in the Bundesliga (highest professional soccer league in Germany), in order to train and promote local e-sports talents in the “FIFA” soccer simulation game (EA Sports). (eap)