Vertigo Games, the studio behind Arizona Sunshine (2017) and upcoming VR shooter After the Fall, today announced that it has acquired SpringboardVR, creators of the eponymous location-based VR content distribution platform.
The acquisition amount was undisclosed, however the move is slated to see several members of the SpringboardVR team transfer to Vertigo Games, something the company says in a press statement will “ensure seamless service and operations for arcade operators and game studios around the world.”
Vertigo Games says both the SpringboardVR brand and software platform will continue to operate “but with the support and resources of the Vertigo Games team.”
“This combination will provide operators with access to free-roam VR content via Vertigo’s HAZE VR distribution platform as well as giving both operators and game studios new tools to grow their LBE business. The roadmap for this new content and features will be released in the near future,” Vertigo Games says.
The founders of SpringboardVR and a few senior members of their development, product, and services teams have moved to form the core of a new company called ArborXR, which manages devices, content, and users in the enterprise VR ecosystem.
Location-based entertainment is still very much an industry in recession, as nearly all VR arcades worldwide shut down for extended periods due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now with the initial rollout of a multiple vaccines, the most well-funded names in location-based VR entertainment, The Void and SandboxVR are still dangerously close to complete bankruptcy. With the acquisition of SpringboardVR though, it’s possible companies believe location-based entertainment is about to make a come back.