VR startup SoReal set for a rollercoaster of a ride
by Startacus Admin
Many of us won’t know the name Zhang Yimou off the top of our heads, but most of us will probably recognise some of the titles he is best known for directing: House of Flying Daggers, Hero, the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony… Zhang is something of a visionary, and he has brought this across to the co-founding of his new venture, SoReal.
Situated in Beijing, just two blocks from Tiananmen Square, SoReal is reportedly the world’s first virtual reality theme park created by a collaboration between Zhang, Danghong Qitian - a VR entertainment company - and Lenovo. (It was only last year, that we reported that Alton Towers in the UK had launched the first VR Rollarcoaster ride.)
The theme park fully opened just last month with the goal of taking away the isolatory, perhaps lonely, aspect of virtual reality by making it a shared experience, making most of the ‘experiences’ multiplayer.
The 32,000 sq ft theme park offers multiple experiences, including films and more educational options. It comes as no surprise, though, that the biggest pull of the park is going to the games.
From horror to thriller to science fiction, visitors can don body-armour-esque vests and backpacks, headsets, and 
pick up futuristic guns to fight monsters, gun-sling, and dogfight spaceships in both original experiences and existing IP worlds such as John Wick and Serious Sam (an insane and frenetic game that gamers will remember from the early 2000s).
Last year, the theme park had a soft opening (A beta launch if you like!) that saw over 6,000 visitors, each spending anywhere from £7 to £55 for single experiences and half-day passes.
SoReal is aiming to open more venues, both large and small, in China and around the world - a timely venture considering that China is reportedly set to become the world’s largest VR market within the next few years.
We look forward to keeping up with SoReal's progress.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Prodsight is a B2B Software-as-a-Service startup that helps companies increase the success of their products and their customer service
Oval and Seedrs have built the technology enabling the first in-app investment experience for fintech users to be able to invest in startups
The UK’s first algorithm based flatmate matchmaker, Ideal Flatmate closes its latest funding round with total Seed funding now passing £2m
Major investment news for Perlego, the London-based startup that is on a mission to make education material accessible for all
A short guide to hiring the best service providers for your organisation so that you don’t waste your time and money.
The London based startup Grocemania, that's created an on-demand grocery service that lets you shop online from your local stores
The lowdown on Noisy Book, the app that will let you turn your children's books and imaginations into an immersive, magical experience
The London startup Show4me, that has created a global interaction network aimed at Music industry professionals and fans alike
.jpeg)
These tips for startups And entrepreneurs could transform your video output and have a dramatic impact on your marketing results.
Technology and ecommerce in particular has already had a profound impact on the fashion industry. Ken Price, Co Founder, Blake Mill explains how.
Published on: 1st May 2017
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- London-based startup Perlego raises £7 million 19th Nov 2019 Major investment news for Perlego, the London-based startup that is on a mission to make education material accessible for all
- Investment announced in Aisha, the award-winning halal baby food manufacturer 13th Nov 2019 Aisha secures seven-figure investment from the Foresight Group to help its marketing, development and international expansion plans
- Construction tech startup ShapeDo secures investment from VC firm Goldacre 13th Nov 2019 ShapeDo from the 2018/2019 RELab cohort has secured investment from Goldacre in its innovative construction project management software
- Culture Amp launch Diversity and Inclusion Starter Kit to bring best practices to UK businesses 8th Nov 2019 The latest ways in which leading people and culture platform Culture Amp aim to help organisations manage their diversity and inclusion practices and policies
