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.
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Published on: 1st May 2017
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