The location-based Jurassic World VR Expedition appears to have been a hit for arcade chain Dave & Buster’s.
The installation, which is featured at over 100 locations worldwide, is now the biggest game launch in the company’s history according to CEO Brian Jenkins, as reported by Variety. During the company’s Q2 earnings call last week, in which it reported $319.2 million in revenue, Jenkins noted that response to the experience had been “strong”, which “bodes well for future game releases on this platform.”
He also confirmed that the company plans to launch a second VR experience later this year as well as add second Jurassic World installations to pre-existing locations. “The plan is to build a library of VR content that allow us to capitalize on this opportunity for years to come,” he said.
Developed by The Virtual Reality Company, Jurassic World VR Expedition straps up to four users into an HTC Vive and seats them in a moving pod. They use a single Vive controller to interact with the dinosaur-filled world around them. We really enjoyed the experience when we tried it out for ourselves back in June, though we suspect there’s one major factor playing into its success: the $5 ticket.
At that price, the experience is far cheaper than rival experiences like The Void’s Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire (which costs about $30 per user), which are admittedly more ambitious attractions. Perhaps other companies should be taking note of Dave & Buster’s success, then.
