Ericsson’s Augmented Reality Technology Is Ready To Redefine Sports Broadcasting

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In a three-day span in September, Swedish syndicate Ericsson swiftly scored two deals with a pair of major sports broadcast networks on separate continents with its Piero technology.

BT Sport signed on for Piero’s cutting-edge augmented reality software system to enable overlay of 3D graphics and analysis in during their real-time, live studio productions, all in the name of engaging their sports-starved audiences a bit further. MLB Network signed a multi-year contract for Piero’s flagpole sports graphics software, which is designed to enhance and analyze sports for broadcasters and TV service providers.

Piero, used by over 50 broadcasters around the world, including by NBC for the Olympics this summer, joined the scene as a pivotal broadcast player earlier this year with the launch of their AR division. In addition to enhancing sports video media with visually engaging and informative illustrative effects, the new AR system opens the doors for broadcasters to monetize sports content to marketers by enabling the positioning of logos and ads during games.

AR is quickly becoming an integral part of living in a networked society in several sectors, and sports business companies seem to have found their sweet spot, as broadcasters are borrowing graphics ideas used heavily in video games. For Fox’s nationally televised matchup between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys in September, the television network brought AR to the NFL, too.

Piero’s software will be deployed across all of MLB Network’s extensive programming schedule, which should be music to the ears of every sabermetrician. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told [a]listdaily earlier this year that adopting modern technology is paramount to growing the game. “I think it’s crucial for the future of the game for the sport to cater to the millennial demographic,” Manfred said in an interview. “Baseball has always been generational. Appropriate use of technology is important to making sure the game gets passed on to the next generation.”

Vincent Noyer, head of Piero, broadcast and media services, Ericsson, joined [a]listdaily to discuss how their AR technology could serve to be a hallmark for the future.

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Why are more broadcasters enhancing their programming with AR and 3D graphics? What is this doing for them, and for audiences? Aside from broadcasters, how can brands take advantage of the Piero software?

Visualizing sports data with graphics and 3D effects makes it more understandable, and therefore, more engaging for audiences. It helps broadcasters create sports programming which can be reused. It also supports presenters and helps them to build more exciting and unique storylines during highlights shows. It’s also great eye candy for a broadcaster looking for visual differentiators in a crowded market. Our Piero software uses image recognition and graphic overlays to enhance sports video media with visually engaging and informative illustrative effects. It enables broadcasters to overlay 3D graphics in real-time during live studio productions and sporting events. Sports analysis graphics can be produced instantly either by a system operator or by a presenter using a tablet device. The graphics are then added onto the studio floor in 3D allowing broadcasters to illustrate the analysis sequence without cutting away from the studio environment. The market-leading technology integrates easily with major studio camera tracking systems and popular sports data service providers. More broadly speaking, technologies like AR and VR will enable even more immersive viewing experiences. That said, it’s still reasonably in the early stages in terms of content availability, consumer adoption and device availability.

Compared to other major American sports leagues, why was MLB at the forefront of this partnership Ericsson?

Piero was originally developed in the UK, with a primary focus on soccer. Over the years, we have expanded Piero to include real-time 3D graphics and analysis for a number of sports, from handball to rugby and tennis to lacrosse. We’re progressively releasing features tried and tested in the soccer world to other sports. We already work with a number of sports broadcasters, leagues, clubs and coaches around the world. Baseball is a very stats-driven sport and was a logical next step for our data-visualization module.

How does AR drive audience retention and further increase engagement?

AR enables even more immersive viewing experiences which really captures viewers’ attention and drives loyalty. It allows the viewer to feel as if they are part of the experience; they can interact with the content, look at a game from different angles, understand it better and then share that experience with their friends. With AR, the viewer is not disconnected from reality—as they are with virtual reality. AR, when done well, can provide extra information relevant to the live event or live show. It can back up an analyst’s comments with easy-to-understand data and provide interactive tools to enhance the debate and bring a bit of fun to productions.

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What kind of live TV programming does Piero software best work for?

Piero is used only for sports graphics, live in the studio, in the game and in post-production.

What’s the future of data visualization in AR looking like? What’s possible?

The future of data visualization is promising. We believe in relevant, meaningful, curated and synchronized data visualization with the live event. In terms of what’s next, we’re looking at ways to bring the experience directly to viewers’ living rooms through AR, again, adding even more value to traditional sports programming and driving deeper engagement.

How is Ericsson leveraging AR to further grow the company and be a leader in the space?

Innovation is key for us at Ericsson and this applies across our portfolio of TV and media products and services. We listen to our clients and always aim to provide them with robust, cutting edge tools to enhance their video productions. With regard to Piero, we have been at the forefront of TV sport analysis for several years and Piero AR is the next step in our innovation roadmap.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

How HTC Viveport Presents New Opportunities For Brands In VR

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HTC has launched a new virtual reality portal to promote and market content for its Vive VR platform. Viveport is a global virtual reality app store that allows users to create their own VR spaces to hang out in while exploring exclusive content across art, creativity tools, design, education, fashion, music, sports, travel and 360-degree video that will debut there first.

Available in over 30 countries, Viveport serves as a first window into virtual reality with a wide variety of content. The portal will open new opportunities for brands to connect with VR users right out of the gate. Additionally, there’s a community feature for VR fans, influencers and enthusiasts to gather.

Rikard Steiber, president of Viveport, explains how this app store has been designed to cater to the growing global VR audience in this exclusive interview.

What role do you see this new Viveport hub playing across video game and entertainment content for Vive?

We believe Viveport is the place where people will start their journey into new virtual reality experiences. Fans globally will join us on a fantastic voyage as they get to experience amazing VR apps published by the best content creators in the industry.

Building on the fast growth and success of great VR games, Viveport features immersive experiences across additional categories where you can explore new worlds, create things, connect with friends and experience stories in new immersive ways. Our mission is to democratize access to the world’s most diverse selection of immersive experiences by empowering all content creators to reach and engage the fast-growing global VR audience.

How deep a library of entertainment is available at launch and how are you selecting what kind of content to feature on Viveport?

On the Vive platform, there are over 500 titles available today, almost all games. On Viveport we will launch with over 60 titles, of which over a dozen are titles that have never been published before outside of Asia. We are also introducing Viveport Premieres, which consist of content launching first on Viveport. During our launch week Everest VR, Google Spotlight Story: Pearl, Lifeliqe, Stonehenge, Music Room, an all-new edition of theBlu, and many more experiences will be available. Developers want to launch with Viveport first because they get good featuring and marketing from us. We do not do exclusive deals with developers.

How has Valve been involved with Viveport and how does it integrate with SteamVR?

From the start, we worked very closely with Valve and even have a “Steam Games We Love” section on Viveport. Viveport is totally integrated into Steam VR and people can discover and buy new content both on the web store.

How much customization is there for the personal space in Vive Home?

We are just getting started, but today you can customize the 3D surroundings, add virtual objects and widgets. The video player and web browser widgets that enable people to watch streaming videos, news or sports in an IMAX-size format will be initial use cases. We are looking to make the space social and more interactive in the coming months.

What opportunities does Vive Home open up for everything from sports teams to brands?

Fans can customize their Home Space with the colors of their favorite teams, and enjoy video, social and sports statistics in a completely new way. Soon you will be teleporting yourself to front row seats; this is just the beginning.

What streaming VR services are you offering through Vive Home?

We are open to all streaming services today as long as they can provide people with a good user experience – you can find 360-video content from sports, travel, music, news and more.

How are you using social media to connect with Vive owners?

Social, connecting and sharing with friends is a key element in all VR experiences. We see both dedicated experiences like Alt Space and Surreal, as well as social features in many of the VR applications launching today.

What type of content can they unlock for free on this store?

Everything imaginable and unimaginable. There are many free apps on Viveport today and more is coming.

What opportunities does Viveport open up as a gateway to the new types of branded content created in 360-degree video and virtual reality?

Virtual reality is perfect for branded content. VR is the most immersive, memorable and interactive experience, and a perfect way to experience branded content. 360-degree video will soon become high-quality interactive experiences. The linear stories today are only the beginning of what it will become available in the coming year.

What has Vive opened up to enterprise industries?

Today, we are working with many retail brands like the leading car manufacturers that enable people to build and drive their future cars in VR. This will extend to travel, housing, fashion, and as a Swede, I cannot wait to buy my IKEA furniture in VR.

What role do you see having HTC Vive and VR games in arcades and entertainment centers playing in getting people interested in this platform?

Experiencing VR in public spaces will be a huge market, especially in China. We are already looking to help developers reach a massive audience in VR arcades this year. VR arcades will for many people be the first way they test true high-end VR experiences like the Vive.

Why Under Armour’s Cam Newton Snapchat Game Is A Big Hit

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It’s all about the footwork in Under Armour’s It Comes From Below ad campaign. In the latest spot, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton—wearing Under Armour’s C1N cleats—uses nimble footwork to navigate a dark forest, but not before trucking a few trees into sawdust. The dark visuals are accompanied by a female voiceover, who turns out to be Newton’s mother Jackie. She narrates a section of the novel, Watership Down by Richard Adams, a 1972 classic about a group of rabbits on the run. The struggle of the rabbits as they relentlessly push through dangerous situations is a fitting metaphor for her son’s recent struggles as last season’s MVP is off to a dismal 1-3 start. In the ad, Jackie describes Cam as a “prince with 1,000 enemies.” Although the ad is powerful on its own, the campaign doesn’t stop here.

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Under Armour is challenging Snapchat users to navigate Newton through his forest of obstacles (and wolves) in a game adaptation. The It Comes From Below game is available to Snapchat users in the US and Canada (60 million daily users), who can swipe up to play via advertisements or on Snapchat Discover. Users are encouraged to beat their previous score, as well as share the game with friends. In the first day running ads for the game, 20 percent of Snapchat users swiped up to play. Those who did spent an average of 78 seconds playing the game and 19 percent of users who played shared the game with one or more friends, per Snapchat. It Comes From Below will be available through October.

Under Armour’s latest creative efforts follows a successful ad campaign for Olympic sensation Michael Phelps, shot with a similarly dark cinematic style and message of determination. Newton’s Under Armour campaign is powerful, but in our experience, he believes every word.

“[Training to be a great quarterback is] just like you train to be great in anything else, you have to put your mind to it,” Newton told [a]listdaily in an exclusive interview in February just days before the Panthers lost in the Super Bowl 50. “First off, you’ve got to enjoy doing it and contrary to popular belief, you have to be enthused about doing it. If you’ve got those ingredients, you’ll be alright.”

Following Gatorade’s Serena Williams’ Match Point for Snapchat in August, games are proving to be a successful connection to sports fans. Gatorade’s title was the first multi-level Snapchat game ad and celebrated Williams’ career leading up to the U.S. Open.

Athletic brands are keen to attract the 14-to-22-year-old demographic, a target audience that spends a lot of time on Snapchat.

Now that the social media mogul has re-branded as a camera company, perhaps specially-designed body cams for athletes are in order.

Why Good Content Is The Key To Growing VR

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Virtual reality is having an impact on almost all facets of entertainment, whether it’s music, video games, or television. That was fully exemplified at the New York Media Festival last week, where there were multiple panels discussing how VR could enhance different the different entertainment industries.

Industry leaders talked about what VR needs to succeed, and whether the technology might supplant live experiences. Key themes arose throughout the panels, and it’s clear that good content is the key to mass adoption. And instead of sticking to old techniques used in 2D games or television, content creators need to find ways to make the best use of VR as its own medium.

Music

Virtual reality experienced both through expensive high-end headsets or using mobile devices through viewers like the Samsung Gear VR or Google Cardboard, is giving audiences a whole new way to engage with their favorite artists. Afdhel Aziz, director of Absolut Labs, spoke about working with the music artist deadmau5 to create a virtual reality video game to promote both the musician and the vodka brand in a way that goes beyond tour integration.

A separate panel discussed the use of VR for music entertainment, there was some concern about how a writer described the technology as “the Napster for live music,” where audiences would be able to download concerts and other live events instead of paying to attend them. Additionally, VR lets audiences relive events as often as they like, whenever they want. However, the concept was largely dismissed by speakers such as Facundo Diaz, CEO of VRTIFY—a startup that combines VR with music events to create a unique kind of social network.

Diaz explained that it wouldn’t be an “or” situation, it would be an “and” one. Fans will be attracted to the communal aspect and excitement of attending a live concert, while those that can’t attend can still get a front row seat experience in VR. Instead of being an impediment, the panel seemed to view VR as a big opportunity for live events, including giving viewers an inside look at places like the backstage area and the tour bus. Also, considering how every venue has a limited capacity, which can be overcome with the use of virtual reality.

It seems one of the biggest challenges for virtual reality right now is content. Some felt that users had a difficult time discovering VR experiences. Brad Spahr, VP for product development and global digital business at Sony Music Entertainment, felt that finding content wasn’t a problem. Digital storefronts and channels such as Steam (for the HTC Vive) and the Oculus Store do an excellent job of presenting content to users. “I think the biggest worry that I have is that there’s too much bad content,” Spahr said. “There are some lazy ways to do VR, which a lot of people do, but that’s not going to help anyone grow this market.”

Although platforms such as YouTube were marked with low-quality content when it first started and its content creators were experimenting, Spahr stated that users didn’t have to commit to the platform by wearing an oftentimes expensive HMD (head mounted display) to engage in the experience.

When [a]listdaily asked Spahr if VR was caught in a catch-22, in that quality VR experiences require a lot of money, but every media platform needs to experiment with low cost (and possibly low quality) experiences to grow, he replied: “I think building great experiences is what’s important. The sacrifice that you’re asking the customer to make is to put an HMD on. I can have bad content on my phone and throw it off to get back to what I’m doing, or bad content on TV, I can just change the channel. But bad content for VR—you just asked me to put an HMD on and make a big sacrifice—and the investment it takes to get all of the equipment. So if the content I’m experiencing after making that investment is poor, it’s not going to make me want to continue to do it. There are quality bars people should be hitting on VR.”

Spahr stated that platforms such as PlayStation work to curate all of its content. “You’re going to have bad content, just like any other medium, but I think we need to find a good way to guide people to the premium experiences that make them feel like they’re getting the value of VR.”

Video Games

Perhaps one of the most obvious uses of virtual reality technology is in playing video games, which is why it is at the forefront of pioneering the technology. Brad Spahr also noted that Sony Music was looking to video game experiences as a guide when developing its VR content, and the Absolut deadmau5 promotion is a prime example of how the technology can be put to use.

Chris Donahue, senior director of alliances at AMD, also stated that content is the key to driving users from the 2D experience to virtual reality. “Content is the thing that really makes things happen. It makes things appear, and makes them live, vibrant and profitable,” said Donahue. Although the medium still has some challenges to overcome, Donahue is confident in the technology.

“There’s always the chicken or egg issue with platforms, where you have to get an install base before people are interested in developing content for it,” Donahue said, elaborating on the matter. “Fortunately, there are a lot of crazy people who are willing to go and experiment and try new things.” Donahue also stated that VR is at the start of a typical technology adoption curve, but the amount of excitement, focus and attention being paid to VR and AR is significant enough to grow the platform.

Television

With television, there is still the issue of discerning the difference between good and bad VR. Rich Flier, managing director of business development at the visual effects studio Digital Doman described good VR was quite simply, “it’s something that you want to buy or keep on playing.” He went on to express that “there isn’t that killer app. There isn’t that Pokémon GO right now for the VR space.”

Jeff Marsilio, NBA VP for global media, disagreed and felt that the VR documentary detailing the 2016 NBA “was among the first complete VR experiences in the video space.” However, the challenge that the platform faces is having its users overcome the sense of newness and discern good content from bad.

“Good is something that’s worth watching,” Flier said. He cited works created by Chris Milk, with experiences that are like short form documentaries. A lot of filmmakers are entering the VR space and experimenting with it to create content.

When it comes to overcoming the hurdle of putting on a headset to experience VR, some panelists were confident that that the technology will evolve. The key is in giving audiences a compelling reason to put on the headset and convincing them that it’s a more immersive form of entertainment. Again, virtual reality could be a major benefit to live events, since a large majority of fans never attend a live game. With VR, audiences can get a courtside seat.

However, Marsilio echoed an earlier sentiment by stating that VR isn’t a perfect analog to attending the game. “The hardware is not nearly as clear as the real world, and you also can’t smell the popcorn and see your friends.” But he stated that taking what good about television— specifically contextual cues such as replays, scores, shot clocks and all the elements that go into a game broadcast—and combine them with VR in a new way, you may end up with the best of both worlds.

Killer Rats And The Big Easy: This Week’s Game Releases And Promos

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It’s October, and you know what that means—tons of candy at the grocery store, everything is pumpkin spice flavored and a whole lot of AAA games are about to hit the shelves. Kicking off the pre-holiday shopping season are two games with clever marketing.

Mafia III

2K Games is taking gamers to New Bordeaux on Friday, pitting Vietnam War veteran, Lincoln Clay against the mob in a 1960s open-world world inspired by New Orleans. 2K pulled out all the stops for E3 this year, unveiling a teaser trailer alongside a massive booth that made attendees feel like they were on Bourbon Street. In addition to the stunning aesthetics of its Mafia III booth, the company offered a plethora of activities, including a retro-themed photo booth, a broadcast of 1960s TV programs, live soul music on select days of the show, and tarot card and palm readings. There was even a food truck, where attendees who tweeted #Mafia3 to the official Mafia Twitter account were treated to a free lunch, consisting of New Orleans favorites like jambalaya and alligator tenders. The company also hosted a themed funeral procession, inspired by traditional ones from The Big Easy, throughout the course of the three-day show.

One of the biggest features to stand out from Mafia III is the licensed soundtrack. Featuring over 100 songs from the 60’s including artists like Aretha Franklin, Canned Heat, Cream and more, fans can own the entire soundtrack on vinyl when they order the collector’s edition. In addition to the vinyl offerings, the publisher teamed up with Pandora to create the Mafia III Hit List, a dedicated channel filled with music from the game’s 1960’s era. 2K partnered with IGN for a collector’s edition unboxing to get fans excited, as well.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be Mafia without the action, so 2K’s YouTube features a series called Mafia III Gameplay, giving fans a look into combat, driving, etc. in the form of a CIA debriefing. The game got “real” with Mafia III In Real Life—a 2K-sponsored fan film depicting stunt driving, interrogations and generally giving the mafia a bad day.

Warhammer: End Times—Vermintide

Warhammer’s gothic multiplayer title hits consoles this week, a year from its initial launch for PC in 2015. Leading up to its console debut, developer, Fatshark has been promoting the game, based in the dark fantasy universe, by partnering with Xbox One streamers for maximum exposure online. Warhammer fans were also treated with a cross-over in which Vermintide‘s giant rodents invaded Man O War: Corsair during its latest update.

To help get fans pumped for the console release, Fatshark offered Vermintide on Steam for free over a weekend in May, along with discounts for those who wanted to keep the game. During Dreamhack, the publisher partnered with Creative Labs, offering a free copy of the game with the purchase of a BlasterX H5 headset. In the week prior to its official launch, fans were able to jump into a free, open beta to try the game for themselves. Fatshark took advantage of TwitchCon‘s timing to promote the game in San Diego, offering hands-on console demos and live-tweeting from the event.

Inside Yahoo’s ESports Show Strategy

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Yahoo has launched three live shows covering various aspects of the PC eSports landscape. Late Night League is a weekly half-hour show hosted by Mark Zimmerman focusing on the most popular eSport title in the world: Riot Games’ League of Legends. Tilted is a half-hour show that features a rotating panel of eSports experts discussing the top PC eSports games, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2. And Rivals is a brand new show that’s focusing on the rivalries that develop across competitive gaming.

Lisa Utzschneider, chief revenue officer at Yahoo, said that the media company was attracted to the overall growth of the eSports industry. She said the approach the company is taking with eSports is consistent with how Yahoo has led in sports and fantasy sports coverage.

“We wanted to deliver 24/7 first-class media coverage around the personalities of the industry,” Zachary John, product team manager at Yahoo ESports, said. “It’s critical to define unique video content franchises like the Yahoo ESports Live Show, where our personalities can interact with leaders in the industry in an informal setting and share the stories behind the stories about the personalities showcased in the industry.”

Yahoo partnered with a League of Legends university team to bring the first quarterly season of Rivalries to life.

“The goal for this first season is to bring common sports rivalries that Yahoo connects with through its collegiate coverage to eSports,” John said. “Fans can vote on their favorite college eSports rivalries online and watch in real-time as the community decides which five rivalries we’ll highlight.”

Yahoo will send its editorial and video team to each of the 10 schools that make the top five rivalries list this fall. Yahoo and Riot previously worked with key universities that have established rivalries across traditional sports, as well as eSports teams and clubs, to create the list of 12 rivalries for fans to vote on. Over 20,000 votes have been cast already.

Beginning November 4, eSports teams will compete in League of Legends for bragging rights at livestreamed events that will feature live college audiences. The series will run for five straight weeks.

John said eSports fans want to be part of the conversation with these shows, so Yahoo is asking them what they want to see through online voting and real-time social media interactions.

“A lot of the big eSports events like the League of Legends Worlds in Los Angeles and ESL One in New York City aren’t accessible to a lot of fans,” John said. “Rivalries is a way to create a framework for fans to decide who’s playing, where they’re playing and what they’re playing for. And it allows us to bring eSports to the audience at colleges across the country.” John said the series has been established so that Yahoo can focus on other games in the next season, and continue with college competition or invite pro gamers into the mix.

Utzschneider said there’s an opportunity to work with advertisers to potentially provide scholarships in future seasons, or even cash prizing if professional teams are added to the mix.

“A lot of our audience is engaged on mobile devices or on a desktop and they want to have an interactive element,” John said. “This allows us to bring ad messages through media through things like polling back-and-forth with experts. Our user is already online, so we’re taking advantage of being an only-screen experience, rather than a second-screen experience.”

Utzschneider said brands love being able to engage directly with this audience online. General Mills committed to a year of sponsorship for Yahoo ESports Live as well as select ESL coverage, including the ESL One New York, which took place on October 1-2. ESL will run some of Yahoo’s coverage on its own ESL TV online network.

“General Mills has been a long-standing partner for many years and they’re excited to partner in this new initiative and reach this young demographic,” Utzschneider said. “Both with eSports and live video in general, we’re receiving strong demand and interest from ad partners. It’s still early days for us in eSports.”

Yahoo kicked off ad week in New York last week with its eSports plans and Utzschneider said she’s received great feedback from ad partners who are very interested in this space and interested in connecting with this young consumer demographic.

“We’re fully aware that this audience has incredibly high expectations from a user experience and brand perspective, and we’re taking extra steps to ensure any brand integration feels right for the audience and will be well received by the audience,” Utzschneider said. “We’re making sure that brands that do sign up resonate with this audience. General Mills’ Reese’s Puffs is a perfect fit for this younger millennial audience.”

For now, Yahoo is focused on the big games. John said that the site consistently receives a large amount of traffic from League of Legends, and games like CS:GO and Dota 2 receive big spikes around major events. Overwatch has been a consistent traffic generator since Blizzard launched it earlier this year.

“We’re also seeing a strong draw for Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros. because there’s not as much content for those games,” John said. “We haven’t focused a lot on console games to date. We need to be credible, and we’re always looking for experts in each game.”

7 Virtual Reality Promotions Taking Over New York Comic Con 2016

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Virtual reality-styled promotions are taking off in a big way this year as a deep and memorable way to engage with audiences. The technology made prominent appearances at this year’s New York Comic-Con, where fans lined up to take experience their favorite games, shows and movies like never before.

These are the experiences that are leaving a lasting impression at the comic book convention.

Westworld: A Delos Destination

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Westworld host

HBO’s Westworld takes place in a kind of theme park where robotic hosts pose as human characters, and guests are allowed to do anything they desire without fear of harm, judgment or consequences. The show, which premiered on Sunday, has already been compared to video games, so it’s no surprise that there would be an actual video game to help promote it. Actors that are dressed all in white with robotic speech and mannerisms welcome guests to the VR experience, Westworld: A Delos Destination.

The experience itself, which uses the HTC Vive, puts players in the role of a new guest into the world of Westworld. Players are given a short orientation by a virtual host before the experience transforms into a brutal behind-the-scenes look at what makes the theme park tick. Westworld is also hosting a screening of its second episode on Sunday.

John Wick Chronicles: An Eye For An Eye

A virtual reality-based video game based in the John Wick movie universe has been in the works for quite some time, and New York Comic-Con attendees are among the first to check out the first chapter of the John Wick Chronicles, titled An Eye For An Eye, before it officially releases. The experience is based in the movie world, and players take the role of John Wick, who must survive against waves of attackers. Players don an HTC Vive and are given ten minutes to survive as long as possible without taking too much damage.

Developed in cooperation with Lionsgate Entertainment, the VR game helps to build up hype for the next film. The game’s developers, Starbreeze Studios, also has John Wick crossover content in its hit heist game, Payday 2, in the form of a John Wick mask and special weapons.

Resident Evil 7: Lantern

October is the time for big scares, and Resident Evil is one of the most recognizable survival horror franchises around. The developer, Capcom, first showed its prototype VR horror experience, Kitchen earlier this year, and now it’s following up with Lantern at the New York Comic-Con. The PlayStation VR experience is tied with the Resident Evil 7 Beginning Hour demo that is out now, and players are challenged to make their way through a decrepit house with while a crazed character pursues them.

Since Resident Evil 7 will be completely playable in VR when it releases next year, the showcase provides a significant look at what players can expect from the game. Furthermore, the demo will be included with the PlayStation VR when launches next week.

Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration

Tomb Raider fans will have a chance to get an intimate look at Lara Croft’s past when Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration releases for the PlayStation 4 next week. For the first time, the series will be brought to virtual reality in a short experience called Blood Ties, where the iconic character must find her way through forgotten parts of Croft Manor to uncover its secrets. Although it isn’t as action-oriented as the main game, the VR experience provides fans with a new way to appreciate the series.

The game marks the 20-year anniversary of one of the most iconic characters in video games, and takes advantage of the PlayStation VR, which also launches next week.

Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality

Adult Swim does not shy away from experimenting with creative and innovative ways to engage with its audience. The Rick and Morty virtual reality experience, Virtual Rick-ality, is an open world experience where players get to mess around with objects and environments from the show. Attendees get to experience the game at the convention using the HTC Vive before it officially releases for PC.

Legends of the Hidden Temple

Attendees were able to face-to-face Olmec, the statuesque character from Nickelodeon’s popular game show, Legends of the Hidden Temple at New York Comic-Con. However, instead of having to complete a series of obstacles, they are challenged to complete a discovery game using the Samsung Gear VR. The experience was developed to promote the upcoming Legends movie to gain fans that might not have watched the 1990s kids’ game show.

Jaunt VR

Virtual reality film company, Jaunt VR, decided to focus on horror experiences at the New York Comic-Con this year. The variety of 360-degree videos showcased at the convention include The Black Mass Experience and Zombie Purge, a short film where viewers watch the action from the bed of a pickup truck as survivors battle their way through a zombie apocalypse. One of the more esoteric films include The Game, where a woman must make find her way through a deadly underground maze while a director monitors events from a control room. Attendees experienced these films using the Samsung Gear VR, and almost all of them are available now on the Jaunt VR app.