Google I/O: Daydream Brings VR To Next-Gen Smartphones

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Google Daydream is a new virtual reality platform heading to next-gen smartphones this fall. Unveiled during the Google I/O keynote yesterday, Daydream will incorporate a headset and small handheld controller, combining the immersive experience of mobile VR with intuitive motion controls.

While Cardboard viewers allow consumers to use just about any smartphone they like, upgrading to Daydream will require new phones with specialized parts and operating systems. Utilizing the upcoming Android N platform (which you can help name here), these Daydream-ready phones will be outfitted with screens and sensors powerful enough to deliver VR in high-quality. Google has partnered with developers like ARM, Qualcomm, MediaTek and Imagination Technologies to create these components, and Daydream-ready phones are scheduled to begin rolling out this fall from HTC, ZTE, Huawei, Asus, Xiaomi, Alcatel, LG and Samsung.

Google Daydream Headset aims to be "comfortable and intuitive," says Google.
Google Daydream Headset aims to be “comfortable and intuitive,” says Google.

Aside from a basic design, not much is publicly known about the Google Daydream headset as far as specs and price points go. Google provided the initial designs to its partners, who will then manufacture and refine it, thereby determining its price. But for perspective, Google Cardboard costs around five dollars and the Samsung Gear VR costs $99, so there’s a lot of room for speculation on how much the Google Daydream unit and controller with set you back.

Brands like HBO, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts (EA) have been confirmed as development partners and The New York Times will use this new platform to provide VR news coverage and content, as announced during NewFronts.

Video games will be a dominant presence on Daydream, with additional partners including Climax Studios, Otherside Entertainment and NetEase. Epic Games hosted a livestream during the Google I/O today and discussing the possibilities of development with Unreal Engine 4. It also posted a video on YouTube, demonstrating in-game possibilities, as well as some nice close-up views of the Daydream controller.

“At Epic, we’re really excited about Daydream because while everyone has a phone, this really takes VR to the masses,” says Epic Games VP and co-founder, Mark Rein. “It gives you the ability to have the same kind of experience you would have on really high-end VR systems, but now completely immersive and with this beautiful controller.”

 

Sportradar US Exec Explains How ESports Data Will Help Drive Industry

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When it comes to traditional sports such as baseball, it’s all about statistics for fans. Those types of stats are also a big part of the burgeoning eSports landscape, and now Sportradar US is delivering stats based on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, and StarCraft II to the same media companies that run NFL, NHL, and NASCAR numbers for fans to disseminate the details of what happened in a match.

In October, Sportradar secured a strategic investment from Revolution Growth to support its expansion in the U.S. Market, while announcing that Ted Leonsis, Mark Cuban, and Michael Jordan joined its U.S. Advisory Board. Cuban is a big proponent of eSports.

Will Thornton, business development manager of Sportradar US, has been in the numbers game since founding SportsData in 2010. That company was acquired by Swiss company Sportradar AG in 2013. He explains what eSports data distribution means for the growth of professional video gaming in this exclusive interview.

What separates Sportradar from anything else out there on the traditional sports front?

Initially, Sportradar US was able to gain a significant market share with a better mousetrap. We offered the industry faster data, and our clients were able to get their products up and running quickly because we provide a very easy-to-use API. Now we’ve taken things a step further with a commitment to bringing exclusive content to market, such as eSports or the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, and creating dynamic applications that unlock the power of sports data.

How does Sportradar work with the NFL, NHL, and NASCAR?

We are the official data partner for the NFL, NHL, and NASCAR. They rely on Sportradar to license their official data to media companies on their behalf. For NASCAR that would be the Official Scoring and Timing Feed; for NFL it is the official play-by-play and Next Gen Stats (player tracking), and for NHL it is the HITS Feed. These data feeds power the live scores and stats you see on the web or your mobile device, as well as fantasy games and second screen apps.

Why did you decide to enter the eSports vertical?

Sportradar is committed to bringing exclusive content, such as eSports data, to market. We believe that eSports is going to be a key strategy for digital media companies as they look to attract Millennials and broaden their audiences. The feedback we are getting is tremendous, and I think we will have numerous eSports case studies to share over the coming year.

How are you working with established leagues such as MLG and ESL, or publishers like Riot Games or Valve in the eSports business?

We are in discussions with a number of players in the eSports space about a number of different endeavors. However, it would not be appropriate to mention names until we are at the announcement stage. Sportradar teamed with ESL last October in a partnership covering data, as well as integrity measures. They are at the vanguard of this exciting sector and have proven to be tremendous partners.

How does your eSports API differ from other technologies out there?

To my knowledge, we will be the only source for comprehensive coverage of eSports across a wide array of games and competitions. If you are a fan of CS:GO, for example, we can provide the content so you know the player economy and who has the most assists in competition. Everyone knows how many home runs Barry Bonds hit or how many touchdown passes Peyton Manning has thrown. We’re taking that detail to eSports.

How do you see your technology impacting the eSports business?

Live data will be the key to opening up a wide array of digital enhancements for the eSports community. Real-time game centers for eSports, informative apps for your mobile devices with schedules and standings, historical stats for players and teams. These are the tools that media companies are accustomed to having for any sport they cover—from NFL to MLB to NBA—with great depth. There is a big opportunity with brands because they can use our data and solutions to promote their products to millennials. I could go on and on.

What similarities are you seeing between working with established leagues and eSports companies and how this data is used?

Reliable, fast, and accurate data ensures that media companies have the tools to cover eSports in the same manner as they would traditional sports. Sportradar’s data feed provides key data points such as statistics, results, and play-by-play for all the leading game titles and tournaments, including CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends and StarCraft II.

What role, if any, does this data play for the growing Fantasy Sports and betting businesses, both of which eSports is now part of?

While our parent company (Sportradar AG) serves a multitude of customer segments globally, Sportradar US is solely focused on serving digital, media, technology, and fantasy customers and does not serve bookmakers. Data is essential in powering a fantasy platform. Players expect to have immediate gratification when their player performs well. Our data for traditional sports power the big fantasy players. We plan on supporting the eSports fantasy community the same way.

Overseas, we are very proud to be leading global anti-match-fixing efforts by developing and delivering a fully tailored eSports monitoring system. Our partnership with the world’s leading eSports tournament organizer, ESL, enables us to leverage eSports data to power a Fraud Detection System that is completely tailored to monitor all the relevant traditional and specialist betting markets around the world.

What impact has having Mark Cuban on the advisory board had on this eSports endeavor?

Truth be told, we were well down the eSports path before Mark joined our U.S. advisory board this past October. Now that he is on our team, Mark has been a tremendous advocate for the direction we’ve taken. He believes eSports has a big future, obviously, having invested heavily in eSports companies in addition to his sports data investment with Sportradar. He is very active on our behalf and it’s really a tremendous asset to have his knowledge and experience working for Sportradar.

 

How The Netflix Model Is Shaping Ad-Consumption (Or Lack Thereof)

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Netflix now has over 75 million subscribers who are streaming around 125 million hours of content per day. While original content and value certainly play into the platform’s success (not to mention password-sharing abound), perhaps the most significant selling point for Netflix is the lack of commercial interruption. In fact, Netflix saves its viewers around 160 hours of commercials per year, according to a recent calculation by Cord Cutting.

From Nielsen, we know that a typical hour of cable TV includes 15 minutes, 38 seconds – or 938 seconds – of commercials. Multiply that figure by 1.67 repeating and you get 1,563.3 (also repeating) seconds of commercials per day. That’s 570,616.7 seconds per year, which works out to 158.5 hours. So each subscriber saves him or herself about 160 hours of commercials per year by streaming their content through Netflix.

Since the time of radio serials when Little Orphan Annie urged children to drink more Ovaltine, broadcasting has been shaped by its advertisers. While product placement on television and in movies are on the rise, the ability to avoid commercial interruption has become a priority to consumers. In response to this demand, streaming services like Hulu and YouTube are now offering subscription options with little to no advertisements.

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Netflix original content and commercial-free streaming has earned them 75 million subscribers. (Source: Netflix)

So, are commercials a bad word now? Absolutely not, but its increasing lack of popularity is forcing marketers to shape their campaigns in a more interactive or entertaining way. Advertising for digital content is actually growing, as we witnessed at Newfronts last week. According to a report by Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), advertisers and media buyers have invested 114 percent more in original digital video programming over the past two years.

Rather than focus on commercial interruption, brands are teaming up to create original content, which creates brand-awareness in a less-intrusive way. But what about TV? Although it can be painful to sit through a three-minute list of horrific side effects for the latest drug, there are many who choose not to pay for ad-free content. This just means that to avoid the mute or fast forward button, those commercial interruptions need to be more effective.

Rather than shove a product into the consumer’s face, brands are now moving toward frontline marketing, which focuses primarily on consumer relationships. As the digital age changes the way we consume entertainment, ad consumption is also affected. Although this poses challenges, it also opens up tremendous opportunities to innovate in how brands connect with their audiences.

Newzoo: Asian Markets Generate Half Of Global Video Game Revenue

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Games have become a market that generates billions of dollars each year, and the Asian market is slowly but surely becoming the biggest player in the game.

A new report from Newzoo, titled Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report, suggests that 45 percent of the overall $99.6 billion global games market this year will be generated by Southeast Asia, including China, Japan and South Korea. It also notes that approximately 55 percent of all mobile game revenues will come from these key markets.

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The report also notes that Asian public companies managed to generated $36.2 billion last year, with 32 percent ($11.4 billion) coming outside of Asia. Half of this total came from Sony and Nintendo by themselves, with offerings for the PlayStation 4, 3DS and Wii U. Tencent was also a big player outside of Asia, generating $1.3 billion on its own, approximately 15 percent of overall business.

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As for which games are set to make the most money, 36 percent of the overall $45 billion total revenue will come from smartphones (totaling around $16 billion), followed by 35 percent from the PC/MMO market and 11 percent from console-based sales.

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Tencent continues to be the leader in Asian company profits, with $8.7 billion in 2015, a rise from its $7.2 billion the year prior; Sony, NetEase and Nintendo are close behind, each posting a small but steady profit from the previous year.

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Disney Uses Virtual Reality And Steam To Drop You Into Movie Worlds

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Disney is no stranger to the world of VR, having invested in companies like Jaunt, as well as commissioning Epic Games to produce a fun VR demo based in the Star Wars universe. But now, thanks to a new partnership with Nokia Technologies, it has some fun new demos that immerse viewers into its hit movies.

The company released a series of new virtual reality demos that are available for download free of charge on Steam, each featuring a popular Disney franchise. Demos based on The Jungle Book, Captain America: Civil War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens are available, providing viewers a quick but entertaining look around each respective universe.

For instance, in one of the demos for The Jungle Book, viewers will be engaged by Kaa, the female snake voiced by Scarlett Johannsen, who tries to comfort you before swallowing the viewer whole. Meanwhile, Civil War features a recreation of the movie’s big Hollywood premiere, while The Force Awakens whisks you around the Star Wars universe, complete with an appearance from the BB-8 droid.

The demos utilize Nokia’s OZO technology to enable virtual reality experiences, immersing viewers in better ways than ever before.

“Virtual reality represents a new frontier in storytelling, and we’re thrilled to be bringing this VR technology to the team at Disney,” said Ramzi Haidamus, president at Nokia Technologies, regarding the partnering with Disney last month. “OZO will help Disney bring their film properties to life in new ways through immersive entertainment experiences, and our focus will be on helping them get the most out of VR as they begin to uncover all that it has to offer.”

The companies previously worked together to produce special 360-degree videos for the premiere of The Jungle Book, including the red carpet premiere and interviews with the cast.

With this deal and the introduction of these demo videos, Disney is likely just getting started in the VR world, and could introduce more experiences with upcoming films like Alice Through the Looking Glass and Finding Dory. 

‘Floor Plan’ Makes Elevators Fun Again With Forthcoming Adventure Game

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Next time you’re in an elevator, instead of looking off in the corner of the ceiling contemplating life’s crucial concerns—like why you just had a 2,300-calorie taco salad for lunch—think about going anywhere, and being able to throw things at people from said elevator, in virtual reality.

If you ever wonder happens when you pour coffee into a plant as you alternate through lava and graveyards, Floor Plan, the unpredictable puzzle experience where users go through an elevator, moving from floor-to-floor of a building and solving puzzles on each, should be a game to keep your eye on.

Initially debuting at the Global Game Jam last year, Floor Plan is game developer Turbo Button’s first original title, and it will soon be coming to Samsung Gear VR and the Oculus Rift. The VR experience was made through using Unity Technologies.

“It’s not your normal elevator,” said Holden Link, founder of Turbo Button. “We really like the concept of being able to go to a bunch of different places on the Samsung Gear VR without having to actually move anywhere.”

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Link, who previously was a producer and designer at Magic Pixel Games, shifted his focus and dedication to building games in VR early last year when he founded his Los Angeles-based indie studio. In short order, they developed SMS Racing and Adventure Time: Magic Man’s Head Games. The latter is based on the popular Cartoon Network series.

Link joined [a]listdaily to talk about his up-and-coming game.

How did the idea for Floor Plan come about?

For us, we were looking at point-and-click adventure-style games, and we were inspired by a lot of the mechanics in those. They give you a bunch of items and let you figure out what to do with them. It becomes a game about learning relationships between items and characters and locations. With Floor Plan, we’re trying to translate that kind of gameplay into virtual reality. You’re able to see these characters and go to these places, somewhat at will, by going up and down the elevator. I think that in terms of the puzzle solving, and teaching that to people, we’re able to introduce things one at a time with our mechanics. It’s a contemplative game, in that regard.

How would you describe the payoff of playing the game?

The game is about understanding the relationships, so we make the process very rewarding. Along the way, you’re going to do a lot of experimentation and try different things to understand what the characters want. They’re going to give you that feedback through animations and expressions and even potentially throwing items around you, and that kind of thing. So we make it a very physical and slapstick kind of interaction with the characters. There’s a constant desire to see how certain characters will behave in different situations.

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You founded Turbo Button in 2015. How do you envision VR developing in the next handful of years?

I think that it could go in any number of directions. What I do know is that all of those directions are going to be good. We’re really excited that the Gear VR is such an accessible platform. Floor Plan will also be supporting the Oculus Rift where it will have a few more features on it. We’re also trying to take advantage of all of these new features coming out on headsets. We’re also well aware that in this first year, that the number of people that have these headsets are not going to be as big for other platforms, but we’re definitely trying to take the opportunity to learn about it right now to be better prepared moving forward and start helping people get more excited about it. We have to give them cool experiences.

How can the industry overcome that?

In that sense, it’s certainly a smaller install base for some of the headsets, but I don’t necessarily think it’s a different problem from any other platform. We came from working on console and mobile games. That was a very competitive area itself. The number of people making VR games right now is not nearly as big as the ones making mobile games, or apps. Targeting virtual reality for a small company like ours makes a lot of sense because it allows us to stand out and get in there a little early and make something for a passionate group of fans.

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What’s the target audience you’re trying to reach?

We’re going for a fairly broad audience on the Gear VR. The platform itself, at least for this game, we’re looking for ages 13 and over. The game is still currently in development, but we’re looking to have a version out later this year.

What’s the execution plan for getting Floor Plan looking like?

We certainly have a plan. For now, we want to finish the game. When we release it, we’re hoping the game will be a cohesive experience on its own. We’re taking our time to make sure that what we put out is going to be something that people really enjoy, and has a lot of value.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

Colopl NI CEO Explains Why He’s Investing In VR ESports

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Japanese game publisher Colopl NI has already set aside $50 million to invest in virtual reality startups and game developers. Now, the company is investing in virtual reality eSports with its recently released game, Cyberpong VR for the HTC Vive.

The game was built from the ground up for eSports and tournament-style matches. On May 15 at 5 p.m. PT, the company is hosting a “Duel the Devs” tournament in virtual reality on Twitch. It’s the first foray by the company into the new world of virtual reality eSports, and that’s an area that Colopl NI CEO Jikhan Jung believes will have great potential in the coming years. He talks about why his company is betting on virtual reality eSports in this exclusive interview.

How did you design Cyberpong VR for eSports?

We think that VR is currently too isolated for a single player experience, which can be lonely. Having fun together is the most important part of good game design for VR, since the platform really lends itself to a social experience.

We designed Cyberpong VR with a very clear goal of making it a social experience for people, whether that’s playing matches against each other or watching the competition. We tried to make the opponent be close enough that you feel like there are real people in VR. We believe that will create a better experience.

Our game is extremely fun and easy to learn, but is built for competition. So like any eSport game, if the player wants to do well and win, they must practice and become the best.

What opportunities do you see for virtual reality eSports?

ESports and tournament-style matches have been really popular for all gaming platforms, especially on PC. We believe that trend will only continue in gaming.

VR will replace gaming on PC, and will be even bigger. Thus, this has huge potential. This is why our strategy is to create VR games that are socially engaging.

How receptive at this stage are eSports leagues to this type of VR content?

It’s too early to tell, as there aren’t any eSports leagues in the VR space but we hope we’ll be one of the first game companies to realize this potential. We feel strongly that VR will be a big presence in gaming, and eSports is a natural area for games to further expand into.

Riot Games went and built out its own league with League of Legends. Is that a route you’d go?

Again, it is too early to say. But, we are committed to VR as well as investing in eSports, so it will take time, but I believe that eventually we will.

Another factor for any eSports is prize money and infrastructure. What are your plans from that perspective?

We just launched the game so are working to build a community. We are starting with a moderate incentive for players who join our “Duel the Dev” event, and we certainly are planning to have additional tournaments that will offer more prizes and infrastructure. We will share more when they are announced.

What are the current challenges of livestreaming a VR game in a 2D fashion?

Developing for VR is great. Some of the challenges include camera positions for the viewers, since it has to look fun and understandable since you’re not actually in the game. We realized that if we set the camera in the same angle as player, it will look very shaky and cause issues.

Several companies are working on livestreaming for VR, but the audience isn’t there yet. What role do you see VR eSports playing in getting eyeballs to those types of platforms?

The audience will grow as the VR category grows—with more hardware and games. ESports VR games will contribute a lot, since it’s always fun to watch when there is great competition happening. It’s like how we like to watch sports games when they are happening, the same will happen with VR games.

Is Colopl NI investing in any companies or building out any type of infrastructure for VR livestreaming itself?

We have not made any formal announcements, but we do plan to invest and expand our VR reach. So we will make announcements later.

What does spectating in virtual reality open up for fans?

Spectating in VR gives fans an opportunity to see what’s out there first before they commit to buying the device or game(s). Moreover, spectating will help people to learn from other players, including the best players, so they can become better. They can also meet new people, make new friends and help build a strong community. There are many benefits and opportunities, so it will be great to see this area grows over time.

How long do you see before there’s enough of an audience (at least across mobile devices) to support VR eSports?

It is definitely going to happen. I think next year will be an interesting year, since all the major VR devices will be in the market. And there will be at least 100 game centers and internet cafes in the major eSports countries like Korea, China and the United States.

NPD: ‘Dark Souls 3’ And ‘Ratchet and Clank’ Top April Sales

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The NPD Group has released its latest sales numbers for video games in April 2016, and while figures were down, a few franchises proved to be big hits.

NPD’s Liam Callahan noted, “Overall trends (hardware, new physical software and accessories) were down 15 percent, or $88.5 million compared to April 2015 due to a $41.66 million decline in hardware and a $52.8 million decline in software, with the $5.9 million growth in accessories unable to offset these losses.”

He also noted a slight drop in physical software sales for the month, due to poor comparisons to the previous year’s game releases. However, things aren’t all on the down side, as both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 managed to trend 40 percent higher in cumulative sales after 30 months in the market, compared to previous consoles.

New releases did quite well for the month, too. Sony’s Ratchet and Clank, which debuted mid-month for PlayStation 4, “had the best launch of any game in the Ratchet and Clank franchise when adjusting for the number of days sold in the data month, with sales recapturing success not seen for the franchise since the height of the PlayStation 2 era,” noted Callahan.

But the month belonged to Bandai Namco’s Dark Souls III, the tough-as-nails action game that became a big hit with fans. “The launch of Dark Souls III marked the strongest launch in the franchise’s history,” said Callahan. “Sales for Dark Souls III nearly doubled that of its predecessor, Dark Souls II, when adjusted for days in the market.”

The top ten sellers for the month also included holdovers from March, such as the PlayStation 4 sports game MLB: The Show 16; Tom Clancy’s The Division; and Grand Theft Auto V. Microsoft’s heavily hyped action adventure, Quantum Break, firmly made the seventh place spot.

As for accessories, overall sales grew four percent over the previous year, mainly with Video Game Points and Subscription Cards, according to Callahan. Gamepads and headphones also performed very well for the month.

As interesting as April’s numbers have been, May will tell a much bigger story, as several blockbusters are making their debut this month. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End arrived earlier this week for PlayStation 4 with thunderous critical acclaim and social media buzz, while Bethesda’s reboot of its classic shooter, Doom, hit shelves today and is already a big hit with fans. Other highly anticipated games, such as Homefront: The Revolution, Overwatch and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants In Manhattan are just days away from release.

Mike Sepso Explains Why ESports Is The Perfect Digital Content For Marketers

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At the 2016 IAB Digital Content NewFronts inside the PlayStation Theater in Times Square, Activision Blizzard Media Networks (ABMN) senior vice president Mike Sepso showcased the MLG.tv Enhanced Viewing Experience (EVE), which was tested at the recent CS:GO Major in Columbus Ohio. The technology is a high-definition video stream with a built-in algorithmic system that provides viewers with match statistics, up-to-the-minute leaderboards and situational insights based on the competition they are watching. It’s the first time this technology is being demonstrated to advertisers in New York City.

Also new for ABMN is a daily ESR broadcast on MLG.tv by veteran broadcaster and retired professional gamer Chris Puckett, which provides up-to-the-minute premium highlights, interviews and news segments to be distributed via multiple distribution platforms.

This content will launch during the MLG Anaheim Open, a two-day Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 tournament set to kick off on June 10, 2016. The MLG Anaheim Open will also be the inaugural event as part of a deeper collaboration with Facebook to broadcast live competitions and deliver ESR content to the 1.6 billion people on the social media platform.

Sepso explains why now is the perfect time for non-endemic brands to invest in eSports—a sport that was born and lives on digital platforms—in this exclusive interview.

How are things advancing with the MLG.tv advanced viewing experience (EVE) that you tested at the MLG Major in Columbus?

The enhanced viewing experience is something we’re only using during major live broadcasts. The initial alpha tests went well and we’re expanding on that. For the advertising community this is a very new technology, just as eSports is still very new for them. We’re bringing the EVE player to the forefront here in New York and explaining how unique it is, and how we can build cool and innovative initiatives to fans.

What do you see EVE and the new MLG.tv daily ESR broadcast opening up for sponsors?

They open up new things for advertising. MLG has a history of positioning partner brands as heroes that support our activity. We’re talking to brands about different ways the enhanced viewing experience can be used, including the traditional sports scoreboard sponsorship as well as native advertising units. It’s still very early, but this event is a way to launch into conversations with bigger brands and agencies. We want to maintain an open innovation-friendly relationship with the advertising world.

How much education still needs to be done with non-endemic brands?

They’re still largely pretty new to the space, so we’re going to be the tour guide for them into eSports. We’re a big partner that can combine both the scale of our network and authenticity with MLG in the eSports space with the size and experience of Activision Blizzard. We’re big and we’re innovative and we’re leaders in the space, and we’re also going to represent brands in a safe and authentic way. There’s still fear out there with a lot of brands that don’t want to jump into a new space that they don’t understand.

With both ESPN and Turner bringing eSports to traditional television, what role does digital play for advertisers interested in eSports?

One of the major themes of this year’s NewFronts is how much ad money is moving from traditional TV to digital video, and how quickly it’s happening. IPG (Interpublic Group of Companies) is moving a quarter billion away from TV to YouTube. If that’s not an indication that advertisers should start looking at digital, I don’t know what is. The millennial audience is consuming more content from digital than traditional television. It’s the native platform for eSports content. It’s the first sport that’s gotten to hundreds of millions of global viewers online and has succeeded in the digital space. Not being on TV is a strength at this point. It’s not just that eSports wasn’t designed for TV, but because of the power of digital reach and the ability to reach the entire globe simultaneously.

What do you see Facebook Live opening up for your digital reach?

We’ve seen a tremendous amount of reach through Facebook. We’ve been working with Facebook for a year-and-a-half now. We’re deepening our engagement with our video content and investing more with Facebook. The sports partnership team, which is led by Dan Reed, who came from the NBA, has been great to work with. It’s been a very collaborative partnership. We’re going to be creating exclusive Facebook Live content and broadcasting some content from the MLG Anaheim Open in June.

I’ve interviewed Dan Reed before and he was early into the eSports game, viewing eSports just like any traditional sport.

Facebook is successful for a reason. We’re going to invest more there. It’s a huge growth platform for us in reaching a new, more mainstream audience with content. We’ll weave brands through Facebook Live. We won’t do branded content, but weave brands into our own storylines.

How have you seen things evolve with traditional brands and non-endemics, who still like old-fashioned television?

You’ve been covering eSports long enough to remember that we did a TV series on USA Network 10 years ago. It’s important to establish the longevity and strengthening of the sport. But most millennial viewers never got cable. They consume everything digitally.

Our first CS:GO Major (MLG Columbus) generated over 45 million hours of views. And that was during the NCAA Final Four weekend. Some people weren’t watching basketball that weekend.

I was at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and it seemed like you could have sold even more seats there. The atmosphere was amazing with people cheering the Americans.

We were concerned with making sure everyone had a great experience in the arena, and we were experimenting with a huge stage that’s 200 feet wide. But if we had to do it again—we’d sell more seats.

How have you seen the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 live event viewer being used?

With the MLG.tv integration into PlayStation 4, we’ve seen fans watch the Call of Duty Worlds in Black Ops 3.

But this partnership with Sony isn’t restricting our distribution—we’re expanding our reach with Facebook, and we continue to work with Twitch and YouTube. We’re working with Twitter, we’re looking at Snapchat and Instagram. With ESR, we’re taking as wide an approach as possible and tailoring the content to the platform.

How are you choosing which eSports titles to focus on?

As MLG and Activision Blizzard Media Network, we always focus on working directly with the publisher and we tend to be more conservative. We’re not going to create a lot of new stuff because one game is hot. Most of our success with the CS:GO Major in Columbus was the direct result of working closely with Valve. We have a CS:GO Minor at our MLG studio in Columbus May 22. Working closely with Valve has allowed us to do things like the enhanced viewing experience.

We’ve been around long enough to see the trends. There’s a lot of room for a lot of games to be successful in eSports. The key is how do we get to a sustainable business. What’s really important for me is celebrating the players and putting those personalities front and center.

Skydance Interactive Exec Discusses Virtual Reality Gameplay

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Hollywood studio Skydance Media has blockbuster films such as Star Trek Beyond hitting July 22, 2016, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back debuting October 21, 2016, and Geostorm premiering on January 13, 2017. Now that company also owns video game developer, The Workshop, which has been renamed Skydance Interactive.

The Workshop was launched in 2008 by Treyarch co-founder Peter Akemann and other original members of Treyarch, including Chris Busse (general manager) and Charles Tolman (CTO). Activision acquired Treyarch in 2001, which most recently shipped Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. The Workshop has over 50 employees at its Marina del Rey, CA studio and has shipped Sorcery for PS3, the Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage add-on for Borderlands 2 and Rekoil: Liberator for Xbox 360, The Evil Within, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for PS4 and Xbox One.

Akemann, who is now CEO of Skydance Interactive, said the studio is working on multiple new projects, including unannounced virtual reality and traditional games, and the first VR project is expected to be announced soon. He talks about this new Hollywood partnership and what it means for virtual reality in this exclusive interview.

How have you seen video games evolve in your work?

I’ve been fortunate that my own history of gaming has allowed me to be present for a lot of revolutions. At Treyarch, we were working on Die by the Sword, which was 3D before 3D gaming was established. I entered games when 3D was being invented. We saw Virtual Fighter at CES in 1994, and we saw the future of games could be done in 3D.

The opportunities to break into new areas of technology have driven my interest to get into games in the first place. We were part of the 3D revolution with Spider-Man 2, which was an early console open world game.

How does your background in gaming help with the transition to virtual reality experiences?

The Workshop worked with Sony on Sorcery, which was one of the most advanced motion control technology games at the time. That experience has helped us with virtual reality, but we’re seeing with VR a transformative way of interacting that’s much more than the game business. It has the power to fundamentally reshape the future of interactive entertainment.

Although games will be the early vanguard of VR, we’re already seeing a far broader reach across social and industrial and educational uses. It’s a transformational technology.

What does virtual reality open up for video game storytelling?

The narrative possibilities of VR, although they completely challenge the way it’s been presented in the past, enable the player to engage in a more complete way than ever before. The writers, technologists, and artists have to rethink their disciplines. There’s a lot to be done there. The level of immersion, the presence in VR, creates a connection that’s closer and more complete than anything ever done in the past. Characters can interact in a natural and more immediate way. If done well, you genuinely forget you’re there. VR will shape narrative and storytelling in the future. As storytellers see and begin to better understand this power, the transformative experiences that they create will be unsettling.

What are your thoughts on the convergence potential virtual reality opens up as Hollywood seeks interactivity and gaming continues to delve into storytelling?

I’ve never believed in the convergence theory. I never liked “What’s the next big thing?” Each new medium that’s ever come along has promised convergence, and what you see is more divergence. Games and passive entertainment have strengths, and continue to go in different directions. I expect VR to increase diversity.

Can you compare the medium of virtual reality to past video game developments?

VR is as profound as mobile computing, which has had a transformative effect of its own on the world.

What are the challenges of developing in virtual reality?

We went quite deep with Sony working on PlayStation Move controls on Sorcery. We went further than any other team went. On the one side—especially within the context of VR—the first thing you do is reach out to grab things. Hands are an intrinsic part of us. You expect them to work in virtual reality. VR engages our lizard brain, and you just expect everything to work. Putting hands into VR is a crucial part of being there. For Vive and other platforms, touch control will be a wave within the wave of VR. The lack of haptic feedback presents challenges.

There’s a lack of abstraction between you and your hand. There’s no expectation of parity. But if it’s a one-to-one relationship with a touch controller, there’s no room for the player to abstract from the experience. That’s key to successful interface design. If you push your hand through a wall, it becomes challenging. Take (Crytek’s) The Climb game as an example. What if there were touch controllers, but when you grab a ledge and move a hand, you lose the abstraction that allows you to keep your hand in place?

What do you feel the developing eye-tracking technology industry will bring to virtual reality in the future, especially for interactions with virtual characters?

I’m glad you mentioned interactions with virtual characters. I’m not an expert with the developments of eye-tracking, but the experience of face-to-face contact is one of the most profound things you get when you step into VR. That could be a very significant influence because eye tracking leads to eye contact. It could be profound if you one day have a natural-feeling conversation that reads our body language.

What are your thoughts on the challenges augmented reality presents today?

AR is a qualitatively harder problem to solve if you’re trying to do anything around the real world. I can put on the glasses and see all the monitors around my desk, which aren’t there, and my colleagues from around the world are there, even though they’re in the office with me. AR has the potential to change the office environment around the world. It’s the practical uses of AR—outside of entertainment—where fundamental consumer electronic uses will predominate.

From a gaming and narrative standpoint, AR is more challenging because it involves real environments. That’s a hard thing to do as a game developer. There’s a lot to be resolved. But the social implications of being able to see people opens up wonderful and different use cases, and that will be important.

What does partnering with Skydance open up for your studio?

We’ve been building our teams here and working with top-tier game publishers for eight years. We launched our company with Sony and its Move technology with Sorcery, but that didn’t go the way we all wanted. We saw VR as a way to jump in and make use of our history and strength and innovation.

Skydance had the agility and strength to take a leap on this vision. They’re a relatively new company, and they’ve grown and prospered over a short period of time. They were willing to take a big bet on us.

How is your studio structured?

We have 55 people split across multiple teams engaged in several partner projects. We have some on-going relationships with eight years in business. That’s part of the value of the Skydance deal, carrying those relationships into the future.

Will your content, moving forward, all be VR?

We expect to do some non-VR stuff in the short term, but VR is the spark that lit the fire. We’ll be developing cross-platform in VR.