Survios

Last updated
Survios, Inc
TypePrivate
Industry Video games
Founded2013;10 years ago (2013) [1]
Founders Nathan Burba, James Iliff, Alexander Silkin, Graham Matuszewski
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
ProductsGames, Software
Number of employees
100+ (2021)
Website survios.com

Survios is an American virtual reality game developer and software publisher based in Los Angeles, California. The company develops virtual reality software and games, including the titles Raw Data and Sprint Vector. [2] [3] [4] Survios was created by graduates from the University of Southern California's Mixed Reality Lab, where they worked together on Project Holodeck. [5] [6] The company has raised over $54 million in venture funding led by Shasta Ventures, Lux Capital and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [7] [8]

Contents

History - Origins and Holodeck

In March 2012, motivated by a shared vision of what VR home entertainment can and should be—active and social—University of Southern California students Nathan Burba, James Iliff, Graham Matuszewski and Alex Silkin launched Project Holodeck. Together, they built the first full-body and portable VR system and developed Wild Skies, a co-op tech demo featuring Active VR gameplay, full-body tracking, and avatar embodiment. [9] [10] [11]

In 2013, the students officially founded Survios and began demoing its first virtual reality project, Zombies on the Holodeck, a noir, horde-based survival shooter demoed on a prototype Oculus Rift head-mounted display (HMD) that used a variety of tracking devices for improved immersion, including PlayStation Move controllers and Razer Hydra controllers from Sixense. [12] [9] The project won three Proto Awards for ‘Best Overall Experience’, ‘Most Transportive’ and ‘Best Interaction Design’. [13] [9] In 2014, Survios secured $4 million in funding from Shasta Ventures, Mavent Partners, World Innovation Lab, and Felicis Ventures, allowing the studio to continue developing virtual reality content and technology. [7] [6]

Raw Data and Active VR

Survios announced its first game, Raw Data, in December 2015 for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. The game features a variety of weapons for players to use against hordes of robotic enemies and touted interactive environments and destructible objects. It also included full-body positional tracking, avatar embodiment, and cooperative multiplayer. [14] [9] Prior to release, the media praised Raw Data for its immersive gameplay experience, which TechCrunch hailed as "Perhaps the most advanced first person shooter in VR." [15] [9] After months of event demos and alpha tests, Survios released Raw Data on Steam Early Access for HTC Vive in July 2016. A version for Oculus Rift+Touch was added shortly thereafter with support for cross-platform co-op. [16] [9]

Raw Data was the first VR game to reach $1 million in sales one month after its early access release as well as the first VR game to become a #1 Top Seller on Steam across all games. In addition to its financial success, Raw Data also garnered critical acclaim. [17] [9]

Expansion and Growth in VR

In 2016, MGM and Lux Capital joined Shasta Ventures, Danhua Capital, Shanda Holdings Felicis Ventures and Dentsu Ventures in two rounds of funding for Survios, which provided $50 million to resume development on projects and further expansion. [18] [9] In January 2017, the company announced Raw Data Arcade, an exclusive version of the game that was designed with arcades in mind. [19] [9]

Sprint Vector, the company-owned VR racing game, was announced at GDC 2017. Sprint Vector introduced Survios’ "Fluid Locomotion," which allowed players to simulate walking, running, climbing, leaping and flying at high speeds by swinging and moving their arms, providing an alternative to moving in VR beyond teleporting or blinking through environments. [20] [9] The game launched February 2, 2018 for PCVR and PSVR. It received high praise from critics due to its polish, content offerings, and ambitious locomotion systems. [21] [9]

In December 2017, Survios announced its newest game alongside Apple and their powerful new iMac Pro, revealing Electronauts, a dynamic, immersive music creation experience designed for music lovers of all skill levels. [22] [9]

Survios officially announced at CES 2018 that it would open up its own VR arcade in Torrance, Calif. The studio also announced that it partnered with theaters and retailers to host VR Pods under the codename "Tesseract," which were designed for easy and social gameplay experiences: players can play the game as they see it, however the glass projects allow spectators to see the action as well. [23] [9]

In May 2019, Survios unveiled its new project for that year called Battlewake, a pirate-themed naval combat game akin to Twisted Metal where players engage in fights on the high seas. [24] [9] In June 2020, Square Enix, Taito, and Survios announced a brand new game set in the Bubble Bobble universe. [25] [9]

On October 27, 2021, the Company announced the launch of 2124 Publishing. The new publishing division intends to offer independent game developers services such as financing, live services, and platform relations. The new division will be run by TQ Jefferson. [26] The first game to be published by 2124 will be RPG Romancelvania: BATchelor’s Curse developed by The Deep End Games. The title is scheduled for release in 2022.

Film and television

In recent years, Survios established itself as a home for licensed VR games and experiences, starting in March 2018 when the studio secured the license for MGM's Creed film, a spin-off of the Rocky franchise. Creed: Rise to Glory is a VR boxing game that allows players to box as titular character Adonis Creed and his journey to become a world champion fighter. [27] [9]

Survios announced in May 2019 that it secured the license to "AMC’s The Walking Dead". The partnership between Survios and AMC resulted in The Walking Dead Onslaught, a VR game set in the universe of the TV Show starring Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. [28] [9]

The company also developed a VR experience for HBO’s highly successful Westworld TV series. Westworld: Awakening, a five-chapter arc set during the show’s second season, uses themes and beats from the show to immerse players further into its universe using VR technology. Survios later released the game in the same year on August 20, 2019 for Viveport and SteamVR. [29] [9]

Crossing Realities: Cross-Platform, Cross-Reality Play

After developing virtual reality games and experiences, Survios began exploring ways to expand their games to a wider swath of players around the world. The initiative began first with the announcement of Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions, a boxing game set in the Creed and Rocky franchise, playable on traditional consoles and platforms outside of VR, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. [30] [9]

In October 2020, the company raised $16.7 million to continue development on virtual reality and cross-reality-based experiences. This third round of funding included and was led by Irongrey, Woori Technology, KNET Venture Fund, Seoul Investment Partners, Shasta Ventures, Lux Capital, and Samsung Next. [31] [9]

Games

Release DateTitlePlatform(s)Notes
June 6, 2016Raw Data PlayStation VR, Steam VR, Oculus Rift
February 8, 2018Sprint VectorPlayStation VR, Steam VR, Oculus Rift
August 7, 2018ElectronautsPlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Steam VR
September 25, 2018Creed: Rise to GloryPlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Steam VR
September 10, 2019BattlewakePlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Steam VR
September 29, 2020The Walking Dead OnslaughtPlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Steam VR
May 20, 2021 [32] Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation OdysseyOculus Quest
September 3, 2021 [33] [34] Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, SteamFlatscreen (Non-VR) Game
TBDAliens [35] PlayStation, Xbox, PC, VR

Awards

YearGameAwardNomination CategoryResult
2019Fast Company Most Innovative Company AwardsGames CategoryWon
2019Westworld AwakeningD.I.C.E AwardImmersive Reality Technical AchievementNominated
2018Upload VR AwardsDeveloper of the YearWon
2018Sprint VectorGolden JoystickBest VR GameNominated
SXSWBest VR GameNominated
Indigo AwardsBest Character DesignWon
Gamer's Choice AwardsBest VR Game of the YearNominated
VR AwardsVR Game of the YearNominated
2018ElectronautsIndigo AwardsBest Sound DesignWon
Indigo AwardsBest Use of Music for GamesWon
2017Raw DataVR AwardsVR Game of the YearWon
2014Zombies on the HolodeckProto AwardsBest Interaction DesignWon
Proto AwardsMost TransportiveWon
Proto AwardsBest Overall ExperienceWon

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References

  1. ↑ "Company Overview of Survios, Inc". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ Sherr, Ian (September 16, 2016). "Survios' Raw Data May be VR's First Hit Game, With More $1 million in Sales". CNet. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ Ungerleider, Neal (May 20, 2014). "The Next Gaming Interface: Your Body". Fast Company. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Survios LinkedIn". LinkedIn. July 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ "'Raw Data': An Oral History". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  6. 1 2 Takashi, Dean (May 19, 2014). "The Post-Oculus Boom: Survios Raises $4M for Free-Moving Virtual Reality". Venture Beat. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Taylor, Colleen (May 19, 2014). "Survios Snaps Up $4M To Lead The Next Generation Of Virtual Reality Tech". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ Matney, Lucas (13 December 2016). "VR game studio Survios raises $50 million led by MGM, Lux Capital | TechCrunch" . Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Brewster, Signe (April 24, 2014). "How Survios Plans to Make Virtual Reality Gaming A Full Body Experience". Gigaom. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ Takashi, Dean (March 11, 2016). "Survios' Raw Data is a Frenetic Two-Player Co-Op Shooter For The HTC Vive VR Headset". Venture Beat. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ Lang, Ben (December 21, 2015). "Survios Breaks Stealth With Debut of Action-Packed Title Headed to Rift and Vive". RoadtoVR. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ Hollister, Sean (December 23, 2013). "Virtual reality check: why controllers haven't caught up to the Oculus Rift". TheVerge. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ Lang, Ben (September 24, 2014). "Zombies on the Holodeck Wins 'Best Overall' at Proto Awards, Winners Took Home Nvidia's New GTX 980 GPU". RoadToVR. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ Lang, Ben (December 21, 2015). "Survios Breaks Stealth With Debut of Action-packed Title Headed to Rift and Vive". RoadToVR. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  15. ↑ Constine, Josh (February 12, 2016). "Survios' First-Person Shooter Shows How Addictive VR Will Be". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (February 27, 2017). "Survios takes Raw Data to Oculus Rift with cross-platform multiplayer". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ Sherr, Ian (September 16, 2016). "Survios' Raw Data may be VR's first hit game, with more $1 million in sales". CNET. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  18. ↑ Matney, Lucas (December 13, 2016). "VR game studio Survios raises $50 million led by MGM, Lux Capitol". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  19. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (January 17, 2017). "Survios to launch Raw Data game in virtual reality arcades". VentureBeat. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  20. ↑ Lang, Ben (March 1, 2017). "Survios' New Title 'Sprint Vector' Could be a Watershed Moment for VR Locomotion". RoadToVR. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  21. ↑ Higton, Ian (February 21, 2018). "Sprint Vector review - intensely physical VR racer". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  22. ↑ Axon, Samuel (March 28, 2018). "Everything a VR studio had to do to port to the Mac". ArsTechnica. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  23. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (January 10, 2018). "Survios to Open VR Arcade in Torrance, Partner With Theaters, Retailers on VR Pods". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  24. ↑ Hamilton, Ian (May 7, 2018). "Battlewake High-Seas Combat Game From Survios Releases This Summer". UploadVR. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  25. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (April 15, 2021). "Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey launches for Oculus Quest on May 20". Yahoo. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  26. ↑ "VR Game Developer Survios launches 2124 Publishingdate". October 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (March 15, 2018). "Survios & AMC Unveil 'The Walking Dead' VR Game, Launching Fall 2019". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  28. ↑ Hayden, Scott (May 14, 2019). "Survios Partners with MGM on 'Creed: Rise to Glory' VR Game". RoadToVR. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  29. ↑ Roettgers, Janko (August 19, 2019). "HBO Launches 'Westworld Awakening' VR Game With Survios". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  30. ↑ Friscia, John (August 26, 2020). "Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions is your Rocky fix on Switch". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  31. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (October 2, 2020). "Survios raises $16.7M for VR games". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Announcing Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey!". Survios. 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  33. ↑ "Announcing Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions". Survios. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  34. ↑ Purslow, Matt (June 11, 2021). "Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions Release Date Announced - IGN Expo". IGN .
  35. ↑ Dabgotra, James. "Aliens". Survios. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
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