Terragame wants to open 100 virtual reality entertainment centers within three years

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Terragame is developing in France. This name may not tell you anything, but this Belgian company is a veteran in the field of virtual reality applied to entertainment out of health home. It started there in 2017 with a center in Spy, Belgium, taking advantage of a "free roaming" experience (in which participants move freely in a large space) bringing together 4 to 10 players.

A goal of 100 new centers in three years

Two years later, the experiment turns out to be a success, and Terragame spends the second. The young company recruited a CEO and opened a second center in Tournai, near Lilles, in May 2019. In early November, it inaugurated a third establishment in the Paris region, in Corbeil-Essonnes. His ambition? "Open a hundred centers in three years, first in France and then internationally"explains Jean Christophe, new CEO of Terragame.

These two first centers being profitable and mainly self-financed (of the order of a few hundred thousand euros), the manager considers himself in a privileged position to replicate this model on a large scale. He is now looking for external financing to accelerate this growth. Terragame also hopes to capitalize on the need to renew shopping centers to continue to drain the crowds. It is also not necessarily a question of operating each establishment in its own right, the company being open to the development of franchises.

XXL game area

The strength of the Terragame experience is the size of its playground. VR entertainment centers often emphasize the size of the venue in their communication, but it is never representative of the actual playgrounds, which rarely exceed 150 m2, even for free roaming experiences. In the center of Corbeil-Essonnes, it is close to 800 m2, divided into two main areas.

The only available scenario on this space at the moment is The Manor of the Damned, the content originally created and "with the means of the edge"For the first Belgian center, the Digital Factory had the opportunity to Review it during a session involving five people.Each participant is given an Oculus Rift S helmet, a PC backpack MSI VR One and a force return rifle, he can then select his avatar in the game.

Tunes of "Resident Evil"

The story unfolds in a fairly standard way: a team of special forces is sent in recognition in an old mansion that is said to be a theater of supernatural events. She is confronted with monsters ranging from zombies to ghosts and some other surprises. The scenario is slightly elaborate and requires to protect non-player characters in addition to his team. It also requires a certain discipline because one can hurt and even kill his comrades by shooting at them. A scoreboard is presented at the end of the game to decide between the good and the bad.

The experience is enhanced by physical accessories: doors that must be opened by turning the handle, broken windows by which to shoot and from which blows a wind from the outside, central pedestal behind which to shelter it … Overall, our impressions were positive, despite some imperfections (pauses in action, voices of characters drowned by sound effects) and the limited graphic budget. On the weekend (busy period), the experience costs 40 euros per person for 30 minutes of play (with 30 minutes offered in the arcade area) and hosts from 4 to 6 players.

The arcade area is actually the large lobby that serves to keep customers happy. Terragame offers terminals on which are loaded VR solo arcade experiments, priced at 15 euros for half an hour and 20 euros per hour of play.

Priority to the development of new content

Obviously, Terragame also wants to move up a gear in terms of content. The company employs half a dozen developers (about thirty employees in total) who design new exclusive content. A first adventure is already available under the name of The Road of the Damned. It takes place in a space of 150 m2 and is a prelude to the Manor. From 4 to 6 players can spend 30 minutes for 25 euros per person.

Another content, called Magic Tournament, is being finalized on the theme of magician battles. He opposes two teams of players against each other with an e-sport aspect. Fighters can choose from three classes (wizard / healer / guardian) and compete in a 600-square-meter arena. The experiment is also made to accommodate from 4 to 10 players (if the size of the arena allows it).

The company is also working on a scripted adventure that can carry up to 12 participants simultaneously, and it is thinking about other formats, such as escape games. Jean Christophe also does not exclude the use of term licensed content in addition to those developed internally, even if nothing is recorded for the moment.

Julien Bergounhoux

 @JBergounhoux 

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