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Survios, Inc
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2013; 11 years ago (2013)[1]
FoundersNathan Burba, James Iliff, Alexander Silkin, Graham Matuszewski
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
ProductsGames, Software
Number of employees
100+ (2021)
Websitesurvios.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]

History - Origins and Holodeck

[edit]

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

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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

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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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
Title Release Date Platform(s) Notes Ref.
Raw Data Jun 6, 2016 PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, SteamVR
Sprint Vector Feb 8, 2018 PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, SteamVR
Electronauts Aug 7, 2018 PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, SteamVR
Creed: Rise to Glory Sep 25, 2018 PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, SteamVR
Battlewake Sep 10, 2019 PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, SteamVR
The Walking Dead: Onslaught Sep 29, 2020 PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, SteamVR
Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey May 20, 2021 Oculus Quest [32]
Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions Sep 3, 2021 Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows Flatscreen (Non-VR) Game [33][34]
Alien: Rogue Incursion Q4 2024 PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 3, SteamVR [35]

Awards

[edit]
Year Game Award Nomination Category Result
2019 Fast Company Most Innovative Company Awards Games Category Won
2019 Westworld Awakening D.I.C.E Award Immersive Reality Technical Achievement Nominated
2018 Upload VR Awards Developer of the Year Won
2018 Sprint Vector Golden Joystick Best VR Game Nominated
SXSW Best VR Game Nominated
Indigo Awards Best Character Design Won
Gamer's Choice Awards Best VR Game of the Year Nominated
VR Awards VR Game of the Year Nominated
2018 Electronauts Indigo Awards Best Sound Design Won
Indigo Awards Best Use of Music for Games Won
2017 Raw Data VR Awards VR Game of the Year Won
2014 Zombies on the Holodeck Proto Awards Best Interaction Design Won
Proto Awards Most Transportive Won
Proto Awards Best Overall Experience Won

References

[edit]
  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. ^ a b Takashi, Dean (May 19, 2014). "The Post-Oculus Boom: Survios Raises $4M for Free-Moving Virtual Reality". Venture Beat. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  7. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t 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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