The Immersive Wire - 13 July 2022 (News edition)

13 July 2022 //

by Tom Ffiske

Metaverse and VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

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TOP STORYWe met in The Sandbox

HBO Original will release We Met in Virtual Reality,

filmed only in VR.

• According to the company, 'the film reveals the growing power and intimacy of several relationships formed in the virtual world, many of which began during the COVID-19 lockdown, while so many in the physical world were facing intense isolation.'

• I am worried that the technology is quite there yet, as it looks slightly finicky and 8jagged. But at the same time, it is a pioneering experience which will likely spark interesting conversations once it launches later this month. I will reserve judgement until I see it.

 Animoca Brands (who is behind The Sandbox)

raised $75m.

• A significant sum, from a company with a sizable influence in metaverse conversations. The funding will go towards ' strategic acquisitions, product development and intellectual property licenses.'

• Is its hype waning? Potentially; the company reported that around 300,000 users visit the platform each month, falling short of Roblox and other online competitors. Rec Room has 3m per month on VR headsets.

• If the brand partnerships continue, and the community reels in more users, we may see the platform continue its growth. The new fund will likely help it solidify and expand its position.

An online version of the newsletter will appear later, due to time constraints. If you know someone who knows how to automate newsletters to Wordpress articles, let me know!

Do you use The Sandbox? Join the discussion and meet like-minded professionals on the

Immersive Wire Discord.

Well met, stranger. Photo credit: HBO.

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OTHER STORIESNew events, new stories, new funds

• 1Spatial announced that it has secured a new five-year contract with The Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory (CATT Lab) at the University of Maryland.

• Aequilibrium rebrands to Omnia as it shifts to web3.

• A student from LSE needs interviews for her research. To help, send her an email titled Metaverse Interview here.

• Aura XR created the first AR NFT exhibit in Mexico, and replicated Tenochtitlán to explore in AR while you walk the city.

• Belfast XR Festival kicks off its inaugural year on 9 November 2022.

• disguise acquired Meptik, who are immersive entertainment specialists.

• Dr. Martens and Warner Bros created an AR activity linked to their collection, with the help of Blend.

  • If you're on your phone, try it here.

• Magic Leap unveiled the pricing of its new headset: $3,299.

  • Also, the company is working with NavVis to develop realistic digital twins.

• Motorola and the San Diego Padres worked with Rock Paper Reality on an AR experience to celebrate the sports team's partnership.

• Resolution Games announced that they saw nearly 4x growth of B2C revenues and 3x total game downloads across all platforms for 2021 compared to the previous year.

• Snobal signed a deal with Altaverse to complete its Canadian public listing.

• Steps of Privilege VR has been nominated for the "Best XR For Change Category" in this year's Games For Change Awards.

• The Evolution of Ent-: QX is a 360˚ immersive experience that probes the many futures of powerful new quantum computing systems.

• Time Detectives: The Mystery of the Mary Rose is an AR experience that is available for visitors at the Mary Rose Museum at the Historic Shipyard, Portsmouth.

• Tribute Brand raised $4.5m in its seed funding round.

• VRforHealth launched its Directory, designed to enable people in clinical centres, patient networks, and payer organisations to find immersive companies.

That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) immersivewire (dot) com. Have an excellent day!