We begin our regular observations for AR Insider on XR’s central role in Location-Based Entertainment. In this series, we’ll chart the next generation of immersive applications to be placed in public spaces, along with new business models driving investment in the sector.
The wide range of applications for immersive experiences within out-of-home entertainment is seeing more large-audience developments for groups of players as a team or audience. We have described these before as “Virtual Adventures”, taking up large spaces and allowing groups to navigate a virtually created environment, freely roaming the virtual space using the latest VR streamed networks.
A demonstration of this application took place recently in London, with the presentation of ‘Viking Adventures: Myth of Yggdrasil’. A special site near the ExCel Conference venue was employed for a one-day installation of this unique adventure, offering a compelling interactive Viking saga for groups to journey through. Traversing from scene to scene, interacting with the story and experiencing the mythology and adventure.
Developed by Glitch Studios, this demonstration was a proof of concept, based on the application of the latest VR headsets from PICO (currently using their PICO 4 Ultra Enterprise edition). The platform’s hand tracking plays a part in the narrative interaction. The whole installation was supported by a turnkey onboarding infrastructure for high throughput, with groups of four guests every 180 seconds, allowing these parties to interact with other groups navigating the adventure.
The actual experience lasts 30 minutes, covering up to a 250 sq. m space. Myth of Yggdrasil is the first chapter in an ongoing saga that future updates will reveal. The attraction combines immersive storytelling and historical dramatization – which includes sophisticated motion capture of actors within the adventure. The installation has been developed to be deployed in entertainment and visitor attraction spaces. The developers opened their first venue with ‘VR Vikings Tromsø’, their flagship large-scale free-roam LBE VR experience.
This demonstration took place at the same time as a major theme park and amusement trade event nearby. The IAAPA Europe Expo 2026, comprised several of the leading small-scale LBE VR platforms, ranging from simulators to VR arenas and attractions. The ‘Viking Adventures: Myth of Yggdrasil’ offers a chance for delegates to try what is seen as the next generation of VR application in this space. It was revealed that free-roam VR content and management platform developer Spawnpoint will be partnering with Glitch Studios, offering this high-throughput immersive experience as a new title on their platform.
Apple Vision Pro Breaks into Attractions
There has been a concerted move to deploy Mixed Reality (MR) experiences into the LBE and attraction sector. But it has been difficult to find a suitable and reliable headset to support this adoption. This situation is changing following new hardware launches, with some consumer-facing headsets now pivoting to commercial entertainment. We have now seen, in the Western market, the first adoption of an immersive attraction that uses Apple Vision Pro headsets as its fielded platform.
Developer AStation, a Chinese based MR company who have deployed several adventure outlets in Asia, have developed a system employing the Apple headset. Coming to the US, the company announced that they had partnered with Ripley Entertainment, installing AStation’s ‘Enterverse’ mixed reality attraction, at the ‘Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies’, located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The attraction is a first of its kind in the US market, offering groups of users one of four experiences using the Apple Vision Pro. Either offering a journey through the birth of the universe, or experiencing dinosaurs in a prehistoric forest. As well as exploring ancient Chinese legends or traversing the Forbidden City and Roman Colosseum.
AStation has developed a turnkey attraction that allows the venue operator to run the attraction for groups of guests, launching the experience on the Apple headset. Navigating the virtual environment and objects synced with the real-world space they are moving within. The pass-through capabilities of the headset are pushed to the max to create an enthralling environment for visitors. Based on this initial installation, the Chinese company hopes to roll out installations across North America. They already operate what they call “adventure outlets” at stores in China and hope they can do the same in the States.
Immersive Projection Arena
Not all the latest LBE XR applications are dependent on VR, MR, or AR headsets and glasses. A new generation of LBE XR systems employs the latest in Projection Mapping, which some are dubbing Spatial Augmented Reality. The latest projection systems allow for an indoor space to be bathed in digital light to offer an immersive experience without the friction of using glasses or headwear.
The capital of the UK saw the opening of a flagship venue that takes this application to a new level. Little Lion Entertainment launched its ‘Arcade Arena London’ in the Lambeth area. A unique site comprising three dedicated arenas offering cutting-edge immersive game experiences. Each one of these arenas has over 40 projectors mounted in the ceiling, painting the whole environment with the game visuals and placing the group of players in the experience.
The ‘Arcade Arena’ offers an environment dedicated to ‘Chaos Karts’ – players jump into electric go-karts and race around a digital racetrack, able to launch digital missiles and obstructions at fellow players while collecting items off the digitally created racetrack, immersing the teams in a life-size “Mario Kart-style” adventure.
Placing the players into the heart of a real-life video game is taken to a new level with the second dedicated environment at the venue, offering ‘PAC-MAN Live Experience’ – an arena-scale reinterpretation of the classic arcade game, with players taking on the role of PAC-MAN, running round the digitally created maze, collecting power-ups and avoiding digital ghosts projected into the environment. A real-life game master cheering on the competition.
The third, and final, game experience at the venue is ‘Alien Invasion’ – a mixture of laser tag and an arcade shooting game that, along with the digital targets, includes a unique physical drone shooting element, mixing the physical with the digital. Groups of players in the PAC-MAN and Alien Invasion games wear special vests that track their movements and vibrate to indicate if they have been shot or caught by the ghosts, also showing their names to their fellow players. This Arcade Arena is supported by a bar and its own mini arcade for waiting groups of players and represents a new level of social entertainment for the capital.
The new generation of LBE XR technology is about to be joined by the next investment in the sector. A sector that has gained interest from investors as the consumer VR scene seems to stall. Technology that can be converted for commercial application is now pivoting towards interest in being deployed in the location-based scene.
LBE XR represents a broad church of technologies ranging from the latest VR / MR headsets that allow better onboarding for audiences. To the creation of projection-mapped and LED screen enclosure immersion. Already, leading manufacturers of the next generation of XR headsets have started to make systems available to this market. Testing new PICO hardware that hopes to be employed in this space. Previous consumer VR game studios are also looking at working in the LBE sector, offering a new opportunity for their experience. And soon we can expect to see brand new XR technology look for adoption in LBE first to get into the hands of this growing audience. More details soon.
Kevin Williams
AR Insider Guest Author