The Void's exec team is full of games industry experience
Innovative location-based VR company rounds out management team with three C-level hires
The Void has rounded out is executive team, adding seasoned veterans of the games industry to develop its take on VR-based immersive entertainment.
The Utah-based company has hired three new executives: Andrew Darrow, former EVP of the role-playing theme park chain KidZania, will be chief strategy and business development officer; Jeff Ruggels, who was head of finance at Jaunt VR when it secured a $65 million investment from Disney, will be chief financial officer; and Sarah Marsh, another C-level veteran of KidZania, will be chief experience officer.
In a statement released yesterday, Darrow said: "The Void's unique experience is unparalleled in location-based entertainment, and is a key differentiator for traditional retail and leisure environments as they pivot in the race to draw, engage and retain next-generation consumers."
The Void appointed its current CEO, Cliff Plumer, in February, and in doing so established expertise from the games industry as a core aspect of what it is trying to create.
Plumer was VP of the Americas at Parallax Software, the creator of the Descent series, and he went on to be CTO at both Industrial Light & Magic and LucasFilm, an investor in Oculus VR, president of Jaunt VR, as well as sitting on the board at Telltale Games.
Elsewhere, The Void's chief visionary officer James Jensen was the owner and creative director of MadRuse Games, and COO Kari St. John was at EA for 15 years, working on the Madden, Sims and Simpsons IPs in that period.
The Void specialises in location-based experiences with physical sets, which combine VR with real-time interactive effects. It has locations in Salt Lake City and Dubai, and created the Ghostbusters: Dimension experience for Sony at Madame Tussauds in New York.
Crafted, location-based experiences are an increasingly important aspect of the emerging VR market. Starbreeze struck a deal with IMAX in May last year, and acquired the location-based firm Enterspace at the start of this week.
The new games division launched by 20th Century Fox is working on similar experiences, and Sony has reportedly set up dedicated unita to seek opportunities for PSVR.