Hero Zone, creators of immersive VR experiences, have announced that the company’s inaugural presence at the recent IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida, culminated in the American debut of the company’s new Hero Zone Arena and new amusement locations adopting the Hero Zone virtual reality platform.
Following three busy days of product demonstrations at the IAAPA Expo, twenty new U.S. locations have invested in Hero Zone and will debut the company’s platform in early 2023. These new partners join 85 American amusement locations that have been running Hero Zone VR software and games since 2020.
Hero Zone Arena is Hero Zone’s turnkey VR solution that enables operators to bring their guests free-roam VR in a small footprint for a small investment while delivering high throughput. It was introduced to American buyers for the first time at IAAPA Expo in November following a showing at IAAPA Expo Europe. A total of six locations have signed on to Hero Zone Arena over the combined IAAPA Expos, including The Pit Indoor Karting Arena in Mooresville, North Carolina; bowling centric FEC Kingpin (Canberra) operated by TEEG in Australia; Knightly’s Fun Park in Wales, U.K.; Bray Bowl in Ireland; and two units in Kuwait.
“We’ve been blown away by the reception to the new Hero Zone Arena at our first stateside IAAPA,” said Hero Zone CEO Sebastian Malavasi. “We were definitely one of the busiest VR exhibitors at the show and we heard from so many operators who love our solutions and want to either deploy Hero Zone as their first foray into VR or as a replacement for their expensive and labor-intensive VR arenas.
Hero Zone Arena features an enclosure for up to 6 players made of light, high-grade aluminum, a printed vinyl play floor, integrated lighting and speaker system, and a 55-inch spectator TV. The VR equipment includes lightweight HTC Vive Focus 3 VR headsets, battery packs for uninterrupted play, and a powerful VR gaming PC.
Hero Zone Arena includes a 6-month software license that provides access to the company’s growing catalog of VR games. Following that initial period, operator-friendly transparent licensing options are available, ranging from per-play to per-month and one-time annual programs.
In addition to the turnkey Hero Zone Arena, Hero Zone also offers a software-only configuration that includes the Hero Zone launcher and games catalog.