HTC VIVE Brings Experiences Inspired By "Ready Player One" To VR Arcades Nationally

TAccess to VR titles inspired by "Ready Player One" to be available at 30+ arcades across the country

SEATTLE, March 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ – The battle for OASIS is on at VR Arcades nationwide starting this week! HTC VIVE™ today announced it is bringing experiences inspired by "Ready Player One" to life for consumers at location-based VR arcades across the country as a prelude to the film's release on March 29, 2018.

"VR offers the ability to tell stories in an entirely new way for film audiences; they'll be able to immerse themselves in worlds inspired by 'Ready Player One' like never before," said Joel Breton, GM of VIVE Studios. "With this program, we're making great VR content available to arcades across the nation as a celebration of the movie and everything that VR can be."

VR content inspired by "Ready Player One" will begin rolling out starting today at 35 VR arcades, with more to come. These titles were developed by many of VR's most prominent developers and produced by VIVE's in-house publishing arm, VIVE Studios. Titles available in these arcades include:

• The OASIS beta is the 2018 beta phase of the immersive virtual universe from the film Ready Player One, which is set in 2045. In the OASIS beta's ever-expanding universe, players are able to explore, compete in, and launch multiple VR experiences using their own custom avatars. Global leaderboards track the performance of all players as they earn points (coins) throughout the following experiences: Rise of the Gunters, Battle for the OASIS, and Gauntlet.
• Battle for the Oasis Help to save the OASIS by defeating waves of IOI Sixers. Advance through the trenches of Planet Doom towards the snowy planes that surround Anorak's Castle. With an arsenal only possible in the OASIS, you must stop IOI from gaining control.
• Rise of The Gunters Fight against a nearly invincible army of highly trained IOI Sixers. This mission is not for the faint of heart or first timers. Proceed with caution as you defeat Sixers, collect their coins, find power ups, and survive a merciless onslaught of hyper-explosive kinetic action for as long as it takes. The OASIS is yours. Take it back from IOI by yourself or with up to two fellow Gunters!
• Gauntlet Navigate through a seemingly endless dungeon while the undead seek to destroy you. Collecting Gold will improve your score and eating food will restore your health, but only your bow skills will ensure that you make it out alive.
• Aech's Garage in Sansar Walk into the extraordinary world of Aech's Garage in VR as interpreted from the original ILM design for Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One."  Inspired by the virtual universe of the OASIS in 2045, Aech's Garage represents the culmination of VR as it exists in the year 2018. Available via VIVEPORT.
• The Distracted Globe Music Experience in TheWaveVR Step inside the fantastical space inspired by The Distracted Globe zero-gravity dance club scene from "Ready Player One." TheWaveVR experience will let anyone immerse themselves in the dance club scene with specially-designed avatars, `80s visuals and music, plus the ability to fly to the music in zero gravity. Available via Steam.

To visit the Oasis and walk in Wade Watts' footsteps, visit one of the following arcades featuring exclusive Ready Player One VR content:

In addition to these VR arcades, Microsoft Stores will feature Ready Player One content in 65 locations starting March 29. Additional arcades and retail locations will be added over the coming weeks. To see the most current list, please visit: https://locator.vive.com/

These titles are also available for in-home VIVE use via VIVEPORT and arcade use via VIVEPORT Arcade. For more information, visit: www.viveport.com.

VIVE is a first-of-its-kind virtual reality platform, built and optimized for room-scale VR and true-to-life interactions. Built on the SteamVR platform, VIVE delivering on the promise of VR with game-changing technology and best-in-class content, VIVE has created the strongest ecosystem for VR hardware and software, bringing VR to consumers, developers and enterprises alike. The VIVE ecosystem is built around the best VR hardware in market, supported by VIVE X, a $100 million accelerator for VR and related technology start-ups, VIVPORT, a global platform and app store with the world’s first VR subscription model that operates in more than 60 countries, and VIVE Studios, its VR content development and publishing initiative. For more information on VIVE, please visit www.vive.com.

From filmmaker Steven Spielberg comes the science fiction action adventure "Ready Player One," based on Ernest Cline's bestseller of the same name. Spielberg directed the film from a screenplay by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline. Donald De Line, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Spielberg and Dan Farah produced the film, with Adam Somner, Daniel Lupi, Chris deFaria and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki, Hannah John-Kamen, with Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment present, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, an Amblin Production, a De Line Pictures Production, a Steven Spielberg Film, "Ready Player One." Opening on Thursday, March 29, 2018 in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX®, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. This film has been rated PG-13.