Also... in case anyone DIDN'T see the email... here it is again:
Hello,
I wanted to update you on the content evaluation process we started several months ago.
When we launched our Marketplace nearly two years ago we were eager to build the size of our library as quickly as possible. We believed that bigger was better. Over time our fast and loose approach led to over 300 titles on our platform, most of which we hadn’t had a chance to test in an LBE setting.
We started getting feedback from Operators on the mixed quality of titles on the Marketplace. You were frustrated with titles that had complicated menus, bugs, or were generally not “LBE friendly.” Some titles even triggered nausea and required customer refunds.
Our goal is to make the best, most transformative VR content available to everyone, everywhere. To accomplish that goal, we must bring you high quality content that works great at your location. Over the last 9 months we’ve played every single title on the platform. We learned that some of our titles are either in very early beta or are not usable in an LBE setting.
We’ve now setup a process of curating content that is optimized for the out-of-home space and we are working directly with VR Developers to create arcade builds of their titles.
We’ve created Content Guidelinesbased on best practices from companies like Apple, Netflix, etc. Our Content Guidelines encourage VR Developers and Creators to bring you a wide variety of content based on what successful Operators around the world have told us works. It also defines Objectionable Content which we will restrict from the platform.
Objectionable Content
You can read the full list of what is considered objectionable here.
We realize this might prove controversial, but we are removing two titles that some arcades have found popular. While we personally enjoy Gorn and Drunken Bar Fight, we have reflected deeply on the type of company we want to be and what we stand for. As a leading provider of software solutions to the VR Arcade industry, we recognize that many players/customers are kids. We don’t want to offer games on the platform that promote over-the-top senseless and gratuitous violence or drug/alcohol use. Even if Operators limit play to adults, most have screens showing the game to spectators. We’ve seen compelling research from Stanford and other universities that indicates (particularly for kids) the brain perceives VR much differently than traditional video. Children experience VR in much the same way we perceive “real life.” VR is a new technology and until we understand it better, we want to exercise caution.
That said… we do understand that every VR location is different and we don’t have any plans to restrict side-loading titles. We’ve also been in talks with the developers of Gorn and other impacted titles about creating arcade builds.
Other than Gorn and Drunken Bar Fight, most of the titles we are removing are because of quality issues. Few of these titles have generated any significant revenue on the network. None of the other titles are on the top 50 list.
New Content
Most of our early content was gaming focused… but as we talked to Operators around the world we found that many were interested in, and were actively using, a wide range of titles.
We asked the question, “what makes a great VR experience?” and started looking for content that fit the bill. We have expanded our vision to content beyond gaming. Some Operators are seeing high usage rates of meditative titles like Nature Treks, educational titles like Frog Dissection, narrative titles, etc. Profitable locations report substantial revenue from after school programs, field trips, corporate events, health & fitness, safety training, and more. Our new Content Guidelines encourage a wide variety of titles to support you in building new revenue streams from these market opportunities.
Our mission is to give you a broad selection of quality VR content to attract the widest audience, offering amazing customer experiences so your business thrives.
I invite you to learn more about our process by reading our full Content Evaluation Process.
Moving Forward
We are planning on removing content from the Marketplace today(July 2nd). We will continue to track and bill commercial usage for these titles for Operators currently licensing them through the end of July to give everyone time to transition.
We are talking with some of the studios that have titles that with some tweaks could still be a good fit. We expect to bring some of these titles back to the platform when they release an “arcade build.”
We want you to have confidence that if something makes it onto our Marketplace, it’s going to be a good fit for use at your location.
Will
