DreamWorks veterans form new VR firm Spaces

A mix of Hollywood and gaming experts have teamed up to create a new start-up that will specialise in virtual reality and ‘mixed reality’ experiences.

Spaces is headed up by Shiraz Akmal, who previously held a VP position at THQ, and Brad Herman. Both previously worked on DreamWorks Animations’ early VR experiences last year, according to VentureBeat.

Also on the team is executive creative director Dean Orion, who has written for television and interactive theme park attractions for DreamWorks Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering, as well as former Oculus general counsel Dan Offner, and former Eidos president Keith Boesky.

Based in Santa Monica, California, the company is already working on VR projects for Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Big Blue Bubble and The Hettema Group, targeting all major platforms such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard and even Microsoft’s HoloLens.

Comcast Ventures led a round of funding that saw the new firm receive $3m, with other investors including Gree, Boost VC, Canyon Creek Capital, Colopl VR Fund, Kai Huang, the Venture Reality Fund, the Sinovation Fund, Youku Global Media Fund and CRCM VC.

“Virtual reality spaces offer creative challenges we’ve never seen before: to build fully dimensional spaces in which viewers can completely interact,” said Akmal.