BEIJING – iQIYI, an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, officially unveiled its Luoyang Virtual Reality (VR) Project in Shanghai on Feb. 18, showcasing the industry’s first-ever all-immersive entertainment experience which incorporates VR technologies, original IP-based plotlines, and immersive theatre.
The Luoyang VR Project opens with an immersive theatre experience and follows with a thrilling 50-minute VR-powered journey that takes the participants back 1,300 years in time to the ancient city of Luoyang, and accumulates a unique user experience that breaks conceptual bounds between the virtual world and physical reality.
The project marks the first attempt in the VR industry to integrate different elements from immersive theatre, VR, and original IP. The set construction, for instance, makes full use of and expands upon the physical space, while customizing the wall and ground structure according to the game content.
The project also leverages the “Inside-out Tracking” technology and other industry-leading, sensory-simulation techniques to “build in” cars, boats, carriages, and other props as well to simulate the physical experience of high winds, waterfall, and explosion—all within a physical space of 300 square meters. The upshot is a highly realistic environment that fully immerses the audience in the story.
ZHANG Hang, Vice President of iQIYI and head of iQIYI DREAMVERSE studio, said: “The Luoyang VR Project marks a step-up from a purely VR experience, as we’ve integrated real-life scenes such as costume-changing and live performance; VR transports users into another universe, allowing them to become the character shaping the story throughout the journey in the city Luoyang, for an all-immersive entertainment experience.”
Created by the iQIYI DREAMVERSE studio, the Project marks the latest addition to iQIYI Chinese Historic City Universe (iCHCU) of Luoyang, which consists of 12 distinct entertainment projects all inspired by the popular Luoyang IP.
iQIYI first entered the field of offline VR entertainment in 2018, and, in 2020, established the production studio DREAMVERSE to focus on curating VR projects and all-immersive experiences. DREAMVERSE has since launched a series of popular offline VR projects, and the Luoyang VR Project marks its latest hit.
Third-party data reveals that in China, the market of offline immersive entertainment projects is growing rapidly. As a long-standing champion of technology- and innovation-driven entertainment, iQIYI will continue to leverage innovation to explore “VR+” content and expand upon the VR content-consumption ecology.