Stinger Report - 21/12/2020

TSR Newsletter | December 21, 2020

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The Global Digital Out-Of-Home Entertainment (DOE) Sector covered in The Stinger Report .

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The Roadmap Ahead for Entertainment

Part 7 | # 1051

Report Skinny

The only way to “Stay-Up-To-Date” regarding the new phases of immersive entertainment, is with The Stinger Report. This latest issue looks at the explosion in Augmented Reality and MR-related applications in the theme park and attraction scene, along with their lineage. We also look at how other theme park and attraction projects will have to stay competitive with their own interactive MR deployments.

Main Report

Applications of more interactive and immersive elements to the theme park and attraction model have been gaining constant momentum. No matter how hard some parties try and restrain the encroachment of “Gamification” into the attraction scene, the reality is that the audience’s level of sophistication demands immersive interactive entertainment becomes the norm. Movement has been seen in one aspect of the new tech presentations to gain greater recognition.

- Mixed Reality’s Theme Park Growth

The use of Mixed Reality (MR), in both augmented and virtual reality presentations, as well as the use of projection mapping and immersive display technology, has seen increased investment for application in theme park and attractions deployment – as seen in The Stinger Report. Meanwhile, consumer applications seem to have advanced little since the Pokémon Go! smartphone app, although advancements in Out-of-Home Entertainment continue.

The use of MR in attractions has been broken into two key areas of utilisation (so far, discussed later). The first being “Props” – systems that interact with elements of the venue. And secondly, “Viewers” – devices allowing guests to view unique elements / surroundings and have interactive experiences. While digital technology is the current delivery process for this Mixed Reality approach, the technology can trace its roots in attractions back as far as to the “Pepper’s Ghost” effects, deployed in Walt Disney’s ‘The Haunted Mansion’ attraction, back in 1969.

- Current Iterations

One of the well-known uses of interactive props has been seen at the ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’. The Universal theme park land has incorporated ‘Interactive Wands’, with guests able to acquire special RFID-enabled wands that, when waved at particular areas of the land, their interaction can trigger physical show set elements, with two unique areas of the land converted to support this system in 2019.

This is a concept that can also be traced back to the Great Wolf Lodge venues in North America, which incorporated the ‘MagiQuest’ experience. Back in 2005, the first locations opened using this unique tracked wand mechanic, with correct movement by players unlocking digital and physical puzzles, competing with digital characters located throughout the experience. The operation has looked at other player prop experiences in 2016, with the launch of its ‘MagiQuest Chronicles’ experience using new interfaces.

Recently we have seen the wireless interactive prop married to dark rides, such as with ‘The Smurfs Ride’ attraction at Comics Station in Belgium. The dark ride experience has riders wielding magic wands, with their hand gestures represented on screen, interacting with the ride experience to help the onscreen characters accomplish their mission. The interactive device system was developed by Alterface Projects for the attraction and was opened in 2017.

Walt Disney has a long track record of experimenting with the use of location-specific interactive elements – both in queue lines, and in special “scavenger hunt” style experiences, at various resorts. One of the trailblazers of this was the ‘Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure’, that utilized a smart device acting as the “prop”, used to supply information and help crack puzzles to collect rewards. The system, launched in 2009, was ahead of its time and trailblazed the approach that would later be seen with the Pokémon Go smartphone app. Recently, Disney deployed a new smartphone app that allows guests to interact with unique elements on the queue line and other show sets, collecting special points and badges through cracking puzzles. This was deployed at the ‘Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge’ land in Orlando and California, distributed through the Play Disney, Star Wars: Datapad, on the park app.

There have been several theme parks that have taken the path of least resistance and developed AR-based smartphone experiences that have allowed the guest to interact with the venue. One of the most notable would be with HOLOVIS and its ‘Battle For Cedar Point’ game app, launched in 2017. It was created for the venue as, what was called, an Extended Experience (EE) solution for Cedar Fair. While these applications are examples of AR being deployed in the venue environment, they depend on the guest’s own smartphone and are more tertiary experience to the main attraction of the park. This seen more recently, with ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up’ – developed in partnership between Aardman Animations and Fictioneers. Creating what was dubbed “Extended Reality (XR) portals”, based on the comic characters, for players to experience on their smartphones, from their home.

The retail sector is playing catchup regarding adoption of AR entertainment as an audience retention platform. It was revealed in November that 22 of the 55 flagship Westfield shopping centers, would be deploying an AR based scavenger hunt, offering Winter holiday entertainment to shoppers. Called ‘The Holiday Hunt at Westfield’ – the system uses QR code icons scanned by guests’ smartphones towards collecting 10 virtual characters hidden at selected locations within the collaborating centers. As shoppers collect characters they are rewarded with promotional offers, with an additional offer provided once all characters have been scanned, (underlying the marketing focus of this kind of approach). Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield partnered with AR specialists COFFEE Labs to create their festive AR characters. To make the experience as seamless and easy-to-access as possible, ‘The Holiday Hunt at Westfield’ was built using 8th Wall’s web-based AR solution. The experience will be rolled out until the 24th of December 2020.

The game that underpinned the phenomenal appeal that smartphone AR apps could engender was the, Niantic developed, ‘Pokemon GO’, seeing at its peak some 28m active users, and some 1b downloads. This game saw players attempting to find virtual characters dotted around their area, in a combination of GPS scavenger hunt and click game. In the latest development of this title, it was revealed that will see the game linked to bricks-and-mortar locations. Niantic signing an agreement Starbucks Asia, across Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand that will see Starbucks stores in these territories, becoming PokeStops and Gyms. Venues were players can go to train their collected virtual characters and compete with fellow trainers. This is a major example of AR being deployed as a location-based entertainment offering, only accessible by equipped players, needing minimal physical elements. A new age in marketing, promotion, and interactivity for entertainment, which will be repeated in other territories.

A new attraction-based example of this approach to AR was revealed from new start-up BoldMove, with the company announcing its ‘AR Quest’. The platform is an augmented guide that uses physical locations, with superimposed virtual elements to offer a unique experience. The guests enter the augmented space through virtual gates, which then launches an AR based game experience, viewed using the guest’s own smartphone (or provided tablets), with various game elements culminating in a themed treasure room. The platform has been developed in partnership with AR content developer ActiveMe, offering a full game experience to a location-based AR attraction.

- Universal’s Super Nintendo World

Building off much of these approaches, and some six years in development, one of the most ambitious AR projects is to be launched. This is one of the most advanced theme park projects of recent time, looking at a new generation of audience.

Universal Studios Japan is about to throw open its doors to the new land called ‘Super Nintendo World’. The $578 million development, in partnership with Nintendo, is a loving imagining, physically re-creating the video game world. Scheduled now for a Q1 2021 opening, the venue has embraced a strong interactive element, with guests able to gather coins and badges and find secrets through the space, via their wearable “Power Up Band” prop that also links into a paired smartphone app.

But it has been the recent leaks that have generated much excitement regarding the deployment of new MR technology throughout the park, offering a high level of guest engagement. Recently the veil was lifted on one of the two major attractions of the venue. ‘Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge’ has guests competing while on a tracked dark ride attraction. Buttons are used in the ride vehicle, synced to physical and virtual effects of the attraction – elements seen by the player through special AR headsets, worn throughout the ride (the digital visor is themed to look like Mario’s cap).

This will be the first dedicated use of AR headsets in a theme park attraction, building on advancements in visual displays and optics – but comprising many elements familiar with the “Pepper’s Ghost” application. The manufacturers of the headsets to be used on this attraction are being a closely kept secret at this time. The players will be able to compete with groups of riders on other tracks, riding in competition, virtually launching Koopa shells and collecting coins, with a new level of gamification being added to a dark ride attraction. Nintendo has been experimenting with AR technology in its toy product activities, creating the AR/RC-car toy line ‘Mario Kart Live: Home Course’, launched earlier in the year.

Another less publicised AR component of the venue is the use of “AR Viewers” – digital binoculars mounted round the land, that superimpose animated effects and characters onto the real-world visuals. Using these viewers, the guests will also be able to interact with the digital characters using mounted buttons, continuing their hunt for coins, badges, and secret keys. This collection of badges and coins is linked to the wearable “Power Up Band” prop – and even offers, for the first time in a mainstream park, unique play elements. Universal Studios revealing that owners of the separately purchased wearable, who have collected three or more keys, will be allowed to enter the ‘Power-up Band Key Challenge’ attraction. Using their band to interact with scenery and at its end take part in an interactive challenge. This taking the use of a prop element in an attraction to its logical conclusion.

‘Super Nintendo World’ is not just planned for Japan, with Universal Studios properties such as Orlando and California getting their own versions – eventually. This is what is being described as one of the “most interactive theme parks ever!” The inaugural Japanese venue opening will be on the 4th February 2021.

The deployment of “Digital Viewers” in parks and venues, as a digital coin-operated “Telescope” system, has been seen at several new venues in recent years. Examples include the ‘Interactive Telescope’ at London’s Shard viewing gallery, the ‘Zacturn SCOPE’ at the 2015 Austria festival, and the AiSolve ‘Envision’ for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 2019. As well as the Kylii Kids ‘Kylii Viewer’ that we covered at its launch during IAAPA Europe 2019. These systems have also seen conventional smartphone apps achieve the same approach, more as promotional and marketing experiences such as The Museum of London's ‘Streetmuseum’ app.

The attraction sector must keep ahead of MR development for consumer application, especially as AR headsets are expected to see consumer resurgence beyond current smartphone applications. Both Apple and Facebook are rumored to be about to launch ground-breaking consumer AR systems in a matter of months, while the Nreal Light headset saw much fanfare for its launch this year. Though still tempestuous tech, with other AR headsets, is not being so popular, with the likes of the aborted Google Glass, and most recent Magic Leap debacle. Meanwhile, the commercial design and training sectors have benefited from the launches of the Microsoft Hololens 2, as well as the launch of the Lynx-R1.

Manufacturers of AR headsets have been keen to use Out-of-Home pop-up attractions as promotional tools for their hardware in the past. Examples include the partnership between Magic Leap, HBO and AT&T, that saw an in-store ‘Game of Thrones’ attraction using the AR in selected AT&T stores. Or recently, when Sony launched its ‘Ghostbusters Experience’ – a full augmented multi-player attraction, running on prototype Sony AR glasses, at Ginza Sony Park in Tokyo for three months during 2019. Described as “demo debut”, these examples proved valuable vehicles towards gauging public interest.

- Emerging New Approach

There is one new area of MR application in attractions that has started to emerge – that of “Capturing”. Along with props and viewers, capturing allows the actual images, movements, and facial expressions of the guests to be incorporated into the experience. This technique was first being used to initially capture cast performances for “Digital Puppetry” (as seen used on Walt Disney’s ‘Turtle Talk with Crush’, in 2004).

Universal’s R&D team has been looking at deploying MR elements in other new developments. This includes the launch of ‘The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!’ ride, that will incorporate gesture-tracking technology and digital screens, deployed into this dark ride, and hoping to drop the player into the experience transformed into a puppy. The attraction is scheduled to open at Universal Studios Hollywood in Q2 2021.

At last year’s IAAPA convention, The Stinger Report covered the announcement of ‘Lego Factory Adventure ride’. A dark ride with elements of MR, incorporating motion tracking and facial-detection technology, turning riders into unique Lego Minifigures on-screen. This system was revealed on the HOLOVIS booth during the IAAPA’19 announcement and is the first to incorporate the ‘HoloTrac’ technology, with the ride vehicle manufactured by ETF Ride Systems. The completed attraction is scheduled for opening in LEGOLAND New York Resort, in Q2 2021.

The application of “Capturing” players gestures and movements to interact with the experience is an innovation slowly been deployed in various attractions, (after a fitful deployment in the previous console generation). Providers of this approach include TRIOTECH with their ‘Maestro’ system, that was eventually deployed on the ‘NINJAGO The Ride’ attraction at several LEGOLAND parks, (powered by Ultraleap hand tracking). Another developer of this approach is Brogent with their ‘GestureMagic’ platform, controlling digital and physical effects by hand gestures. This type of technology to be deployed by Walt Disney in the new ‘Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure’, employing a gesture recognition system to allow guests, in the ride car, to launch webs at onscreen Spider-Bots. The attraction will be opening at Disney California Adventure in 2021.

The deploying of these kind of gesture capture systems beyond the main attraction, and in the new trend for “interactive queue line” has gained momentum. Speaking again of the LEGOLAND NINJAGO attraction, and the developer seeper worked with the operator to create an innovative queue line attraction, capturing guests’ movements, and representing them on screen via thousands of rendered CGi Lego bricks; as a contactless experience. The company worked on several gesture recognition experiences based on their own motion capture platform, being deployed across attraction and exhibit projects.

The theme park and attraction sector will be eager to stay ahead of the technology curve in deploying AR into the MR mix, but as can be seen, several major attraction projects are banking heavily that this latest tech trend will bring a new level of immersion to their next generation of systems. We wait to gauge the audience’s reactions.