After a decade of steadily gathering momentum, next-generation virtual reality gaming is lifting off. Year over year sales of VR devices have grown, and for development teams that understand this audience, software sales are growing too. Boneworks from Stress Level Zero is an excellent example of that. Upon launch, it quickly hit #1 on Steam and went on to be ranked in the highest tier of Steam’s ‘Best of 2019 Virtual Reality‘ revenue rankings despite having launched just two weeks before the list was published. VR gaming is more engaging than ever, transporting players to stunningly realistic digital worlds that represent a growing slice of the $178 billion annual global video game market.
Co-founders Brandon Laatsch and Alex Knoll saw the promise in VR back in 2014, and vowed to carve a path into this nascent, unexplored space. With no template to follow and no rulebook to consult, they relied on their own drive and ingenuity to create the Mad Max-style multiplayer shootouts of Hover Junkers, one of the early hits for Valve’s Vive headset. Today, TikTok and YouTube creators rack up millions of views showing off in VR leveraging their games.
From the surreal, Spielberg-infused genius of Duck Season to the madcap physics-based combat of Boneworks, Stress Level Zero brings a sense of innovation to virtual reality gaming that truly sets the team apart. They fuse cutting-edge code, clever storytelling and a joyous sense of mayhem to create VR experiences that have earned them critical acclaim and diehard fans across the world, and Transcend is thrilled to support their journey.
About Transcend Fund
Transcend is a top performing early stage venture capital firm that partners with the boldest founders in the industry to collaboratively build the future of interactive entertainment.
Founded in San Francisco by gaming veterans, the Transcend portfolio features a preeminent group of high growth digital entertainment companies around the world.
More information about Transcend can be found on our website. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news from around the Transcend ecosystem.
About Shanti Bergel
Shanti is the founding partner of Transcend and a 30 year game industry veteran.
His global operating experience spans every major platform and business model transition of the last several decades and is animated by a career-long fascination with how changes in technology and distribution affect products, services, and communities.
Shanti is a recognized member of the Techcrunch List, speaks fluent Japanese, and is a frequent speaker on early stage investment, M&A, and strategic partnerships in digital entertainment.