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nDreams

nDreams is a company that develops and publishes virtual reality video games. Based in Farnborough, Hampshire, UK, it was formed in August 2006 by former SCi and Eidos creative director, Patrick O'Luanaigh.[2]

nDreams, Ltd.
Company typeVideo game developer
IndustryVideo games
FoundedAugust 2006; 18 years ago (August 2006)[1]
FounderPatrick O'Luanaigh
HeadquartersFarnborough, Hampshire, United Kingdom
ProductsFRENZIES
Synapse (video game)
VENDETTA FOREVER
Little Cities
Owner
Websitewww.ndreams.com

Since formation, the developer has worked on numerous projects for different video game platforms, initially PlayStation Home, the virtual world on Sony's PlayStation 3 console, where it grew to become one of the leading publishers.[3]

From late 2013 it began working on content for virtual reality (VR) headsets, such as Sony's PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.[4] The company has stated that they are now entirely focused on developing content for virtual reality[5] and are one of the world's biggest developers in the VR space.[6]

On November 20, 2023, it was announced that Aonic completed the "landmark" acquisition of nDreams for $110 million.[7][8]

Early Years: PlayStation Home and ARGs

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nDreams claimed to be one of the world's leading independent developers and publishers in PlayStation Home, the virtual world on Sony's PlayStation 3 console.[9] The company created numerous games, virtual spaces and items for the platform between 2009 and 2013.[10] At the time of PlayStation Home's closure, CEO Patrick O'Luanaigh stated that it "was a commercial success" for nDreams.[11]

The first project created by nDreams for PlayStation Home was the world's first console-based and virtual world-based alternate reality game, Xi. Xi was released on March 23, 2009 and lasted a total of 12 weeks, taking place within PlayStation Home, across the web and in the real world.[12]

nDreams' next project for Home was a personal space called "The Pirate Galleon Apartment" which also released in 2009. This was the European Home's first personal space to have a mini-game with prizes.[13] In 2010, nDreams released another personal space called "Musicality".[14] In this space users could play a multiplayer music game.[15]

Lewis Hamilton: Secret Life was nDreams' second alternate reality game. It was not based in PlayStation Home like Xi was. The ARG was created for Reebok, who also co-developed the game. Wired called it 'one of the most engaging, interactive, and exciting games of 2010.'[16] The game launched in March 2010 and ran until November 2010, with over 637,000 players from 154 countries taking part. They worked together to solve puzzles and complete tests online, on mobiles and in the real world. Live events took place across the globe including tasks in Spain, Lebanon, Malaysia, India and the United Kingdom. The game was run in nine languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Turkish and Korean), which Guinness acknowledged as a world record for a game of this type in 2013.[17]

In 2011, nDreams released a new game space called "Aurora" where PlayStation Home users can visit and play various mini games, receive rewards and hang out with fellow users.[18] Aurora had over 18 million visits from 1.8 million unique players, making it nDreams' most successful project in PlayStation Home.[19] nDreams also created numerous virtual items for use on a player's avatar as well as many more spaces.[20]

First VR Games: 2013 - 2020

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Since 2013, nDreams has focused on developing content for virtual reality headsets.[21] The first game released by nDreams for virtual reality was the tech demo SkyDIEving, which launched in 2013.[22] This saw players freefalling through the sky until they inevitably crashed to their doom on the ground. Patrick O'Luanaigh stated that nDreams had seen "fantastic" reaction to SkyDIEving since it was released in 2013 and the demo received many plaudits.[23]

In June 2014 at the E3 video game show nDreams announced The Assembly, which was planned for release on the Oculus Rift and Sony PlayStation VR headsets.[24] The Assembly is an adventure game where you uncover the morally dubious secrets of an unknown scientific organisation from the perspective of two different characters.[25]

In January 2015, nDreams announced a $2.75 million investment from Mercia Technologies.[26] This investment is planned to allow the studio to expand and invest in research and development of virtual reality games.[27] One of Mercia's leaders, former Sega CEO Mike Hayes, had previously joined the nDreams board of directors in 2014.[28]

The Assembly launched in 2016 for PlayStation VR and PC VR headsets. PCGamesN called it “the first VR experience that feels like a fully-fledged game,”[29] while GamesRadar added that it “could be the breakthrough game for VR storytelling.”[30]

Also in 2016, the VR mindfulness experience Perfect, developed by Near Light and published by nDreams, was released for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.[31] It was the first VR collaboration between nDreams and Near Light, who would go on to strike up a long-term partnership.

In 2017, nDreams released Shooty Fruity for PlayStation VR.[32] Like Perfect, the game was a collaboration with Near Light. It would later come to Steam (2018)[33] and Meta Quest (2020).[34]

Perfect Balloon Flight and Shooty Fruity Arcade, both adaptations of previous nDreams titles for the home VR market, were revealed as location-based VR experiences for VR arcades in 2018.[35]

Phantom: Covert Ops was announced in 2019, winning the Game Critics Award for Best AR/VR Game.[36] It launched on Meta Quest in 2020, passing $1 million in revenue within “a few weeks”.[37]

Continued VR Success: 2021 - Present

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nDreams returned to location-based virtual reality game experiences in 2021, partnering with Ubisoft and Zero Latency VR to launch Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity at VR arcades across the world.[38] The experience takes players back to Far Cry 3’s Rook Islands and stars its antagonist Vaas.

Also in 2021, nDreams announced and launched Fracked for PlayStation VR.[39] The action shooter would later launch on Steam[40] and Meta Quest[41] platforms, winning Best VR Game at the TIGA Awards in 2022.[42]

nDreams expanded from solely internal development in 2021 with the announcement that it was moving into third-party publishing and had set up a $2 million development fund.[43] In October 2021, it announced that Little Cities, a VR game developed by Purple Yonder, was to be its first third-party published game.[44]

Frank Sagnier, formerly CEO of Codemasters, was appointed as nDreams' non-executive chair, citing “some very ambitious goals.”[45] Meanwhile, nDreams continued to invest in its internal development teams, announcing the openings of new development studios Orbital and Elevation in 2021 and 2022 respectively.[46][47]

Soon after announcing its receipt of a $35 million investment from Aonic,[48] nDreams were revealed to be the developers of Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord as part of the game’s announcement by Mark Zuckerberg at the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase.[49][50][51]

In December 2022, nDreams announced it had acquired the Brighton-based virtual reality studio Near Light (developer of Shooty Fruity) for an undisclosed sum.[52]

Synapse, ranked critically among the best games on PlayStation VR2,[53] was announced at a State of Play livestream event in February 2023[54] and was released for PlayStation VR2 on July 4 the same year.[55] It made use of a number of PS VR2-specific hardware features, such as eye-tracking.[56]

Synapse was nominated for Best VR / AR Game at the 2023 instalment of The Game Awards, with the top prize eventually going to Resident Evil Village.[57]

Sony Pictures Virtual Reality published the nDreams-developed Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord in October 2023.[58] Shortly after, in November, PowerWash Simulator VR launched on Meta Quest following the major success of its PC and console versions. nDreams partnered with PowerWash Simulator creators FuturLab to provide VR support.[59]

In July 2024, nDreams announced FRENZIES, a VR multiplayer shooter with ever-changing round types “where the momentum can shift in a moment’s notice”.[60] Coming to Meta Quest and PS VR2 platforms, it is developed by nDreams’ Brighton studio Near Light.

At the inaugural VR Games Showcase in August 2024, nDreams revealed VENDETTA FOREVER, a shooter for Meta Quest and PS VR2 developed by independent studio Meat Space Interactive. TechRadar’s Hamish Hector wrote that “it might just be the best shooter the Meta Quest 3 has to offer.”[61]

Awards and nominations

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  • 2024: Develop:Star Awards – Talent Development Star winner[62]
  • 2024: NYX Game Awards – Grand Winner – Sony PlayStation VR Game (Synapse)[63]
  • 2024: NYX Game Awards – Gold Winner – Meta Quest VR Evolving Game (Little Cities)[64]
  • 2023: AIXR VR Awards – Outstanding VR Company of the Year winner[65]
  • 2023: TIGA Awards – Best VR/AR Game winner (Synapse)[66]
  • 2023: The Game Awards – Best VR/AR Game nominee (Synapse)[67]
  • 2023: GamesIndustry.biz Best Places to Work Awards – Education Award winner[68]
  • 2023: Develop:Star Awards – Marketing Star winner[69]
  • 2022: UploadVR – Favorite New Quest Game of 2022 (Little Cities)[70]
  • 2022: TIGA Awards – Best VR/AR Game winner (Fracked)[71]
  • 2020: TIGA Awards – Best VR Game winner (Phantom: Covert Ops)[72]
  • 2019: Game Critics Award – Best VR/AR Game winner (Phantom: Covert Ops)[73]
  • 2019: Viveport Developer Award – Arcade - PC winner (Shooty Fruity Arcade)[74]

References

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  1. ^ Jenkins, David (2009-08-25). "Eidos Exec Forms New nDreams Studio". Gamasutra.
  2. ^ "About us" – via nDreams.
  3. ^ "PLAYSTATION®HOME". Archived from the original on November 17, 2013 – via nDreams.
  4. ^ "nDreams invites Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus to attend The Academy". 12 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Working with Virtual Worlds: nDreams Dev Diary #1 - VRFocus".
  6. ^ "How nDreams became one of the biggest VR game developers in the world". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  7. ^ Symcox, Jonathan (2023-11-21). "£90m nDreams takeover is landmark deal for VR industry". BusinessCloud. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  8. ^ "nDreams acquired for $110 million, 'exciting projects' in the works". MIXED Reality News. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  9. ^ Nouch, James (8 November 2013). "The story of PlayStation Home". Eurogamer.
  10. ^ "VR titles" – via nDreams.
  11. ^ Martin, Michael (30 September 2014). "PlayStation Home Was a Commercial Success".
  12. ^ "nDreams". ndreams.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  13. ^ Marie, Kassadee. "Go nDreams on a Budget". HomeStation Magazine. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012.
  14. ^ "Musicality Apartment". AlphaZone4. Archived from the original on 2015-04-01.
  15. ^ "PlayStation Home Update: Jam in the Musicality Clubhouse". 29 May 2013.
  16. ^ "F1 Racer Plays International Art Thief in ARG". Archived from the original on 12 April 2013.
  17. ^ "Image of the Guinness World Record certificate".
  18. ^ "nDreams launches the Aurora space in PlayStation Home - Gamesbrief". 23 March 2011.
  19. ^ "PlayStation Home memories".
  20. ^ "PlayStation Home Item Database | AlphaZone4 - Your home away from PlayStation Home". Archived from the original on 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
  21. ^ "Designing for VR - Dos and Don'ts from nDreams". 11 July 2014.
  22. ^ Gera, Emily (13 August 2013). "Now you can virtually skydive using nDreams' experimental Oculus Rift demo". Polygon.
  23. ^ "nDreams to Release New Version of SkyDIEving - VRFocus".
  24. ^ ""THE ASSEMBLY" MAKES WAVES AT E3". Archived from the original on August 21, 2014 – via nDreams.
  25. ^ "nDreams Announces The Assembly for Project Morpheus & Oculus Rift - VRFocus".
  26. ^ "NDREAMS COMPLETES $2.75 MILLION INVESTMENT". Archived from the original on 2015-05-11 – via nDreams.
  27. ^ "Portfolio – Mercia Technologies".
  28. ^ "Mike Hayes joins virtual reality firm nDreams". Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
  29. ^ "The Assembly is the first VR experience that feels like a fully-fledged game". PCGamesN. 2016-07-08. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  30. ^ Lucas Sullivan (2016-06-30). "The Assembly takes BioShock's Rapture, buries it in the desert, and adds VR". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  31. ^ nDreams VR (2016-12-12). Perfect | Launch Trailer. Retrieved 2024-10-04 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ "Shooty Fruity Is Now Open For Business in PlayStation VR!". PlayStation.Blog. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  33. ^ "Shooty Fruity on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  34. ^ Meta Quest (2020-08-27). Shooty Fruity | Oculus Quest + Rift Platform. Retrieved 2024-10-04 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ mercia1 (2018-11-08). "nDreams reveals first VR Arcade titles". Mercia. Retrieved 2024-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ Connor Sheridan (2019-06-27). "Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2019 winners: Here are the victors and nominees for every category". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  37. ^ Lang, Ben (2020-07-29). "'Phantom: Covert Ops' Earned $1M in "a few weeks," Studio Teases "Big announcements" by Year's End". Road to VR. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  38. ^ "Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity Launches at 33 Locations Worldwide". news.ubisoft.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  39. ^ "Fracked gameplay tips for saving the world". PlayStation.Blog. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  40. ^ "Fracked on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  41. ^ Bezmalinovic, Tomislav (2024-08-29). "Hands-on with Fracked on Quest 3: Better late than never?". MIXED Reality News. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  42. ^ "2022 Winners". TIGA. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  43. ^ "VR specialist NDreams becomes a third-party publisher with $2 million fund". GamesIndustry.biz. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  44. ^ Lyons, Ben (19 October 2021). "nDreams first published game is the VR city creation game Little Cities". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  45. ^ Editor-in-chief, James Batchelor (2021-08-04). "Ex-Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier resurfaces at NDreams". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-10-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  46. ^ Takahashi, Dean (2021-07-29). "nDreams kickstarts new VR studio led by mobile game veteran". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  47. ^ Kaser, Rachel (2022-01-18). "nDreams reveals new Studio Elevation for AAA and VR titles". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  48. ^ "NDreams receives $35m investment". GamesIndustry.biz. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  49. ^ Carson, John. "Ghostbusters VR Is Bringing Something Strange To Your Virtual Neighborhood". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  50. ^ Wilson, Mike (December 8, 2022). "[TGA 2022] 'Ghostbusters: Rise of The Ghost Lord' Gets New Trailer [Watch]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  51. ^ IGN (June 1, 2023). "Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord - Official Story Trailer Meta Quest Gaming Showcase 2023". IGN. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  52. ^ "NDreams's first acquisition is Shooty Fruity developer Near Light". GamesIndustry.biz. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  53. ^ "Best PSVR 2 Games – Top 25 Games & Experiences". UploadVR. 2023-12-25. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  54. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2023-02-23). "Everything announced at Sony's February State of Play". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  55. ^ "Synapse launches July 4". Gematsu. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  56. ^ nDreams VR (2023-07-10). Synapse | Made for PS VR2 Trailer | PlayStation VR2. Retrieved 2024-10-04 – via YouTube.
  57. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (2023-12-08). "The Game Awards 2023 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  58. ^ Hayden, Scott (2023-10-26). "'Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord' Review – I Ain't Afraid of No VR Ghost!". Road to VR. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  59. ^ Comments, Gavin Sheehan | (2023-10-04). "PowerWash Simulator VR Announced For MetaQuest 3". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  60. ^ Square, Push (2024-07-10). "PSVR2 FPS Promises Award-Winning Gunplay While You Duke It Out in Onesies". Push Square. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  61. ^ Hamish Hector (2024-08-23). "I played the best new VR FPS game and faced alien horrors – my favorite Meta Quest 3 games and apps for August 2024". TechRadar. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  62. ^ Editor-in-chief, James Batchelor (2024-07-11). "Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 lead Develop Star Awards winners". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-10-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  63. ^ Awards, NYX Game. "NYX Game Awards | Synapse". nyxgameawards.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  64. ^ Awards, NYX Game. "NYX Game Awards | Little Cities". nyxgameawards.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  65. ^ "Winners and Finalists 2023". XR Awards 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  66. ^ "2023 Winners". TIGA. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  67. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (2023-12-08). "The Game Awards 2023 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  68. ^ Contributor, GamesIndustry biz Staff (2023-09-27). "Here are the winners of the UK Best Places To Work Awards 2023". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-10-04. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  69. ^ Writer, Sophie McEvoy Staff (2023-07-13). "Santa Monica Studio and Guerilla Games win big at Develop:Star Awards 2023". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  70. ^ "UploadVR's Best of VR 2022 – Game Of The Year & More". UploadVR. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  71. ^ "2022 Winners". TIGA. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  72. ^ "2020 Winners". TIGA. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  73. ^ "Game Critics Awards". www.gamecriticsawards.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  74. ^ "Third Annual Viveport Developer Awards Winners Announced". VIVE Blog. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
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