Toggle search
Toggle menu
5.4K
6.1K
230
52.8K
VR & AR Wiki
Toggle preferences menu
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Apelab

vrarwiki.com · VR & AR Wiki
More actions
Apelab
Information
Type Private
Industry Virtual Reality
Founded 2014
Founder Emilie Joly, Sylvain Joly, Maria Beltran
Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland
Notable Personnel Emilie Joly (CEO)
Products SpatialStories, Zoe, Sequenced, Break a Leg, Ko'Ko's Curse, Winterolymp
Website https://www.apelab.io/

Apelab (styled apelab; legally apelab SARL) is a virtual reality company based in Geneva, Switzerland, with a second office in Los Angeles.[1][2] Apelab is the creator of VR content with emphasis on cinematic and interactive experiences. It develops "Spatial Stories" that utilize the focus of the viewer's gaze to determine the path of story or branch of narration.[3]

The studio was founded in 2014 by interaction designers Emilie Joly, Sylvain Joly and Maria Beltran.[1] Its works include the gaze-driven animated series Sequenced, which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier program in 2016, and the Gear VR magic game Break a Leg.[4][5] Apelab also built SpatialStories, a no-code toolkit for building interactive VR and AR content in Unity, and later moved into education with Zoe, a platform that lets students build their own 3D and VR experiences.[6][7] The Zoe business now operates as Zoe Immersive, which describes itself as "formerly Apelab".[8] In September 2026 the Swiss company apelab SARL entered liquidation.[9]

Reviewed 27 September 2026. Checked founding, register and liquidation entries, Sequenced, SpatialStories, Break a Leg, Vive X, Ko'Ko's Curse, Winterolymp, Watchout!, Zoe and Dreamscape facts, and awards against the cited sources. About review dates.

History

Founding

Emilie Joly, Sylvain Joly and Maria Beltran studied in the master's program in media design at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD), and started the studio during the final year of their degree.[7] Geneva Solutions dates that start to 2012, while the company's own account gives 2014 as the founding year.[7][1] apelab SARL was entered in the Geneva commercial register on 10 March 2014 as a limited liability company. Its registered purpose covers the design of interactive media, animation projects, multimedia services, digital publishing, physical computing and events.[9][10] Michaël Y. Martin, who was credited with the Joly siblings on Sequenced at Sundance, served as one of the company's managing directors from February 2015 until April 2018.[4][10] By 2016 the studio described itself as based in both Geneva and Los Angeles, with Emilie Joly as CEO.[2]

Sequenced and interactive storytelling

Apelab's first large VR project was Sequenced, an animated interactive series. In February 2015 UploadVR described it as the first "choose your own adventure" style 360-degree narrative for VR. The story is set in 2065, in a world where resources have run out and an algorithm assigns people their roles based on genetic assessment. It follows an orphan named Raven.[3] Instead of asking the viewer to make explicit choices, the series reads where the viewer looks: gaze triggers change dialogue and story events, and Apelab called this approach "spatial stories".[3][2] Road to VR reported in March 2016 that one confrontation scene contained "over thirty triggers and five different story branches inside the scene itself".[2] In a July 2016 interview with the Voices of VR podcast, Emilie Joly said that some scenes had up to 150 triggers and could branch into six or seven variations, and that the studio used both gaze and proximity triggers.[11]

The art mixes 2D and 3D animation. Joly cited Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and her grandfather's life in the New Mexico desert as influences.[2] The planned release changed over time. In February 2015 UploadVR reported a planned six episodes, with the pilot expected in November 2015; Apelab had not yet confirmed the length of each episode.[3] By March 2016 the plan was three seasons of 10 episodes, with a launch in early Q4 2016 on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, and a new episode every three weeks after that.[2] Apelab's project page still lists the release date as "TBD" and credits the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and Pro Helvetia as production supporters, with the pilot distributed by YoukuVR.[12] Sequenced was part of the New Frontier exhibition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[4]

SpatialStories, Break a Leg and Vive X

While making Sequenced, Apelab built its own tools for handling large numbers of triggers and scripting their timing without constant help from programmers.[11] These became SpatialStories, a Unity plugin aimed at designers, storytellers and filmmakers who do not write code. In a December 2017 interview, Joly explained that it detects the target platform and adjusts the available inputs, and that it supports VR headsets (HTC Vive, Oculus and Google Daydream) as well as AR through ARKit and ARCore. Its "interactive objects" can respond to gaze, proximity, grabbing, voice commands and geolocation.[6] Apelab released a beta of the SpatialStories software in 2018.[1]

The first game built with the toolkit was Break a Leg, a game in which the player is an improvised magician trapped backstage in an old theater who must perform a series of magic tricks.[5][13] Road to VR reported in April 2017 that the game was designed for the new Gear VR Controller and was co-funded by Oculus and the Swiss broadcaster RTS.[13] It launched exclusively on Gear VR on 30 October 2017.[5] Apelab later listed a Vive Focus release in May 2019.[14] On 29 November 2017, HTC named Apelab among 26 companies in the third batch of its Vive X accelerator, describing SpatialStories as a toolkit that lets people "without coding knowledge" build interactive XR content.[15] Startupticker reported that it was the only European startup in that batch.[16]

The studio also made AR work with SpatialStories. Ko'Ko's Curse (2018), co-produced with the Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRG SSR and narrated by Peter Coyote, is an educational AR experience about restoring an ancient forest, released for Microsoft HoloLens, iOS and Android.[17] Winterolymp, launched in January 2019, is a location-based AR app for the Engadin St. Moritz mountains in which visitors unlock 15 AR portals on site. Its pilot won the Best AR Application award at the VRCORE awards in November 2018.[18]

Shift to education and Zoe

After the SpatialStories beta, Apelab found that about 70 percent of the people interested in the software were educators rather than entertainment professionals. It turned toward education after a three-month stay at the Rlab accelerator in New York.[7] The company says it launched Zoe in October 2019 during that residency.[1] Zoe is a visual programming tool for building 3D, VR and AR experiences without prior coding knowledge. In April 2020 Apelab offered it as a standalone app for Oculus Quest and as a Unity plugin, with a mobile version in development, and said Zoe had received an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games.[19]

In November 2020, Zoe was used in "#2030", a project funded through the Gebert Rüf Stiftung's Digital Education Pioneer program, in which pupils in grades 7 to 9 at six Swiss schools built their own visions of the future.[7][20] On 1 December 2021, Dreamscape Immersive and Zoe Immersive announced that Dreamscape had licensed the technology behind Zoe's 3D creation platform for Dreamscape Learn, its joint venture with Arizona State University.[8][21] The announcement described Zoe Immersive as "formerly Apelab", founded in 2014 and based in Geneva and Los Angeles.[8] Zoe Immersive, Inc. also ran a Regulation Crowdfunding offering on StartEngine; that offering has closed.[22]

The Zoe app is distributed through the Meta Quest Store for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest Pro.[23] Zoe Immersive also offers Zoe for Unity and a management system called Bridge XR, and lists universities such as Cornell University, Boston College and Virginia Tech among the institutions it works with.[24]

Liquidation of apelab SARL

The shareholders of apelab SARL voted on 2 September 2026 to dissolve the company. The Geneva commercial register recorded it as "en liquidation" on 11 September 2026, with Experia Sàrl appointed as liquidator.[9][10] Zoe Immersive's website, which carries a 2026 copyright notice, continues to offer the Zoe products.[24]

Projects

Project Year Type Platforms Notes
Sequenced 2014-2016 (prototype and festival showings) Interactive animated VR series HTC Vive, Oculus Rift (listed); Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard also announced in 2016 First Spatial Story; gaze-triggered branching; Sundance New Frontier 2016[3][2][12]
Watchout! 2016 Mobile VR arcade game Google Cardboard, iOS, Android (360-degree mode); Gear VR version planned for April 2017 Based on the animated film Ma vie de Courgette; free; made with SpatialStories; co-produced by RTS and SRG SSR[25]
Break a Leg 2017 VR adventure game Samsung Gear VR (30 October 2017), HTC Vive Focus (May 2019), Oculus Go Magic-show game for the Gear VR Controller; built with SpatialStories; about 105 minutes long per Apelab[5][14][26]
SpatialStories 2017 (plugin), 2018 (software beta) No-code VR/AR creation toolkit Unity; exports to VR and to AR through ARKit and ARCore Used internally for Sequenced and Break a Leg[6][1]
Ko'Ko's Curse 2018 AR educational experience Microsoft HoloLens, iOS, Android Narrated by Peter Coyote; co-produced with RTS and SRG SSR[17]
Winterolymp 2019 Location-based AR app iOS, Android 15 AR portals in the Engadin St. Moritz mountains[18]
Zoe 2019 No-code 3D/VR creation platform for education Oculus Quest and later Meta Quest headsets; Unity plugin Continued under Zoe Immersive[19][23]

Awards and selections

Year Project Award or selection
2014 Sequenced GDC Best in Play, San Francisco[12]
2015 Sequenced Cross Video Days Grand Prize, Paris[12]
2016 Sequenced Sundance Film Festival New Frontier; Toronto Film Festival official selection[4][12]
2017 Break a Leg VRCORE Awards Best Mobile Innovation; GDC Best in Play honorable mention; American Film Institute official selection[14]
2017 Ko'Ko's Curse VR Days Best VR Game, Amsterdam[17]
2018 Ko'Ko's Curse Webby Awards Official Honoree, Best Use of AR[17]
2018 Winterolymp (pilot) VRCORE Awards Best AR Application[18]
2019 Zoe XR in Learning award[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "About". apelab.io. apelab. https://www.apelab.io/about/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Scott Hayden (2016-03-04). "VR Animated Series 'Sequenced' Creates Truly Reactive Storytelling in VR". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vr-animated-series-sequenced-creates-truly-reactive-storytelling-vr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Will Mason (2015-02-27). "Apelab to show first ever "choose your own adventure" series for VR at GDC". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/apelab-to-show-first-ever-choose-your-own-adventure-series-for-vr-at-gdc/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Sundance Institute Celebrates New Frontier 10th Anniversary at 2016 Festival". Sundance Institute. 2015-12-03. https://www.sundance.org/blogs/sundance-institute-celebrates-new-frontier-10th-anniversary-at-2016-festival-3/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Apelab launches Break a Leg". Startupticker.ch. 2017-10-31. https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/october-2017/apelab-launches-break-a-leg. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "#606: Workflow for Interactive Narratives with Spatial Stories Toolset". Voices of VR Podcast. 2017-12-21. https://voicesofvr.com/606-workflow-for-interactive-narratives-with-spatial-stories-toolset/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Zelda Chauvet (2020-10-28). "Giving students 'creative superpowers' in a virtual classroom". Geneva Solutions. https://genevasolutions.news/science-tech/giving-students-creative-superpowers-in-a-virtual-classroom. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Dreamscape Immersive and Zoe Immersive Partner to Simplify 3D Creation for Collaborative Virtual Reality Experiences". PR Newswire. Zoe Immersive. 2021-12-01. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dreamscape-immersive-and-zoe-immersive-partner-to-simplify-3d-creation-for-collaborative-virtual-reality-experiences-301435507.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "apelab SARL in Genève - Reports". Moneyhouse. https://www.moneyhouse.ch/en/company/apelab-sarl-10629521231. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "apelab Sàrl, Geneva, Switzerland". North Data. https://www.northdata.com/apelab+S%C3%A0rl,+Gen%C3%A8ve/CHE-183.744.363. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "#396: 'Sequenced' & the Challenge of Interactive VR Narratives". Voices of VR Podcast. 2016-07-08. https://voicesofvr.com/396-sequenced-the-challenge-of-interactive-vr-narratives/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "Sequenced". apelab.io. apelab. https://www.apelab.io/experiences/sequenced/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Paul James (2017-04-01). "Watch: Apelab's Intriging New 'Break a Leg' Running on Gear VR's Motion Controller". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/watch-apelabs-intriging-new-break-leg-running-gear-vrs-new-controller/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Break a Leg". apelab.io. apelab. https://www.apelab.io/experiences/bal/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  15. ↑ "Vive Announces Third Batch of Companies Selected for Its Leading Vive X Global VR/AR Accelerator Program; Expands Operations to Tel Aviv". Vive Newsroom. HTC. 2017-11-29. https://www.vive.com/us/newsroom/2017-11-30/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. ↑ "Apelab: the only European startup entering HTC Vive X accelerator". Startupticker.ch. 2017-11-30. https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/november-2017/apelab-the-only-european-startup-entering-htc-vive-x-accelerator. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 "Ko'Ko's Curse". apelab.io. apelab. https://www.apelab.io/experiences/koko/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Award Winning Augmented Reality App to be Launched in St. Moritz". Startupticker.ch. 2019-01-02. https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/january-2019/award-winning-augmented-reality-to-be-launched-in-st-moritz. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Introducing Zoe: A Remote Learning Solution Allowing Kids To Build Their Own Interactive Immersive Experiences". Zoe Immersive. 2020-04-14. https://zoeimmersive.com/introducing-zoe-press-release/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  20. ↑ "#2030: Swiss & US Classrooms Leveraging VR To Create Their Own Vision Of The Future". Zoe Immersive. 2020-10-25. https://zoeimmersive.com/school-2030/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  21. ↑ Rhea Kelly (2021-12-06). "Dreamscape and Zoe Partner to Simplify VR Content Creation". Campus Technology. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/12/06/dreamscape-and-zoe-partner-to-simplify-vr-content-creation.aspx. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  22. ↑ "Invest in Zoe Immersive, Inc. (2021 Round)". StartEngine. https://www.startengine.com/offering/zoeimmersive. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Zoe: The App". Zoe Immersive. https://zoeimmersive.com/app/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Zoe: Immersive Education & Training Solutions". Zoe Immersive. https://zoeimmersive.com/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  25. ↑ "Les personnages de "Ma vie de Courgette" dans un jeu en réalité virtuelle". Startupticker.ch. 2016-12-27. https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/les-personnages-de-ma-vie-de-courgette-dans-un-jeu-en-realite-virtuelle. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  26. ↑ "Break a Leg on Meta Quest". Meta Quest Store. Meta. https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/break-a-leg/1250268818411608/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
Retrieved from "https://vrarwiki.com/index.php?title=Apelab&oldid=49097"