The Void
| The VOID | |
|---|---|
| |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Location-based virtual reality entertainment |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Ken Bretschneider, Curtis Hickman, James Jensen |
| Headquarters | Lindon, Utah, United States |
| Notable Personnel | Ken Bretschneider (CEO), Curtis Hickman (Chief Creative Officer), James Jensen |
| Products | Ghostbusters: Dimension, Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, Nicodemus, Ralph Breaks VR, Avengers: Damage Control, Jumanji: Reverse the Curse |
| Website | thevoid.com |
The VOID (an acronym for "The Vision of Infinite Dimensions") was a location-based virtual reality entertainment company founded in Utah in 2014 by Ken Bretschneider, Curtis Hickman, and James Jensen.[1] It built walk-around attractions it called "hyper-reality," combining a custom head-mounted display and backpack computer with physical sets, haptic feedback, and environmental effects so that small groups could walk freely through virtual worlds. The VOID operated experiences under licenses from Disney, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and Sony, including Ghostbusters: Dimension and Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire.[2]
The company closed all of its locations permanently in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after defaulting on a loan.[1] Its intellectual property was later acquired by Hyper Reality Partners, which announced plans to relaunch the brand. As of mid-2026 no relaunched VOID location has opened.[3]
Origins
The VOID grew out of Evermore Park, a fantasy-themed attraction that Bretschneider was developing in Pleasant Grove, Utah. One planned feature of the park was an experience that would merge virtual reality with a physical environment. Because of funding limits and an estimated cost near 400 million US dollars, Bretschneider placed the Evermore project on hold in August 2015 and refocused the team on turning the hyper-reality concept into a standalone virtual entertainment center under the name The VOID.[1]
Hickman, a former stage magician and visual effects artist, served as Chief Creative Officer and applied techniques of misdirection to the attractions; Jensen handled the technical side.[4] An early demonstration pod measured 30 by 30 feet, with plans to expand to 60 by 60 feet, and used moveable walls, corridors, and physical props such as crates and benches that lined up with their virtual counterparts.[4]
Technology
The VOID's hardware was branded under the name Rapture. The Rapture headset was a custom head-mounted display; an early 2015 prototype used an Oculus Rift DK2 as a placeholder before the company moved to its own design.[4] Patrons also wore a vest and a backpack computer housed in an aluminum casing, secured with chest and waist straps, which let users move untethered.[4] Positional tracking came from cameras mounted to the ceiling of the stage, and the experiences added physical effects such as wind and vibration.[4]
A central technique was redirected walking, in which subtle curvature in the virtual path causes participants to walk in arcs while perceiving that they are moving in straight lines. Hickman described the broader approach as folded space, letting a compact physical stage map onto a much larger virtual environment.[5] Each game ran in a purpose-built set whose walls, doors, and props could be touched, and the systems delivered haptic feedback through the vest plus effects such as heat and scent.[6]
Attractions
The VOID's first public experience, The Curse of the Serpents Eye, ran at the company's Utah facility.[1] The company then signed licensing deals with major studios to build branded attractions.
Ghostbusters: Dimension opened at Madame Tussauds New York on July 1, 2016, developed with Sony Pictures and described as the first hyper-reality experience. Teams of three guests put on proton packs and worked through a New York City apartment trapping ghosts.[6] The attraction closed on September 30, 2018.[7]
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, produced with Lucasfilm's ILMxLAB, debuted at Disney Springs at Walt Disney World in Orlando on December 16, 2017, and at Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on January 5, 2018. Teams of four players disguised as stormtroopers carried out a mission on the lava planet Mustafar, accompanied by the droid K-2SO from Rogue One. Admission was 29.95 US dollars per person and park admission was not required.[2] The VOID joined the Disney Accelerator program in 2017.[1]
Later titles included Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment, Ralph Breaks VR (with Disney, 2018), Avengers: Damage Control (with Marvel Studios, 2019), and Jumanji: Reverse the Curse (with Sony Pictures, 2019).[1]
The following table lists the major branded attractions and their partners.
| Attraction | Year | Partner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Curse of the Serpents Eye | 2015 | The VOID | First experience, Utah |
| Ghostbusters: Dimension | 2016 | Sony Pictures, Madame Tussauds | Opened July 1, 2016, NYC; closed September 30, 2018 |
| Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire | 2017 | Lucasfilm, ILMxLAB | Disney Springs December 16, 2017; Anaheim January 5, 2018 |
| Ralph Breaks VR | 2018 | Disney | Tie-in with the film |
| Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment | 2018 | The VOID | Original horror title |
| Avengers: Damage Control | 2019 | Marvel Studios | Marvel-licensed experience |
| Jumanji: Reverse the Curse | 2019 | Sony Pictures | Film tie-in |
Locations and expansion
After the New York debut, The VOID opened franchise and company-operated locations across North America and internationally, including sites in Las Vegas, San Francisco, London, and Dubai, alongside locations at Disney properties.[5] By late 2018 the company listed numerous sites across the United States and abroad.[1] Bretschneider framed the goal as becoming the "IMAX of virtual reality," distributing premium location-based experiences that home VR could not match.[8]
Financial trouble and closure
The VOID began experiencing financial difficulties in 2019, including a missed payment to a supplier. In August 2019 it took a loan arranged through VR Boom, LLC, pledging its assets, including patents and trademarks, as collateral.[1] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 the company defaulted on that loan. The VOID's locations closed permanently in March 2020, and in June 2020 Disney terminated its licensing agreement and closed the VOID attractions at Disney properties.[1]
In October 2020 the company's intellectual property was transferred to a holding company, VR Exit, LLC, according to United States Patent and Trademark Office filings. The VOID was later ordered to pay the Mall of America roughly 5.6 million US dollars in back rent and related charges.[1]
Revival attempts
In 2021 reports identified a new entity, Hyper Reality Partners, owned by Adrian Steckel, a former investor and board member of The VOID, that had acquired the company's key assets, including its intellectual property but not the original headsets and backpacks, for about 2 million US dollars. Steckel said he had raised 20 million US dollars and signed returning staff including former Chief Creative Officer Curtis Hickman and former VP of content Jason Howard. The plan called for larger venues that added food and beverage service, with Las Vegas named as a possible first site.[3][9]
In 2022 Hyper Reality Partners relaunched the thevoid.com website and posted engineering jobs, promising upgraded VR technology, though no reopening date was set.[9] Hickman published a book about the company's design methods, Hyper-Reality: The Art of Designing Impossible Experiences, in 2023.[5] As of mid-2026 none of the original VOID locations have reopened and no relaunched location has been confirmed open.[3][5]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "The Void (virtual reality)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Void_(virtual_reality).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "ILMxLAB and The VOID's Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire Trailer and Details Revealed". https://www.starwars.com/news/ilmxlab-the-void-star-wars-secrets-of-the-empire-trailer-and-details-revealed.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Report: Location-Based VR Company The Void To Relaunch Soon". 2021-09-28. https://www.uploadvr.com/report-the-void-relaunch/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "First Hands-on: The VOID, a Mixed Reality Experience That Blends Real and Virtual". https://www.roadtovr.com/first-hands-on-the-void-a-mixed-reality-experience-that-blends-real-and-virtual/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "The Void co-founder reveals the VR startup's secrets". 2023-06-29. https://www.lowpass.cc/p/the-void-vr-curtis-hickman-book-hyper-reality.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Madame Tussauds New York Opens Highly Anticipated Ghostbusters Experience And World's First Hyper-Reality Experience Ghostbusters: Dimension". 2016-07-01. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/madame-tussauds-new-york-opens-highly-anticipated-ghostbusters-experience-and-worlds-first-hyper-reality-experience-ghostbusters-dimension-300293013.html.
- ↑ "Ghostbusters Dimension to close down at Madame Tussauds New York". 2018-08-23. https://ghostbustersnews.com/2018/08/23/ghostbusters-dimension-to-close-down-at-madame-tussauds-new-york/.
- ↑ "The Void: Becoming the IMAX of Virtual Reality". https://time.com/4095869/the-void/.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "VR Arcade Pioneer The VOID is Making a Comeback". 2022. https://roadtovr.com/the-void-vr-comeback-2022/.