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WEVR

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WEVR
Information
Type Private
Industry Virtual Reality
Founded 2010
Founder Neville Spiteri, Anthony Batt, Scott Yara
Headquarters Venice, California, U.S.
Notable Personnel Neville Spiteri (co-founder and CEO), Marcel Samek (co-founder and CTO), Anthony Batt (co-founder)
Products theBlu, Transport, Gnomes & Goblins, Wevr Virtual Studio, Shared Experience Engine
Website https://wevr.com/

WEVR (also styled Wevr and pronounced "weaver") is a virtual reality company based in Venice, California.[1][2] The company was previously known as WemoLab.[3] In its early years, WEVR developed a specialized VR media player for producers of 360 Videos and other types of cinematic virtual reality.[3] WEVR created theBlu, an immersive ocean experience for various VR Devices.

theBlu: Encounter was one of the demos Valve showed on the HTC Vive at the Game Developers Conference in 2015, and the company later built its own cross-platform distribution service, Transport.[4][1] HTC and Epic Games are long-standing investors.[5] Its later work includes commissioned and location-based VR productions, among them two Harry Potter experiences in New York for WarnerMedia, a Terracotta Warriors experience in Xi'an with VIVE Arts, and a free-roam adaptation of The Little Prince in Japan.[6][7][8]

Reviewed 27 September 2026. Checked every new or changed claim (funding rounds, Transport launch and premium pricing, Sundance and GDC selections, Gnomes & Goblins, Deep Rescue, Harry Potter VR, 2021 reorganization, 2024-2026 HTC projects, Malta, Little Prince, Expedition Taiwan, leadership) against the cited sources. About review dates.

Transport

WEVR revealed Transport (Wevr Transport™), a VR content distribution network, in February 2016, when it entered private beta.[1] It was planned to host free and paid VR content across Oculus Rift (Platform), SteamVR, Gear VR, Google Cardboard and the web.[1][2] The Transport app was offered through each VR platform's own storefront, such as the Oculus Store.[9] WEVR described Transport as a network for creators to publish their work. Unlike Vrideo and Littlstar, which focused on 360-degree video and photos, it was meant to carry several kinds of VR content, and part of the plan was a VR file format covering multiple content types. Of the distribution problem, CEO Neville Spiteri said: "It's a pain and it's hard and our service to the community is to take away that pain and solve some hard problems."[1]

On 14 December 2016 WEVR added a paid premium tier. Subscribers paid US$20 a year for content on room-scale PC headsets and mobile, or US$8 a year for mobile-only content on Gear VR. Launch titles were theBlu: Season 1 (Whale Encounter, Reef Migration and Luminous Abyss), Deepak Chopra's Finding Your True Self, Tyler Hurd's music video Old Friend and Waves.[10] Co-founder Anthony Batt told Tom's Hardware that downloaded titles remained playable after a membership lapsed and that subscription revenue would be put back into new content.[9]

History

Founding and theBlu

The Los Angeles Business Journal gives 2010 as the company's founding year, and WEVR's own site says it has worked in the field since 2010.[2][11] Its first original production was theBlu.[12] According to the company, theBlu began as an ocean simulation for desktop computers; WEVR received an Oculus Rift DK1 in January 2014 and began porting it to VR, and in September 2014 it was among the first developers to receive the Valve and HTC Vive "DK0" prototype.[13]

At GDC in March 2015, theBlu: Encounter was part of Valve's demo suite for the Vive. Road to VR's Matthew Terndrup described standing on the deck of a sunken ship as a blue whale approached and followed his movements with its eye.[4] For the New Frontier program of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Sundance selected four experiences from WEVR and its creative partners: theBlu: Encounter, Waves (by Benjamin Dickinson, Reggie Watts and Luis Blackaller), Irrational Exuberance by Ben Vance, and Hard World for Small Things by Janicza Bravo.[13][14][15]

Grants and early funding

March 2015 - WEVR launched a $1 million grant that gives $5000 to $50,000 to content producers to create VR videos with WEVR's media player.[3] The program was called OnWEVR. Applicants needed a VR experience a few minutes long that used WEVR's media player, and successful projects received free use of the company's player and distribution platform.[3]

In July 2015 HTC disclosed that it had spent almost US$10 million for a 15 percent stake in WEVR, as it built up content for the upcoming Vive.[16]

February 5, 2016 - Raised $25 million in venture capital from HTC, Samsung Ventures, Evolution Media Partners and others.[2] UploadVR reported that the $25 million was WEVR's total funding to date, including the earlier HTC investment. The investor list also named Madison Wells Media, Orange Digital Ventures, Digital Garage, AME Cloud Ventures, Boldstart Ventures, Scott McNealy and Ross Levinsohn. At the time the company had about 50 employees.[1]

Studio projects, 2016-2021

Gnomes & Goblins began as a 2016 preview (see Gnomes and Goblins (preview)) created with director Jon Favreau. The full version, credited to Favreau and VR director Jake Rowell and produced with MWM and Golem Creations, was shown as a 20-minute portion at Venice VR Expanded (2-12 September 2020) and was released for PC VR on Steam, Oculus and Viveport on 23 September 2020.[17]

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County ran theBlu as a pop-up VR exhibit for nearly eight weeks in March and April 2017. WEVR says more than 5,000 visitors tried it.[18] theBlu: Deep Rescue, a multi-person version directed by Jake Rowell and co-produced with Dreamscape Immersive, opened on 14 December 2018 at Dreamscape's venue in Westfield Century City, Los Angeles.[19] WEVR's timeline also lists an Epic Games investment in October 2018 and a Warner Bros. investment in January 2019.[13]

In July 2021 two Harry Potter VR experiences, Chaos at Hogwarts and Wizards Take Flight, opened at the Harry Potter New York store. WarnerMedia created them with WEVR, Keylight and Dreamscape Immersive.[20] Each supported up to six players, ran about 30 minutes including gearing up, and was priced at $34 per experience. Chaos at Hogwarts used a VR backpack with hand and foot trackers, while Wizards Take Flight seated each player on a physical broom.[6] WEVR says Anthony Batt and Luis Blackaller directed both pieces and that the team built them in Unreal Engine.[21]

Wevr Virtual Studio

In December 2021 WEVR reorganized into two divisions: Wevr Virtual Studio (WVS), a cloud platform for interactive creators, and Wevr Labs for productions. Scott Yara and Neville Spiteri became co-CEOs, and Marcel Samek, Jake Rowell and Luis Blackaller were added as co-founders.[22] WVS is aimed at teams using game engines such as Unreal and Unity, and WEVR describes it as a way to create cloud-automated builds.[13][22]

Renewed investment and location-based work, 2024-2026

On 5 June 2024 WEVR announced US$3.5 million in new funding from HTC and Epic Games, to expand Wevr Virtual Studio and its real-time 3D production capacity. HTC CEO Cher Wang said WEVR were "the ones to beat in this space."[5][23] In September 2024 WEVR and HTC agreed to co-produce three location-based experiences for 2025, initially exclusive to the HTC Vive Focus Vision, and The Blu Whale Encounter was preloaded on that headset to mark theBlu's tenth anniversary.[24]

On 27 February 2025 the company introduced its Shared Experience Engine, which it says lets groups of up to 100 people share one virtual world, and opened the Wevr LA XR Lab in Los Angeles with HTC VIVE.[25]

Terracotta Warriors: Secrets of the First Emperor's Mausoleum, made with VIVE Arts, opened in Xi'an on 29 July 2025. It is a 40-minute multi-user experience built in Unreal Engine and run on Vive Focus Vision headsets, with Luis Blackaller as creative director.[7][26] For Malta Enterprise, WEVR was part of a consortium that built the "Catch the Wave" Malta Pavilion experience at Expo 2025 in Osaka, directed by Spiteri, with a curved LED facade and a 180-degree LED "Immersion Chamber."[27] The company says the pavilion placed third in the Expo's People's Choice Award.[28]

On 23 October 2025 WEVR announced a European subsidiary in Malta, working with Malta Enterprise, Gaming Malta and the Malta Film Commission, together with a Talent Residency program for artists, designers and developers.[28] WEVR also developed The Little Prince: Call to Adventure, a free-roam adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's book for HTC VIVERSE, operated by NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS. It ran at ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO in Japan from 12 December 2025 to 28 February 2026 and lasts about 40 to 45 minutes.[8][29] WEVR's announcement used the title The Little Prince: A New Adventure Begins Here and described 16 scenes and 14 characters, with Alberto Vittadello as creative director.[30]

On 27 May 2026 WEVR and HTC announced The Blu: Expedition Taiwan, made with HTC VIVERSE and Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and directed by Michal Lovecky. It opened at VIVELAND KW7 in the Pier-2 Art Center in Kaohsiung and is the first theBlu edition in which groups swim together in a free-roam space.[31][32] In a July 2026 release, WEVR said its recent projects had reached more than one million people. It gave more than 750,000 visitors for the Malta Pavilion and more than 1,800 for a three-day theBlu pop-up in Mexico City with Fever.[33]

Funding

Date Amount Investors Notes
July 2015 Almost US$10 million HTC 15 percent stake[16]
5 February 2016 US$25 million (total to date) HTC, Samsung Ventures, Evolution Media Partners, Madison Wells Media, Orange Digital Ventures, Digital Garage, AME Cloud Ventures, Boldstart Ventures, Scott McNealy, Ross Levinsohn Includes the 2015 HTC investment[1]
October 2018 Not disclosed Epic Games Listed in WEVR's company timeline[13]
January 2019 Not disclosed Warner Bros. Listed in WEVR's company timeline[13]
5 June 2024 US$3.5 million HTC, Epic Games For Wevr Virtual Studio and real-time 3D production[5]

Leadership

WEVR's site lists Neville Spiteri as co-founder and CEO, Marcel Samek as co-founder and CTO, and Anthony Batt as co-founder.[11] Company press releases describe Samek as a former Electronic Arts CTO and Batt as formerly of Katalyst Studios.[24] An earlier version of the company's team page listed Scott Yara as co-founder and chairman.[34] In 2017 Fast Company included WEVR in its list of the ten most innovative companies in AR and VR.[19]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ian Hamilton (2016-02-05). "Wevr Raises $25 Million With Launch Of Transport, A Content Distribution Platform". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/wevr-raises-25-million-transport/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Garrett Reim (2016-02-05). "Virtual Reality Startup WEVR Raises $25 Million". Los Angeles Business Journal. https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2016/feb/05/virtual-reality-startup-wevr-raises-25-million/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Scott Hayden (2015-03-18). "WEVR Launches $1 Million VR Grant Program, Up to $50,000 Available for VR Storytellers". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/1million-vr-grant-program-wevr-5000-50000-available-vr-storytellers/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Matthew Terndrup (2015-05-11). "My Hands-on With WEVR's 'theBlu: Encounter' - Face to Face with a Giant of the Sea". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/wevrs-theblu-encounter-puts-people-face-face-worlds-largest-animal/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sam Sprigg (2024-06-05). "HTC VIVE and Epic Games invest $3.5M in VR development and production studio Wevr". Auganix. https://www.auganix.org/vr-news-htc-vive-and-epic-games-invest-3-5m-in-vr-development-and-production-studio-wevr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ben Lang (2021-07-23). "Two New 'Harry Potter' VR Experiences Launch at Harry Potter New York". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/harry-potter-vr-new-york-chaos-at-hogwarts-wizards-take-flight/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Terracotta Warriors: Secrets of the First Emperor's Mausoleum". VIVE Arts. https://www.vivearts.com/projects/terracotta-warriors. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Little Prince collaborates with HTC VIVERSE technology for an XR experience". Le Petit Prince (official site). 2026-01-31. https://www.lepetitprince.com/en/new-products-from-our-licensees/the-little-prince-collaborates-with-htc-viverse-technology-for-an-xr-experience/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Wevr Launches Subscription Model For Transport VR Content Portal". Tom's Hardware. 2016-12-14. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/wevr-transport-premium-subscription-service,33192.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. ↑ Dean Takahashi (2016-12-14). "Wevr Transport launches premium subscription for virtual reality apps". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/ai/wevr-transport-launches-premium-subscription-for-virtual-reality-apps. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "About Wevr". Wevr. https://wevr.com/about. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. ↑ "The Blu". Wevr. https://wevr.com/theblu. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 "Ten Years Of Weaving Reality". Wevr. https://wevr.com/wevrtenyears. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ Scott Hayden (2015-12-08). "Sundance Announces Over 30 VR Experiences Coming to 2016 Festival". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/sundance-announces-30-vr-experiences-coming-2016-festival/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Catherine Shu (2015-07-31). "HTC Spends Nearly $10M On A 15% Stake In Virtual Reality Platform WEVR". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2015/07/31/htc-is-a-be-wevr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. ↑ "Jon Favreau's 'Gnomes & Goblins' VR Experience Coming September 23". Animation World Network. 2020-09-02. https://www.awn.com/news/jon-favreaus-gnomes-goblins-vr-experience-coming-september-23. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. ↑ "The Blu (including LA Natural History Museum)". Wevr. https://wevr.com/highlights/the-blu-los-angeles-natural-history-museum. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Wevr's 'TheBlu: Deep Rescue' Premieres at New Dreamscape Location". Newswire. 2018-12-14. https://www.newswire.com/news/wevrs-theblu-deep-rescue-premieres-at-new-dreamscape-location-20740047. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  20. ↑ "Become part of the adventure as WarnerMedia announces the opening of two brand new immersive Harry Potter Virtual Reality Experiences". PR Newswire. WarnerMedia. 2021-07-08. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/become-part-of-the-adventure-as-warnermedia-announces-the-opening-of-two-brand-new-immersive-harry-potter-virtual-reality-experiences-301328112.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  21. ↑ "Harry Potter". Wevr. https://wevr.com/highlights/harry-potter-vr. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Julie Reif (2021-12-21). "Wevr - A new day". Wevr. https://old.wevr.com/news/wevr-a-new-day. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  23. ↑ "HTC VIVE and Epic Games Announce New Investment in Wevr for Cutting-Edge VR Brand Experiences". VIVE Blog. HTC. 2024-06-05. https://blog.vive.com/us/htc-vive-and-epic-games-announce-new-investment-in-wevr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Wevr Selected by HTC VIVE to Deliver New Slate of Immersive, Location-Based Experiences". Silicon UK. Business Wire. 2024-09-18. https://www.silicon.co.uk/press-release/wevr-selected-by-htc-vive-to-deliver-new-slate-of-immersive-location-based-experiences. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  25. ↑ "Wevr Launches Shared Experience Engine". Silicon UK. Business Wire. 2025-02-27. https://www.silicon.co.uk/press-release/wevr-launches-shared-experience-engine. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  26. ↑ "Terracotta Warriors: Discover the Untouched Chambers of the First Emperor's Tomb". VIVE Blog. HTC. 2025-08-04. https://blog.vive.com/us/terracotta-warriors-discover-the-untouched-chambers-of-the-first-emperors-tomb/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  27. ↑ "Catching the Wave: How Wevr Brought Malta's Story to Life at World Expo 2025". Wevr. 2025-12-15. https://wevr.com/highlights/malta-world-expo-2025. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Wevr Establishes EU Creative Studio in Malta". GlobeNewswire. Wevr. 2025-10-23. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/10/23/3171949/0/en/Wevr-Establishes-EU-Creative-Studio-in-Malta.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  29. ↑ "VIVERSE Announces World's First Location-Based Multiplayer VR Version of The Little Prince in Japan". Digital Media Net. Business Wire. 2026-02-18. https://digitalmedianet.com/viverse-announces-worlds-first-location-based-multiplayer-vr-version-of-the-little-prince-in-japan/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  30. ↑ "Wevr - free-roam XR adaptation of The Little Prince". blooloop. 2025-12-17. https://blooloop.com/wevr-the-little-prince/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  31. ↑ "Wevr and HTC Announce The Blu: Expedition Taiwan, First in Global Series of Immersive Ocean XR Experiences". GlobeNewswire. Wevr. 2026-05-27. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/27/3301773/0/en/Wevr-and-HTC-Announce-The-Blu-Expedition-Taiwan-First-in-Global-Series-of-Immersive-Ocean-XR-Experiences.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  32. ↑ "The Blu: Expedition Taiwan Launch". Wevr. 2026-05-29. https://wevr.com/highlights/wevr-launches-the-blu-expedition-taiwan. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  33. ↑ "Wevr's Year of Global Firsts: Five Immersive Experiences, Three Continents, One Million + Audiences Reached". GlobeNewswire. Wevr. 2026-07-15. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/15/3327794/0/en/Wevr-s-Year-of-Global-Firsts-Five-Immersive-Experiences-Three-Continents-One-Million-Audiences-Reached.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  34. ↑ "Wevr Team". Wevr. https://old.wevr.com/about/team. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
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