The Muse Simulation Theory VR Experience for which House of Secrets created two of the three games has won a Clio award.
We’re very proud for the work we’ve done on this and proud for having worked on a project with so many other talented and cool people.
https://clios.com/music/winner/digital-mobile/microsoft/muse-simulation-theory-vr-experience-59730
SamsungVR has teamed up with House of Secrets and Kaleidoscope to show the pilot for our current project: Voyages.
VOYAGES is a multifaceted VR experience by Kaleidoscope and House of Secrets that takes you through the journey of life.
We travel through six chapters: Birth, Childhood, Youth, Maturity, Old Age and Death.
In the pilot on SamsungVR viewers can now see and hear the concepts for Birth, Maturity, Old Age and Death play out before them.
Each chapter of our life has something new to offer, something universal yet unique. In Voyages musical artists uncover the meaning of each stage of our lives as visual artists create their own take on things. Together, they develop immersive, incredible, yet familiar experiences in VR.
This awesome VR music project is still ongoing, but on Samsung’s platform you are now able to see four of the six concepts worked into 360 formats. Eventually there are big plans for Voyages; real-time, interactive, an installation even? We’ll keep you updated once more can be confirmed 🙂
For now, go and enjoy the experiences on SamsungVR. You can watch the video’s both in-browser, or, better yet, in your GearVR:
[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][blockquote text=”KIN is up on the Oculus Store now” show_quote_icon=”no” text_color=”#f28100″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]As of today, Oculus Rift owners can play KIN on their headsets as well. Last December, just before the holidays, the GearVR version was launched. Now all who have access to the Oculus Store are able to buy and play KIN.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]The game holds an abstract aesthetic that has become characteristic for the studio through their earlier VR experiences such as APEX and Surge. Lively colours, intuitive gameplay and interesting level design set the tone for KIN, in which the player moves through the world as a mysterious, tiny girl with big hair clad in a bright dress. Defeating enemies and solving puzzles, she leaps from platform to platform, travelling through different landscapes.
We at House of Secrets have been loving the process of making our first original game for VR. Developing content for such a new medium always comes with surprising challenges, but we are happy to now share the results with you. We hope you enjoy playing KIN.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”nivo” interval=”10″ images=”1490,1491,1492,1493,1494″ img_size=”medium” onclick=”img_link_large” custom_links_target=”_blank” css_animation=”none”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Release date: December 21 2017 GearVR, January 2018 Oculus Rift
Made possible by Oculus
Find out more at http://kin-game.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][blockquote text=”Stylistic VR platformer to hit Oculus Store later this year” show_quote_icon=”no” text_color=”#f25709″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]At the end of 2017, House of Secrets will present a VR puzzle platformer game with combat elements that will have the player traverse the remnants of an ancient civilization on a distant planet. Throughout the journey through alien landscapes, a story will unfold.
The game will become available for both the Gear VR and the Oculus Rift later this year.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]The game holds an abstract aesthetic that has become characteristic for the studio through their earlier VR experiences such as APEX and Surge. Lively colours, intuitive gameplay and interesting level design set the tone for KIN, in which the player moves through the world as a mysterious, tiny girl with big hair clad in a bright dress. Defeating enemies and solving puzzles, she leaps from platform to platform, travelling through different landscapes.
We at House of Secrets have been loving this journey into indie game development for VR and we will share more news with you as we are nearing the launch date.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1429″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]Exact release date to be announced
Made possible by Oculus
Find out more at http://kin-game.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]APEX is the new VR title from director Arjan van Meerten at the Dutch studio House of Secrets. After the acclaimed VR music video Surge was released in 2015, a follow-up has been highly anticipated. On April 21 the wait will be over, as APEX will premiere at the Virtual Arcade program at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Beauty in destruction” border=”no” el_class=”h3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]The stylistic, sober, yet fiery style that persists throughout the experience of APEX, accompanied by an immersive soundtrack, might be somewhat familiar to those that have seen Surge. However, APEX tells its own story. Not necessarily through traditional storytelling, but rather by submerging the viewer into an all-encompassing landscape. There is destruction, but there is also beauty in what you are seeing. APEX means to overwhelm and inspire.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Music as inspiration and tool” border=”no” el_class=”h3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]Director Arjan van Meerten has found inspiration for APEX in metal music. Playing in his own bands from age 16 and going to death metal concerts from early on, he wanted to convey the surge of energy that goes through the crowd as the heavy guitar music roars through the speakers. No better way to express this feeling than through VR as it is such an “intense and immersive way to experience music”, Arjan says.
The soundtrack of the experience itself holds an important key to conveying this experience over overwhelming energy. As with Surge, Arjan made his own music for APEX. Not death metal, but rather ear-shattering electronic music. The symbiosis of image and sound makes it so the viewer gets really engulfed in the experience. Deliberately, as Arjan says, for he “like[s] it when people take off the headset and have to adjust to the earth again”.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”“A Labor of Love”” border=”no” el_class=”h3″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]
“A lot of the most interesting virtual reality is coming from individuals or really small teams doing it really as a labor of love”, says René Pinnell of Kaleidoscope VR. Because VR these days, while foreboding a big shift for animators and creators, is still privy to just a small audience and market, a great playground arises for creators that are not up for confirmation but want to listen to their own artistic voice above all.
Anthony Batt at Wevr agrees that “it’s truly startling in its originality and artistic power. Because Arjan creates both the music and the visuals, you get a profoundly personal vision that comes across in this uncompromising work.” For René, APEX is “definitely more than a music video. Whenever you listen to a song you have these waves of emotion. And being inside of Apex is like diving inside the music and what you see is amplifying those emotions. It’s like it is hardwiring into your brain and demanding that you feel this fear and wonder.”
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]APEX is made by Arjan van Meerten and produced at House of Secrets. For the full credits and more information, please visit http://houseofsecrets.nl/press-item/apex/
APEX has been made possible by Kaleidoscope VR and Wevr. Find out more at http://wevr.com and http://kaleidovr.com
Press contact for House of Secrets is Daniëlle de Jonge, danielle@houseofsecrets.nl, +31 (0)20 261 9139
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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/125673986″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” up=”8″ down=”24″][vc_column_text][dropcaps type=’normal’ color=’#ffffff’ background_color=’#262626′ border_color=’#262626′]A[/dropcaps]fter a nice long run on many festivals, you can now enjoy our latest animated short film Cruise Patrol from your own cozy couch at home.
So head on over to the Cruise Patrol project page or our Vimeo channel and enjoy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
After a year of hard work in his spare time, our own Arjan van Meerten has created a stunning VR musicvideo for the Oculus Rift called Surge. After being released on the Oculus Share page, it has received a lot of positive comments and is currently featured on Oculus’s share page.
If you own an Oculus Rift, go check it out !
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][button size=”small” text=”Download from OculusVR share page” icon=”fa-eye” icon_color=”#ffffff” link=”https://share.oculus.com/app/surge” target=”_blank” color=”#ffffff” hover_color=”#262626″ border_color=”#262626″ hover_border_color=”#ff5500″ background_color=”#262626″ hover_background_color=”#ff5500″ margin=”2px”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
It’s finally online, our new site, all nice and shiny in HTML5 and fully compatible with pretty much every modern device and browser (let’s face it, our Flash based site was getting a bit long in the tooth)
