About EXIT VR
Virtual becomes real
EXIT VR set out to use the possibilities of virtual reality to create unique puzzles as a multiplayer escape room experience – and created a new kind of adventure entertainment.
From Berlin to venues around the world
EXIT VR was founded in October 2016 as a joint venture of EXIT – The Live Escape Game, Berlin’s first live escape game provider, and the Berlin VR studio Trotzkind.
In May 2017 the first game, HUXLEY – Save the Future, opened in Berlin as the first German VR live adventure: back then teams moved freely through a virtual world wearing wireless backpack PCs, solving puzzles together against the clock. It went on to win the German Computer Games Prize, the Animago Award and the VR Now Award, and was licensed to venues across Europe and beyond.
The games were developed entirely by the EXIT VR team in Berlin – from story and puzzles to art, animation and code. HUXLEY 2 – The Adventure Begins followed in 2019, and the HUXMANJI mini games in 2020.
How HUXLEY was made
The art direction aimed for games that work for everyone – from children to retirees, including people who rarely play computer games. The first HUXLEY was built in Unity; for HUXLEY 2 the team moved to Unreal Engine to create livelier worlds full of creatures and moving parts, and to work inside the levels with its VR editor.
Characters were animated with motion capture. Models were created in Maya, Blender and ZBrush, materials and textures in Substance Painter and Substance Designer.
Concept art
HUXLEY 3
A concept for a third HUXLEY: a temple in the mountains, a ride into a cave with a lake of energy, a workshop where every player airbrushes their own robot suit, a labyrinth of cubes to rotate and teleport through, and a broken portal to rebuild.
Milestones
Timeline
EXIT VR is founded
A joint venture of EXIT – The Live Escape Game and the Berlin VR studio Trotzkind.
HUXLEY – Save the Future launches
The first German VR live adventure opens in Berlin.
VR Now Award
VR Entertainment Award for HUXLEY.
German Computer Games Prize
HUXLEY wins “Best Innovation” and is nominated for “Best Staging”.
Animago Award
HUXLEY wins in the category “Best VR/AR/360°”.
HUXLEY 2 – The Adventure Begins launches
The steampunk prequel, built in Unreal Engine.
VR Awards finalist
HUXLEY 2 is a finalist at the international VR Awards in London.
German Developer Award nomination
HUXLEY 2 is nominated for “Best Graphics” alongside Anno 1800, The Surge 2 and Trüberbrook.
AUREA Award finalist
HUXLEY 2 is one of 10 finalists from more than 120 entries at Europa-Park.
HUXMANJI launches
Three competitive mini games open up the arcade market.
Moments
