Dave Ranyard, who headed up Sony’s London Studio throughout PlayStation VR’s development, has announced the formation of a new VR-focused game Dream Reality Interactive.
Dave Ranyard was arguably the public face of Sony’s Morpheus (aka PlayStation VR) project in the early days of its public life, after its unveiling at 2014’s Game Developer Conference. Ranyard headed up Sony’s London Studio and were tasked with exploring the possibilities and pitfalls of VR gaming and just what would become the world’s first console VR platform.
Ranyard led the team responsible for the PSVR launch title VR Worlds, a collection of experiences which represented the most successful of their years of experimentation. The compilation included such varied offerings as London Heist,
However, not long after the PlayStation VR’s launch in October of last year, Sony announced it was making some structural changes to its London Studios which meant job losses. Now, perhaps as a result of those changes, the head of Sony London is stepping down from his post and is setting up a new development house, Dream Reality Interactive, focused on virtual reality gaming.
Ranyard said of the move “With the availability of a range of VR headsets the question is no longer IF virtual reality will be successful, it is WHEN and most importantly, HOW? None of us really knows the answer but after a fantastic 17 years at Sony, now feels like the right time to explore the possibilities. Going independent allows me to work across all platforms and that’s very liberating.”
And Ranyard won’t be the only Sony London alum. at the studio, as some of his former teammates are joining him. Richard Bates, Artemis Tsouflidou, Albert Bentall and John Foster, who were all “integral to the development of ‘VR Worlds’ for Sony’s PSVR headset” are joining Ranyard at Dream Reality Interactive. The new studio is already is already “working on several projects and prototypes, creating its own IP in addition to developing titles in partnership with other IP owners, across a variety of VR headsets.”
It’s difficult to estimate Sony London Studio’s impact on VR gaming’s landscape. The team were one of the earliest to begin defining the do’s and don’ts of VR as a gaming platform and as such those joining Ranyard on his new venture may arguably have some of the most experienced VR developers in the business. We’re therefore very much looking forward to seeing what Dream Reality Interactive have to offer in the future.
