Young Swiss entrepreneur shakes up the VR scene in the USA

The young Swiss VR artist Cécile Amstad is now also making her mark in the USA. We took a look at her projects.

At World VR Forum in Crans-Montana in 2017 with Cécile Amstad spoken. Back then, she was still pretty new on the scene. Since then, she's disappeared from the scene a bit, or so I thought. I tried to contact her once to find out how things were going and what projects were still in the pipeline. Nothing. Suddenly, Cécile got in touch this spring and told me that she had landed in the USA and had opened her second office there. I was amazed, she has a lot going on again. We present two projects.

Fight'n'Flight 

This game is all about robots. The aim of the game is simple: the last surviving robot wins.

There are a total of 6 arenas for games with a maximum duration of 15 minutes. The game is multiplayer capable and has capacity for 4 arcade players.

You can fly around the arenas and shoot down your opponents. Every Iron Man fan will love it! Because flying with Vive's hand jets is very much in the style of the superhero. You can also select the primary and secondary weapon on the left and right, using your head to aim at the target.

If you're thinking: "Oh God, I'm going to be sick anyway." Cécile has good news for you. They have tackled the issue of motion sickness and promise that it shouldn't normally happen.

But that's not all. There are also mines (launchers), temporary field generators, cannons and also regeneration mines, the latter of which give back lives. There are also several hiding places and obstacles to keep the game exciting.

I was allowed to take a look at a short test and can say that it literally looks bomb! Here's a little impression for you:

They are currently still looking for further funding opportunities to drive the project forward.

Virtual Orchestra 

In this virtual reality simulation, the user becomes the conductor of their own orchestra. It is therefore a kind of immersive music experience with classical music. Over 145 modern and well-known pieces by artists such as Hans Zimmer, Edvard Grieg, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Carl Orff and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are currently available.

The virtual symphony orchestra is controlled using real hand gestures. So anyone who wants to learn the art of conducting can practise with this application before venturing onto the real stage.

Cécile is realising the project in collaboration with the artist Shirly Spikes. She is a professional musician, composer and conductor. "I wanted to give others the opportunity to feel what it's like to be on stage and behave."

The two women found a common bond when they started working on Fight and Flight. We supported each other in the project. So we realised it was time to join forces and create something truly unique, says Shirly in an email. "Everyone can make the music in this experience their own. This removes barriers between the music listeners and the people who create it, and gives people the opportunity to become part of the music creation."

We are excited to see what is yet to come.