2022 Year in Review
As I sit here, looking back on 2022 to determine what I should include in this write-up, I realize the gravity of change and growth that has become Andromeda Entertainment over the last four quarters. I am once again overwhelmed with good emotions. In so many ways, this has been our most successful year ever, and I am so unbelievably proud of the team and everyone who helped make so much happen this year, and I am beyond excited for the next.
Our highly-passionate developers have worked tirelessly all year long on updating, porting, and improving their experiences. At the same time, we've signed and developed new titles, hired talented professionals, and participated in awards shows and events that, at one point, were merely dreams—I am truly humbled and honoured to be a part of such an exciting and active industry.
Read on to learn more about what we've accomplished over the past year, including highlights from the last quarter and a glimpse into our plans for 2023.
The VR Awards
Participating as hosts, performers, partners, and finalists in the Innovative VR Company of the Year category at the 6th International VR Awards, makes this unforgettable week a strong contender for our most significant moment this year.
I was so thrilled for the opportunity to host the pre-show panel live stream, where I was joined by esteemed guests Eugenio Aguilar from Vertigo Games, Leland Hedges from Pico, and Matias Lapsuchin from Sensorium to discuss the finalists' projects, gain their industry insights, and discuss our shared passion for the potential of XR. It was unbelievable to weigh in on Andromeda's ability to adapt, pivot, and thrive in emergent markets, accumulating in us finding ourselves among giants as finalists in the Innovate Company of the Year category.
To top it off, our CEO John McClellan & his partner Bri provided the pre-show entertainment: a stunning aerial acrobatic performance infused with Virtual Reality elements. I have never been prouder to be a part of Andromeda Entertainment than I was on that night, in the front row, watching them perform.
It was a delight to connect with friends, colleagues, partners, and personal mentors in-person for the first time since 2019 in beautiful Rotterdam, and we are already getting ready for next year!
To read more about the event, check out AIXR's write-up here or watch the whole show (including the pre-show panel I hosted and the full pre-show acrobat performance) via AIXR's YouTube channel here. Congratulations again to all the winners!
Andromeda Entertainment Expands
New Talent
We've been fortunate enough to see the Andromeda Entertainment universe expand again with the hiring of two new talented individuals in Q3 –Q4. Please give an infinite interplanetary welcome to Jasmine Uniza and Emmett Friedrichs!
Jasmine Uniza joined our team as a Creative and Marketing Consultant. She owns the brand 'VR with Jasmine', which has a following of over 35k+ across social media. In addition, her videos about VR have garnered millions of views. Before her career in Marketing, she worked as an Engineer for over ten years in the tech industry, including at Apple Inc. and Meta/Oculus.
Emmett Friedrichs is our new Associate Producer. Emmett has AAA experience working on significant project releases from Call of Duty to official Unity Tools to Unreal Engine 5. He is an experienced leader managing large SaaS portfolios and got his start in VR indie titles. Emmett is interested in all things technology and creating vast brand-new experiences.
New Titles
We are beyond elated to announce that we will be representing three more titles in expanding to emergent platforms, bringing our total number of made-for-VR IPs to nine. This means we conquered our goal for 2022, which was to sign a total of three new titles. We instead signed six.
About Shuttle Maze
VR Maze & Action Hybrid is an evolution of classic 2D platform games, brought to life with all the features of Virtual Reality. Experience intense battles as you blast and shoot enemy bots, upgrade your weapons with Dr. Harris' tech, compete for the best time in races, and immerse yourself in retro graphics and vibrant beats. Read more or buy Shuttle Maze on Meta Quest via AppLab.
About Eolia
Award-winning single-player adventure. Immerse yourself in a vibrant, hand-tracking fantasy journey as Conga Dholak, determined to save the land from a great storm. Solve puzzles and play instruments with your hands to unlock musical superpowers, collect over 300 items and discover a richly detailed lore told by the inhabitants of Eolia. Learn more or get Eolia on Meta Quest platforms.
About Ionia
A unique virtual reality adventure. Travel through an incredible fantasy world as you explore its secrets with Allegra by your side. Discover magical creatures and ancient artifacts while solving puzzles and fighting off Tritone forces to restore balance to nature. With stunning visuals, captivating music, and full-body motion controls, immerse yourself in this magical world like never before! Learn more or get Ionia on Steam or Meta Quest platforms.
A look to the future
We are already so excited for 2023 that we just can’t end this blog without sharing some of what's in store.
SolarBlack Launches on Pico, iQIYI, and NOLO, Update Planned, & GDC 2023!
2022 was an exciting year for our third IP, SolarBlack, and it’s creator Niel Widy, and 2023 is already shaping up to be no different! This year saw the global launch of SolarBlack on the Pico, iQIYI, and NOLO platforms to a new community of action lovers. Niel also was a part of devcom 2022 this year, with his session on developing during the pandemic as a solo dev; Iteration in Isolation: Finding Success as a Solo VR Developer During a Global Pandemic.
This session received a line of questions out to the hallway and feedback after the conference, making us doubly excited that Niel will be at the 2023 Game Developers Conference! Here he will share even more of his insight into developing a globally successful VR game as a solo developer. Don’t miss his session at the GDC 2023 Future Realities Summit: Iteration in Isolation: Finding Success as a Solo VR Developer During a Global Pandemic.
We’re also excited to announce plans for SolarBlack’s first update, the Infinity Update, which will include new content, polishes, and more! The Infinity Update is set to touchdown on Pico and iQIYI headsets on January 12, 2023.
Audio Trip Dance Full Out Update: Global Launch
The Dance Full Out update dropped on Meta and PC VR platforms on December 15, 2022, just in time for the holidays! The update includes a new campaign mode, game modifiers and achievements, an updated scoring system, and leaderboards. Plus, this update sees nine new songs with four choreographies each debut in a headset near you! This was an important milestone for the team, and we can’t wait to hear what you think.
We’re also excited to announce that The Dance FULL Out Update is expected to launch for Pico, YVR, and iQIYI platforms early in 2023!
Shadowgate and Iron Guard Global Launches
We are so proud of the Shadowgate and Iron Guard teams for managing development, QA, and Marketing for multiple simultaneous global launches on new platforms. We want to recognize what an accomplishment this is and mention it was an absolute blast to work with both teams in bringing these amazing titles to new players.
Adventurers on iQIYI and Pico platforms can expect to unravel the mystery of Shadowgate VR: The Mines of Mythrok starting January 12. AppLab graduate Iron Guard, the hit made-for-VR tower defence game, will be available the same day for iQIYI, Pico, and YVR devices.
Iron Guard Graduates from AppLab to Meta Quest Store
Massive congratulations to the team at Iron Guard for completing the journey from AppLab to Meta Quest Main store on October 27 , 2022! Since its launch, we have been overwhlemed by the love and support we are seeing pour in from the community via game reviews, forums, and social media.
Andromeda Entertainment at CES
We can't think of a better way to start the new year than by attending the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, in person in fabulous Las Vegas, January 5-8. Will you be there? Reach out, we'd love to connect! And, as always, stay tuned to our social pages to stay up-to-date on all the exciting news and announcements we may or may not have coming up for CES!
In closing
Wow wow wow wow wow. It's hard to believe this year has been so incredible, so thank you to everyone who has been along for the journey for the past year, in particular thank you to those who are sitll reading this far into the blog. Before signing off completely, I would love to share this letter from our CEO John McClellan.
Virtually yours,
Ashley "ashleyriott" Blake, COO
A note from the CEO
Happy Holidays!
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone reading this blog. Since June of 2022, Andromeda Entertainment has DOUBLED the number of partner PLATFORMS with the active distribution of our titles and TRIPLED the number of TITLES under contract. To me, this signals that we are no longer envisioning changing the world of transformative entertainment; we are actively doing it.
2022 has been our most successful year yet; however, success aside, it is our problem-solving and supporting each other in the face of adversity that I am most proud of. With team members and developers spanning more than half a dozen countries, we have truly become a global publishing team.
We also have many Advisors and Investors - more than I can list here today - but I want to take this opportunity to thank you all and share my excitement for the new year.
There are not enough pixels in a new 8k headset for me to thank you all adequately. So this letter will have to do for now. All the little things you do have allowed our titles to reach new markets and for Andromeda to grow at this rate. So from my family to yours, from the tips of my toes to the palms of my hands, thank you.
John McClellan, CEO.
Links mentioned in this blog
The 6th International VR Awards announces winners live in Rotterdam. (2022, December 2). AIXR. https://aixr.org/press/articles/the-6th-international-vr-awards-announces-winners-live-in-rotterdam/
Audio Trip on Oculus Quest. (n.d.). Oculus. https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2484044451715693/
Audio Trip on Steam. (n.d.). Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/826540/Audio_Trip/
Eolia on Oculus Quest. (n.d.). Oculus. https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/4457738027605720/
Future Realities Summit: Iteration in Isolation: Finding Success as a Solo VR Developer During a Global Pandemic. (n.d.). GDC schedule. https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/future-realities-summit-iteration-in-isolation-finding-success-as-a-solo-vr-developer-during-a-global-pandemic/891518
Ionia on Oculus Quest. (n.d.). Oculus. https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3759841040728627/
Ionia on Steam. (n.d.). Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121140/Ionia/
Iteration in Isolation: Finding Success as a Solo VR Developer During a Global Pandemic. (n.d.). Devcom Global. https://app.swapcard.com/widget/event/dev-com/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfOTY5NDUz
Shuttle Maze on Oculus Quest. (n.d.). Oculus. https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/4055335517833878/
VR Awards 2022 Livestream - [Pre-show & Ceremony]. (2022, December 1). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpPLWe9xbc
VR Awards Exclusive: Taking Acrobatics into a Whole New Dimension with Andromeda Entertainment. (2022, December 16). AIXR. https://aixr.org/insights/vr-awards-exclusive-taking-acrobatics-into-a-whole-new-dimension-with-andromeda-entertainment/?utm_campaign=VR%20Awards%202022&utm_content=232013583&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-772151443247726592