The Virtual Experience Company was the first in the world to develop a real-time virtual visitor experience designed to enable visitors with impaired mobility to explore areas they were previously unable to access.

Mike Gogan, who founded the Virtual Experience Company and will head the new division within Blitz Games says, “This partnership brings the fantastic visuals and engaging, interactive and multi-player gameplay you get with video games to sectors that are increasingly interested in connecting with a digitally enabled generation. We’ve always been at the leading edge of applying new technology in areas where it can make a difference and this initiative opens up really exciting possibilities.”

Blitz Games, which is best known for family friendly video games like Bratz and Karaoke Revolution presents: American Idol as well as adult titles like Reservoir Dogs, is already applying video games techniques and technologies in games designed for training – known as Serious Games. It is leading an R&D programme, funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry, to develop serious game prototypes and robust metrics to measure their effectiveness. The acquisition of the Virtual Experience Company will allow the knowledge gained in that domain to be applied in the cultural and heritage sector where knowledge transfer is often a key target.

The Virtual Experience Company will be exhibiting some stunning virtual images, the first results of the new collaboration, at the Museums on the Web Conference in San Francisco in April 2007.