World’s First Virtual Reality Roller Coaster Experience
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, and Samsung Electronics America, Inc., the “Official Technology Partner” of the world’s largest regional theme park company, announced the next evolution of Virtual Reality experiences coming to eight parks this fall. The company that introduced North America’s first VR Coasters earlier this year, using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus – is taking thrill-seekers on an all-new 360 degree adventure in Rage of the Gargoyles, a chilling, futuristic battle between good and evil featuring the first-ever interactive roller coaster gaming experience.
“The guest response to the virtual reality coasters at our parks has been outstanding, further solidifying Six Flags as the world leader in innovative rides and attractions,” said Six Flags President and CEO John Duffey. “One of the most exciting things about this technology is that we have the ability to change the storylines to offer our guests new thrills and new reasons to visit our parks. Just like the Superman and New Revolution VR Coasters currently operating in nine of our parks, Rage of the Gargoyles will be another first for our guests.”
“What’s been so great about our partnership with Six Flags is that it’s perfectly in line with Samsung’s mission to bring Samsung Gear VR and virtual reality technology to the masses,” said Marc Mathieu, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Electronics America. “More and more people will get to experience VR for the first time through this totally unique and immersive experience.”
In Rage of the Gargoyles, riders – wearing Samsung Gear VR headsets – are pilots seated in the cockpit of an Apache-style helicopter. With a devastated cityscape as the backdrop, a fleet of choppers prepares to battle an army of terrorizing, winged creatures. The action-packed adventure begins when riders ascend up the coaster’s lift hill as the blood-thirsty gargoyles mercilessly attack the copter’s fragile glass barrier. The epic on-screen conflict quickly accelerates as the high-definition imagery synchs perfectly to the coaster’s movements sending riders twisting, turning and diving through the hazardous city streets – flying over battered skyscrapers, plunging underneath twisted bridges and dodging falling debris, all while shooting to repel these lethal demons and conquer the vicious master gargoyle. A surprise ending to this fully-immersive virtual odyssey will leave guests breathless, and ready to experience Rage of the Gargoyles over and over again.
This groundbreaking VR coaster gaming experience does not need a touchpad or buttons to activate, allowing riders to keep their hands on the lap bar as they shoot. Instead, the mounted Gatling guns on the helicopters are controlled through head movements and as soon as an attacker is targeted, the weapon automatically fires. Target tracking graphics will display in HMD (Head Mounting Display) style to demonstrate the autofire function.
Rage of the Gargoyles will debut on the following eight roller coasters:
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• Demon at Six Flags Great America near Chicago;
• Skull Mountain at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey;
• Shock Wave at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington;
• Kong at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom near San Francisco;
• Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia outside of Atlanta;
• Goliath at La Ronde in Montreal;
• Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka; and
• Steamin’ Demon at The Great Escape in Lake George, New York.
