WASZP announce VR partnership with MarineVerse
by Marc Ablett 4 Nov 2020 20:09 AEDT
WASZP Virtual Reality © WASZP
In a year of change two Melbourne-based companies have remained agile and partnered to change the way sailing is delivered around the world.
WASZP, a brand that has created the most popular and accessible one-design foiling boat in the world, has strategically teamed up with virtual reality (VR) software developer MarineVerse.
MarineVerse, founded in 2016 and based in Melbourne, develops sailing software for VR headsets like Oculus Quest or HTC Vive. Through VR, MarineVerse promotes and shares the sport of sailing with the world. Their goal is to create "the world's largest sailing club", that will enable everyone to learn, explore and race. With funding support from Film Victoria, MarineVerse developed VR Regatta, empowering over 30k people to experience sailing for the first time, and was recognized as a Top VR Education application by HTC. In 2019, MarineVerse started working on their next major project, MarineVerse Cup - a sailboat racing game that can be played with standalone VR headsets like Oculus Quest to reach even more people.
Over the last 7 months WASZP has worked closely with MarineVerse through the challenging Melbourne lockdown period to develop the world's most accessible foiling experience. 4 to 5 years ago, Foiling was seen as high-end and unachievable to most. Since WASZP began production on their one-design foiler on a budget, built on culture, inclusiveness and lifestyle, it has opened the world up to this phenomenon. With 1000 boats now distributed worldwide, WASZP is now the most popular one-design foiling boat in the world. To further add to the customer experience WASZP has entered into a strategic partnership with MarineVerse to deliver a virtual reality platform that will allow WASZP sailors from all over the globe to stay digitally connected in a way they haven't before.
Marc Ablett head of product and global sales/marketing at WASZP said, _"This partnership is going to build a fan base for the WASZP product that will continue to expose more people to our boat and also the lifestyle that goes with it. We are able to include MarineVerse Cup in RaceHub and develop racing circuits and leagues for our existing sailors, but we are also able to teach people the skills of foiling. The immersive technology and experience is so life-like. We have engaged some of the best WASZP sailors in the world to help us with the physics of the boat within the game and creating real life WASZP courses combining that with multiplayer mode the racing will be elite"_
Community engagement and taking the sport to more people is also in MarineVerses' core values with Greg Dziemidowicz, Founder and Lead Developer at MarineVerse adding, _"MarineVerse mission is to inspire, train and connect sailors, and share the amazing feeling of sailing with a wide global audience. WASZP is a perfect boat to showcase virtual reality and introduce gamers to sailing - WASZP is fast, fun & exciting. Not only do you get to sail, but you can fly in VR! Our goal with MarineVerse Cup is to develop a fun sailing game that is authentic and approachable. Collaborating closely with a Melbourne based WASZP team, is a fantastic opportunity to make it happen"_.
Together, WASZP and MarineVerse are redefining what it means to be a sailor. Customers should expect an ongoing experience after purchasing a boat, on and off the water. This collaboration between two proud Melbourne companies willset new standards in the industry and bring more people to the sport of sailing.
If you want to learn more about Virtual Reality WASZP Sailing in collaboration with MarineVerse, sign-up at racehub.waszp.com This platform is launching on the 11th of November alongside many other initiatives introduced by WASZP to further assist with the growth of the class.