The Void ‘Ghostbusters’ Experience: New Virtual Reality Attraction Allows Visitors To Participate In Ghost-Hunting Mission

The Void Ghostbusters Experience is set to open this summer in New York. Based out of Utah, the virtual reality entertainment center, The Void, partnered with Sony Pictures to help develop the new Ghostbusters-themed attraction titled Ghostbusters: Dimension. According to Road to VR on Monday, The Void Ghostbusters Experience will allow visitors to capture ghosts in a mixed reality set that combines the real world with a virtual world.

New 'Ghostbusters' Is Getting a Hyper-Reality Experience from The Void in New York City https://t.co/wGqSHhxyls pic.twitter.com/2tYBjF9Mza

— /Film (@slashfilm) May 10, 2016

Founded by former stage magician and visual effects artist Curtis Hickman, along with CEO and businessman Ken Bretschneider, The Void was meant to be a fully-developed hybrid reality theme park called Evermore based out of Pleasant Grove, Utah. However, due to lack of funds, the immense project that was to mix aspects of the physical environment with virtual reality effects was paused indefinitely. Instead, an announcement was made in August 2015 that the two co-founders would develop a standalone attraction they decided to call The Void, which stands for “The Vision of Infinite Dimensions.”

Says Hickman, “In our hyper-reality experiences we map virtual worlds over physical spaces. We’re taking the virtual world and enhancing it with reality.”

Bretschneider and Hickman have yet to open a flagship location for The Void but plan to sometime in 2016 in Pleasant Grove, Utah, that will feature several stages where players can “live” movies and games through a combination of physical sets, real-time interactive effects, and virtual reality, also known as hyper-reality, according to The Void’s official blog at TheVoid.com. In the meantime, The Void announced in May that a partnership had been established with Sony Pictures to co-develop a Ghostbusters-themed virtual reality standalone attraction with a release date that coincides with the new Ghostbusters film in July.

“In advance of the July 15, 2016, release of Ghostbusters, one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer, Sony Pictures, Madame Tussauds New York, Ghost Corps and THE VOID have teamed up to bring Ghostbusters to life like never before.”

An official news release by The Void on Monday said the Ghostbusters-themed immersive, virtual reality experience will open on July 1 in advance of the July 15 release of the Ghostbusters reboot.

“Included in the multi-sensory, all-immersive environment will be Ghostbusters: Dimension, a first-of-its-kind, virtual reality (VR) experience based on the studio’s new Ghostbusters movie.”

The Void Ghostbusters Experience will open at the Madame Tussauds wax museum New York location in Times Square. Visitors will be able to walk through a physical set featuring the Ghostbusters’ headquarters complete with props and actors from the new film. Visitors will also be able to strap on a helmet and participate in virtual reality ghost-hunting mission to save New York from paranormal villains as part of the epic finale of the Ghostbusters Experience.

“The cinematic experience is brought to life with state-of-the-art technology, authentic props, costumes, a vehicle, gadgets, and exclusive content designed to spook guests as they move through multiple scenes inspired by the film.”

The Void Announces Ghostbusters 'Hyper-Reality' VR Experience – https://t.co/QpIW587nPg pic.twitter.com/h3CKgWfMna

— Game Informer (@gameinformer) May 10, 2016

Ghostbusters creator Ivan Reitman says there’s no better way for passionate Ghostbusters fans to become a Ghostbuster themselves than through virtual reality technology. Senior VP of digital marketing at Sony Pictures Jake Zim believes The Void Ghostbusters Experience will help draw traffic to Madame Tussauds as well as generate buzz about the new Ghostbusters movie, starring women as the title characters this time instead of men. Head of Marketing and Sales for Madame Tussauds New York Eric Fluet hopes The Void Ghostbusters Experience will help to propel Madame Tussauds New York location into a “new era of immersive entertainment.”

Beta testers of Ghostbusters: Dimensions say they’ve never experienced anything quite like The Void and Ghostbusters Experience.

[Image by Rob Kim/Getty Images]