Over the past few years Amazon has established itself as home to both quality television shows and movies, and according to a recent report the company is now setting its sights on virtual reality. According to The Wrap, the company's creative production arm, Amazon Studios, is talking with multiple companies about producing original VR content.
While details are slim and the discussions are characterized as being in the "early stages," the move certainly makes sense. With VR headsets finally landing in the hands of consumers this year, it's rapidly becoming clear that the games and narrative experiences people have with the devices will determine the success of the medium more than just hardware specs or capabilities. If Amazon wants in on what many consider to be the next great frontier in original entertainment, it will have to start experimenting with creating that kind of content.
Amazon seems to recognize VR as a long-term opportunity
The report follows less than two months after a job listing revealed that Amazon was assembling a VR team tasked with creating a "platform and interface for immersive storytelling." That listing pointed more towards the software infrastructure needed to create an Amazon Video VR experience, not dissimilar to the approaches that Netflix and Hulu are experimenting with. But focusing on creating its own original VR experiences under the Amazon Studios banner would be an indication that Amazon sees VR not as a short-term gimmick or box to check, but a long-term opportunity that can only be fully taken advantage of with the combined forces of both its technological and creative teams.
While details are slim and the discussions are characterized as being in the "early stages," the move certainly makes sense. With VR headsets finally landing in the hands of consumers this year, it's rapidly becoming clear that the games and narrative experiences people have with the devices will determine the success of the medium more than just hardware specs or capabilities. If Amazon wants in on what many consider to be the next great frontier in original entertainment, it will have to start experimenting with creating that kind of content.
Amazon seems to recognize VR as a long-term opportunity
The report follows less than two months after a job listing revealed that Amazon was assembling a VR team tasked with creating a "platform and interface for immersive storytelling." That listing pointed more towards the software infrastructure needed to create an Amazon Video VR experience, not dissimilar to the approaches that Netflix and Hulu are experimenting with. But focusing on creating its own original VR experiences under the Amazon Studios banner would be an indication that Amazon sees VR not as a short-term gimmick or box to check, but a long-term opportunity that can only be fully taken advantage of with the combined forces of both its technological and creative teams.
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