The new owner of the company's assets, who structured them under a holding company called VR Exit LLC, told Protocol at the time that he was looking to either resell them, or relaunch The Void after the pandemic subsided. Unable to pay its bills or service its debt, The Void was forced to transfer its IP to a creditor in late 2020. However, The Void's penchant for high-profile locations in some of the world's best-known shopping centers came with a significant price tag, forcing the company into debt even before the pandemic completely shuttered its retail business. Some of the company's experiences were based on Hollywood blockbuster franchises including 'Star Wars,' 'Ghostbusters,' 'The Avengers' and 'Jumanji.' Using a modified VR headset, a VR backpack and a special tactile vest, The Void allowed attendees to explore VR worlds, complete with functioning doors and other props that increased the sense of immersion. It was backed by investors including Disney, Comcast and James Murdoch's Lupa Systems, and operated around a dozen VR centers across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Hyper Reality's revival of The Void is just the latest twist in the history of a startup that was once seen as a pioneer for VR and out-of-home entertainment. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of VR and the entire entertainment industry.' HRP & The VOID are now entering a period of rapid expansion and are looking for more talented team members to join us. 'Having acquired The VOID assets and IP, our mission is to take VR well beyond where it has been before. 'Hyper Reality Partners is a team made up of world-renowned industry leaders in location-based virtual reality,' reads a placeholder page on the recruiting platform Breezy that doesn't list any open positions yet. The team has mostly stayed quiet about its plans, but is getting ready to talk about them more publicly as part of a forthcoming hiring push. Steckel has managed to sign up key talent previously tied to The Void, including former Chief Creative Officer Curtis Hickman, former VP of Content Jason Howard and Steve Shaiken, former COO of The Void's predecessor, Evermore Park. Hyper Reality Partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hyper Reality Partners is actively fundraising for a relaunch of the VR startup, and is said to have raised as much as $20 million already, according to an industry insider. The Void's patents and trademarks were recently acquired by Hyper Reality Partners, a company headed by former OneWeb CEO Adrian Steckel, who also used to be an investor in and board member of The Void. The company is said to be actively fundraising, and is getting ready to start hiring additional talent soon. Location-based VR pioneer The Void may rise from the ashes next year: A former investor has acquired key assets of the defunct startup and is now looking to relaunch it with key team members, Protocol has learned.

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