Sandbox VR unveils Deadwood Phobia as Deadwood Valley crosses $52M in sales

Sandbox VR, which operates 50 locations for virtual reality entertainment, has unveiled Deadwood Phobia as the successor to its big hit Deadwood Valley, which has generated $52 million in sales to date.

Developed in-house by the San Francisco company’s own game studio, Deadwood Phobia is the third title in Sandbox VR’s Deadwood zombie franchise. It’s another interactive adventure where you participate in a team of human players who wear VR headsets and fight zombie hordes with plastic guns. A team of two to six players pay about $50 each ($55 during peak times) in the VR experiences, and more than 100,000 a month are playing now.

Deadwood Phobia launches in Sandbox VR locations worldwide on October 16, 2024, and ticket sales open October 1, 2024.

The title was directed by Michael Hampden, former lead designer on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and features team members who have worked on hits like Far Cry 6, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher franchise, and Battlefield 2142.

Deadwood Phobia is a sequel to Sandbox VR’s most popular experience, Deadwood Valley, which was preceded by the first experience in the Deadwood franchise, Deadwood Mansion.

Since its release in the summer of 2022, Deadwood Valley has sold over a million tickets— generating over $52 million in ticket sales — establishing the adrenaline-pumping zombie thrill-ride as one of the best-selling VR titles of all time.

Deadwood Phobia takes players on a journey through their greatest fears, where they can’t trust everything they see. Armed with a brand new arsenal of powerful weaponry, players enter a derelict medical facility to battle hordes of enemies, make life-or-death decisions, and stand up to their worst nightmares.

The only way to accomplish the mission is to work together to defeat multiple boss enemies wreaking havoc on their psyche via mental projection. Players at the top of their game will unlock special new weapons and armor to increase their chances of survival. With multiple possible endings, Deadwood PHOBIA gives repeat players a truly unique experience each time.

“Our goal with each new Sandbox VR experience is to immerse players in virtual worlds where they can be cooperative, interactive, and social while experiencing a completely new reality,” said Steve Zhao, CEO of Sandbox VR, in a statement. “Deadwood Phobia is our first psychological horror experience. It continues the story of our most popular game franchise and ups the ante with new mind-twisting challenges allowing players to explore, and conquer, their own fears.”

“With Deadwood Phobia, we started with a fascinating premise: exploring common phobias and fears, and then pushing them to their extremes using our own unique brand of VR technology and immersive storytelling. We wanted the focus to be psychological horror to keep players guessing,” said Michael Hampden, SVP of content at Sandbox VR and director of Deadwood Phobia, in a statement. “What we’ve created is the most immersive and visually impressive social-horror experience out there.”

He added, “Because the focus is on phobias, we get a wide variety of reactions. Phobias that barely register with one player may leave another screaming. Each player enters with their own fears and phobias, creating a truly unique experience for everyone.”

Sandbox VR is now operating in 50 global locations and expanding rapidly. With over 100,000 players monthly, Sandbox VR is rapidly growing its global footprint with both corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program.

Guests can now choose from nine exclusive experiences created by Sandbox VR’s in-house team. Other titles include Squid Game Virtuals, Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire, Deadwood Valley, Deadwood Mansion, Curse of Davy Jones, Amber Sky 2088, Star Trek: Discovery and UFL: Unbound Fighting League.