Crytek is prominent for its CryEngine technology. This gaming giant just opened up a technological center at Bahcesehir University (BAU) in Istanbul. The Center is dedicated to innovative Virtual Reality developer and entrepreneurs. This is Crytek’s first VR program and is aimed at attracting young enthusiasts with the hope of spurring innovative ideas through Virtual Reality technology. VR market is estimated to be currently worth $5 billion and is expected to grow up to $30 in 2020. This forecasted growth is eliciting a lot of investment in VR technology by various investors. This month’s launch of the VR center is an affirmation that Crytek wants to join in the band wagon of pioneers.
Crytek in collaboration with BAU wants to display the potential of VR and raise awareness of its applications. The center will provide developers with required professional equipment and software. This is the place where new projects will be designed with support from MSI, Logitech, and AMD. This center is one of a kind in Istanbul and indeed in Turkey. While launching the center, Cevat Yerli the founder and CEO of Crytek said that he expects the center to offer knowledge from within and through collaborations with other academic institutions around and outside Turkey. He also said that he was excited to see what VR developers will innovate using the opportunities now at their disposal.
The center will act as a medium through which the two institutions will exchange expertise and knowledge mostly on game design and, development. The research is geared toward simulation and experiences. Their target industries include gaming, health, and education. The center is expected to spur growth in the VR industry within Turkey and its border. Istanbul has in the recent past distinguished itself as an IT hub and even has its domain name on the internet. If the vigor with which IT innovations are sprouting within the city is anything to go by, then VR is bound to make leaps of progress beginning this year.
On a global scale, the Center joins in the list of the numerous VR research center already operational across worldwide. Most of the research centers are, however, owned by tertiary institutions making it inaccessible to non-students. BAU’s center will open doors to all those who have VR skills and are passionate about it. This combination is expected to yield in more innovations hence broadening the applications and the market in the VR industry.
