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Steel Media launches new VR and AR business website The Virtual Report

Industry event VR Connects coming to London in January 2017

Steel Media launches new VR and AR business website The Virtual Report

Steel Media is expanding from its strong foundations in mobile games to bring its media and events expertise to bear on the virtual reality and augmented reality industries.

Brand new industry website TheVirtualReport.biz launches this week - with VR Connects, an event in London, taking place alongside Pocket Gamer Connects London on January 16th and 17th.

Steel Media has appointed videogames veteran Steve Takle as Editor for TheVirtualReport.biz. The B2B site will serve the Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality world with news, features, opinion pieces, interviews, events information, research and more.

Just like PocketGamer.biz, it will become the go-to destination online for professionals working in this developing industry. And right from the start it will have a global outlook, introducing regular international - and especially Asian market - coverage of VR, AR and MR into the news mix.

Reporting the virtual

Takle started in games media in 1998 working on PlayStation Solutions and Total PlayStation magazines, moving on to projects like URWired.com and Vodafone/Vizzavi's games channel.

In 2001 his Digital Interactive Television Group team was BAFTA nominated and won a New Media Age award. In recent years he's specialised in content marketing for start-ups and SMEs.

“I’m delighted to be appointed Editor of this new venture, working with great people in such an exciting sector," said TheVirtualReport.biz Editor Steve Takle.

"After nearly 20 in the games industry, I’m still excited by the content, technology and potential that I see every day – and never more so than with VR, AR and MR. You can almost taste the future. Virtual Reality is such a nascent technology and the innovation is incredible; it will revolutionise the entertainment sector, starting right now with games.

"And The Virtual Report is right there, serving the global VR industry with the best B2B news, interviews, analysis, research and more. I’m proud to help launch this new site at such an important moment in the evolution of VR.”

An exciting opportunity

Steel Media MD Chris James said: “Everybody agrees that VR and AR represent an incredibly exciting opportunity for the gaming and entertainment sectors. We’ve chosen to throw our weight behind them in earnest.

"We have enjoyed being an integral part of the burgeoning mobile industry. We celebrated Pocket Gamer's 10th anniversary this year and we've watched that market expand from an afterthought for many industry players to become the biggest part of the $100 billion global games market today. Now VR is forecast to become a $30 billion industry by 2020 and it’s great to be involved with it right from the start.

"To support this nascent sector and following on from a successful start with our Global VR Challenge, and VR Indie Pitches and VR Mixers, Steel Media will also be running a dedicated conference called VR Connects next January in London. We'll bring to it the same approach and expertise that's behind the leading B2B mobile site PocketGamer.biz and our PG Connects events.

"Coupled with the enthusiasm of new staff like Steve Takle we will help promote and support this exciting new VR, AR and MR industry.”

VR Connects will take place 16th and 17th January at The Brewery, London EC1Y 4SD. It will feature four dedicated tracks of speakers and panels, an expo area, side events, bespoke networking tools and more. More information is available at the official site www.vr-connects.com.

TheVirtualReport.biz is online now.


PocketGamer.biz regularly posts content from a variety of guest writers across the games industry. These encompass a wide range of topics and people from different backgrounds and diversities, sharing their opinion on the hottest trending topics, undiscovered gems and what the future of the business holds.