Chuck E. Cheese's Introduces Oculus Rift for Birthday Parties in Select Markets

Famed Virtual Reality Headset Takes Birthdays to the Next Level With Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience

News provided by

CEC Entertainment, Inc.

May 20, 2014, 08:30 ET

DALLAS, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Chuck E. Cheese's, the family entertainment leader and number one kid-friendly restaurant, is adding the hottest ticket in gaming to its birthday party packages using the groundbreaking technology Oculus Rift in the Ticket Blaster. "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience" will make its way to select markets beginning today in Dallas and on to San Diego and Orlando later this month.

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"Kids today have unprecedented access to game consoles and tablets," said Roger Cardinale, president, CEC Entertainment, Inc. "Our challenge is to deliver an experience not available at home, and there is no doubt virtual reality does just that. Oculus Rift technology is the next frontier in the gaming industry, and we're thrilled to be able to say it's part of the Chuck E. Cheese's lineup."

Birthday parties booked during the six-week test in the three markets will offer the Birthday Star a turn in the virtual Ticket Blaster. The headset uses 360-degree head-tracking technology and features a 3D view so users feel as though they are inside the Ticket Blaster with Chuck E. During the experience, the headset will register the number of tickets collected, which will be fully redeemable at the merchandise counter.

The first store equipped with "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual Ticket Blaster Experience" will be at 13364 Montfort Drive in Dallas. Later this month will be 15 more locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, six in Orlando, Fla., and eight in San Diego, Calif.

Chuck E. Cheese's originally began working with Dallas-based Reel FX in 2012 on the reimagination of Chuck E. Cheese. Reel FX is a pioneer at the forefront of Oculus Rift virtual reality content, so they were a natural choice to bring Chuck E. into a virtual reality experience and game.

"We believe that virtual reality eventually will be as popular as our handheld devices," said Reel FX founder and Executive Creative Director Dale Carman. "It's a game-changer, and we're investing incredible time and talent into developing content for the Oculus Rift."

Reel FX was an early adopter and supporter of Oculus Rift, dating back to the technology company's initial development and fundraising push through its Kickstarter campaign in 2012. Facebook acquired Oculus VR in March 2014 for $2 billion.

Families are encouraged to book their kids' birthday parties today. For more information and resources about Chuck E. Cheese's party packages, visit chuckecheese.com/plan.

About CEC Entertainment, Inc.
For more than 30 years, CEC Entertainment has served as the nationally recognized leader in family dining and entertainment and the place Where a Kid can be a Kid^®. The company and its franchisees operate a system of 571 Chuck E. Cheese's stores located in 48 states and eight foreign countries or territories. Currently, 518 locations in the United States and Canada are owned and operated by the company. CEC Entertainment, Inc. and its franchisees have the common goal of creating lifelong memories for families through fun, food and play. Each Chuck E. Cheese's features musical and comic robotic entertainment, games, rides and play areas, as well as a variety of dining options including pizza, sandwiches, wings, appetizers, a salad bar and desserts. Committed to providing a fun, safe environment, Chuck E. Cheese's helps protect families through industry-leading programs such as Kid Check^®.

Chuck E. Cheese's aims to promote positive, lifelong memories inside and outside its stores. In addition to providing a fun entertainment experience for millions of families across the world, Chuck E. Cheese's has donated more than $9.9 million to schools through its fundraising programs. For more information, see the company's website at chuckecheese.com or connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and foursquare.

About Reel FX
Reel FX develops and produces animated films, commercials, and interactive digital and location-based experiences. The company's feature slate, released under its Reel FX Animation Studios banner, includes the Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) themed project The Book of Life with 20th Century Fox Animation, which will be released in theaters October 17, and an adaptation of the Beasts of Burden graphic novel. Reel FX's first full-length animated feature, Free Birds, was released by Relativity Media on November 1, 2013.

Based out of Dallas, Texas, Reel FX launched its feature-length development and production slate in 2010 after almost 20 years of experience as an award-winning one-stop studio for the creation of animated content including films, special attraction/live venue projects, commercials, and interactive projects for companies including Fox, Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation and Universal Studios. The studio continues to do short-form work including commercials, music videos, theme park attractions and live experiential animation.

Since starting the development and production of feature films, Reel FX has aligned itself with some of the most recognized and respected names and brands in the entertainment industry for its projects including Free Birds (Jimmy Hayward, Scott Mosier), The Book of Life (Guillermo del Toro, Jorge R. Gutierrez), the Beasts of Burden adaptation (Dark Horse Comics, Andrew Adamson, Aron Warner), Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away (Cirque du Soleil, James Cameron, Andrew Adamson, Aron Warner), and a partnership with Strange Weather Films (Andrew Adamson, Aron Warner and Jeffrey Fierson) for animated and live-action movies. For more information, visit reelfx.com.