July Achievements: A Look Back at What We've Been Up To

Another month, another BATTLE START achievements roundup.

To be honest, these news digests are our favorite ones to write. It's that time when we look back at everything we've accomplished, and every single time we're reminded that we're heading in the right direction.

VR entertainment should be accessible to everyone. It should bring joy. On our VR arenas, people should be able to leave their worries behind and dive into incredible virtual worlds.

Investing in good and multiplying it. In our view, there's simply no better mission out there.

So let's take a look at what's new at our company this July – what we're proud of and what we'd like to shine a spotlight on.

11 – that's exactly how many VR arena owners renewed their partnerships with BATTLE START in July. Some of them you already know, and we'll be telling you about the rest soon:

🇨🇦 Canada – Richmond
🇺🇸 The USA – San Diego
🇦🇹 Austria – Sankt Pölten
🇮🇹 Italy – Rome
🇨🇳 China – Hong Kong
🇦🇷 Argentina – Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina – Rosario
🇦🇷 Argentina – Perico, Jujuy
🇱🇹 Lithuania – Vilnius
🇪🇪 Estonia – Tallinn
🇸🇰 Slovakia – Bratislava

And here's the list of partners our team has just started working with. We have no doubt these collaborations will be fruitful:

🇦🇪 UAE – Dubai – you'll soon be able to check out our massive VR game library right here
🇦🇷 Argentina – Buenos Aires – another BATTLE START VR arena is coming soon to this beautiful city. We're definitely loving the pace of expansion into Latin America!
🇮🇱 Israel – Beit Shemesh – look for a VR club featuring our games at this spot
🇮🇱 Israel – we can't share details about the exact location just yet, but we'll fill you in as soon as we can.
🇹🇷 Turkey – more details on this VR club coming later too.

Spot your country or maybe even your city? If so, go ahead and book a gaming session to see the quality of our free-roam VR games for yourself. And after that, we have no doubt you'll want to join the BATTLE START network. We'd be thrilled to add you to that same partner list in the near future.

You have no idea how much time and effort went into reviewing, editing, and polishing these two parts of that fiery conversation for you.

Honestly? Neither did we. But we pulled it off!

Here's a quick rundown of what's waiting for you in these two parts:

✔️ The Right Strategy. A look at the market – is building a location-based entertainment concept a smarter bet than chasing the volatile Steam VR trend?

✔️ Retention. The real mechanics behind keeping modern audiences coming back to the arena, not just for a one-off visit.

✔️ The Family Factor. Why we deliberately pivoted to family-friendly content in a market obsessed with shooters and gore – and why "moms and kids" are a more sustainable business bet than "guys with beards."

✔️ The PvE Shift. Analyzing why moving away from competitive PvP toward cooperative PvE is a strategic move for long-term engagement.

✔️ The "Just a Game" Fallacy. Why partners struggle to see that we're selling a holistic entertainment concept, not just software – and why the "experience" is only part of the equation.

✔️ Blind Spots. The critical pitfalls that first-time entrepreneurs fail to anticipate when entering the VR entertainment space.

✔️ The Scale Trap. Debunking the myth of "starting small and expanding later" – and why this gradual approach rarely works in this business.

✔️ The Pitfalls. A look at the common mistakes – things that franchise representatives aren't usually expected to talk about.

✔️ The Investment. A breakdown of the actual capital required – always the hottest topic for anyone considering this business.

✔️ The Location Factor. Drawing on real experience – this time, focusing specifically on how the city itself shapes an arena's success.

The team also answered questions that our subscribers sent in via social media. If you haven't watched this most honest, insightful, and at times downright hilarious podcast yet, we highly recommend you fill that gap as soon as you finish reading this article.

Oh, and there's plenty more interesting stuff here, so here's a convenient link to the video. Feel free to come back once you've made it to the end.

Podcast Part 1:

We know you're on the edge of your seat – trust us, we're just as excited for the release of this realistic free-roam VR shooter.

This is the most ambitious project our VR arenas have ever seen.

In this article, we already told you about the flying enemies that Agents will have to take on across different levels.

We're confident these tips will help many players get through even the toughest missions.

Today, we'd like to turn our attention to the characters players will encounter "on the ground."

So, let's start with the NPCs. Before Agents, we never included characters like these in our storylines. But our team is constantly pushing to raise the bar, and that's exactly why this VR spy thriller now features these charismatic personalities.

Who will agents be communicating with? Who will help them, guide them, and train them throughout the mission?

Dr. Charkin and General Crow.

These NPCs are absolutely vital to the plot. To successfully clear each level, players need to pay close attention to the advice these characters give. They share tons of useful intel and immerse you in the setting of a world that's about to crumble if the agents don't get the job done.

Remember how we told you that the Agents universe rewards curious players? Take a closer look at the environment on different levels, and you might stumble upon photos like these:

We're only showing you the ones that set the mood and offer a fresh perspective on the heroes' backstory. And that's just a fraction of the clues our developers have scattered throughout the game.

If you look closely, you'll find blueprints and cards scattered throughout the game that reveal the weak points of seemingly invincible foes. Like this cyber-samurai, for instance:

Agents: Synthesis will be available at all BATTLE START VR arenas this August, so by the time our next digest rolls around, we'll be ready to dive into the biggest mystery hidden within our story-driven linear VR shooter.

One part of our game development team is putting the finishing touches on Agents, getting the VR shooter ready for launch. Meanwhile, another part is already deep into development on a winter blockbuster. That's right – we're talking about Paw-Rangers, an undisputed fan favorite here at BATTLE START.

Early playtests have shown that both the story and gameplay mechanics appeal to kids and adults alike. So far, we've managed to strike that sweet spot – without veering too far into childish territory on one hand, while keeping the adrenaline high enough to hook even seasoned gamers on the other.

Today, let's take a moment to appreciate the visuals of the hub area where players will spawn. Zoom in on the details, soak in the craftsmanship. Our game designers crafted every element with one goal in mind: to create a warm vibe.

That's a wrap on our eventful second month of summer. As you can see, every team at BATTLE START – whether it's game development, marketing, or sales – has been putting in the work.

We can't wait to come back to you with even bigger news!