As DICE Europe gets underway this week, Academy of Interactive Arts and Science president Martin Rae has told VentureBeat that he’s leaving his job to join a virtual reality streaming company in Seattle.
For those not fully aware of the Academy’s role in the game industry, it’s the organization that puts on the DICE Summit and award shows, taking place in places like Las Vegas and Barcelona every year. Rae is leaving the Academy to join the Seattle-based virtual reality livestreaming startup VReal.
Regarding his departure, Rae tells VentureBeat that he’s long had an eye on returning to the business world under the right conditions, and that virtual reality in particular has sparked his imagination. “I’ve got religion about virtual reality and augmented reality. This fit all of those things, and so I decided to do it,” Rae says.
VReal previously made headlines when it raised $3.3 million in funding from investors earlier this year. It’s an interesting bit of tech that seems to merge the entertainment and interactive businesses of virtual reality together. Rae’s previous experience as an executive at companies like Sunleaf Studios and The Electric Playground will no doubt be of use to the VR startup.