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AEXLAB, the creative force behind the VR shooter Vail (2024), recently kicked off a crowd-investment campaign aimed at fueling the game’s continuous development. The studio also highlighted the impressive success the multiplayer shooter has achieved, raking in over $5.5 million in revenue thanks to more than 300,000 unique players spread across PC VR and Quest platforms.
What sets this campaign apart from traditional crowdfunding efforts, which often trade products for startup capital, is that the Miami-based studio is leveraging equity crowd-investment to sustain the momentum of Vail. Drawing inspiration from Virtuix’s 2023 approach for financing its Omni One VR treadmill, AEXLAB invites individual investors to become shareholders in their company. Their investment page reveals that they’re now accepting investments starting at $1,000, with each share priced at $36.52.
However, potential investors should be aware that shares in private companies are typically not easy to sell since they lack a public trading market. To see returns, investors will be relying on either the acquisition of AEXLAB by another company or the studio launching an initial public offering (IPO). Both paths are generally considered long-term solutions, with the studio acknowledging in their FAQ that these processes can take “approximately 5-10 years” or even longer.
As the XR industry continues to evolve at an unpredictable pace, AEXLAB’s strategy is to attract individuals who are optimistic about substantial growth in this sector over the coming years. These backers will need to believe firmly in AEXLAB’s ability to steer and capitalize on this growth effectively.
The studio expresses their gratitude to their loyal supporters: “We’ve built something extraordinary with your support, and it’s important to us to give longstanding community members like you the chance to be part of this next chapter. This is your opportunity to join us as we scale VAIL VR to heights previously only dreamed of.”
Vail’s potential seems limitless. Since launching earlier this year on SteamVR and Quest, the game has successfully combined elements of both free-to-play and paid models. Players can explore its Citadel location at no cost, engaging in 1v1 duels and experimenting with different systems and weaponry. For those wanting more, full access to the game’s array of multiplayer modes is available for purchase. This strategy looks very promising indeed.
At the moment, Vail has received a 4.8 out of 5 rating from over 13,000 users on the Horizon Store for Quest, while garnering a ‘Very Positive’ overall user score from more than 2,300 reviews on Steam.
