TimefireVR launches Hypatia, a virtual city and social playground in VR

TimefireVR has announced the grand opening of Hypatia, a persistent virtual city and social playground in virtual reality.The game is a free-to-play Windows PC VR world, playable in both VR and on 2D computer screens. In this world virtual citizens can let their creativity flourish through collaborative art-making, shared minigames, and social experiences that can influence an big city.It’s available on Steam and the Oculus Store today, with support for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift with Touch controls. It differs from other VR experiences like Sansar and High Fidelity.The Phoenix, Arizona-based TimefireVR has created a curated experience, where it does a lot of the artistic creation in the game, rather than the players. But at various places within the game, such as an art shop, players can engage in creative activity, like painting, sculpting, and animating their own art places. They can also perform stage players together, and engage in virtual photography.“I think we are doing something radically different from other VR worlds,” said Jeffrey Rassás, the CEO of TimefireVR, in an interview with GamesBeat. “It’s not infinite, not vast empty spaces. It’s more like going to Disneyland, You get to do  fun activities from day one. We are creating an environment where we were hoping to be a bridge to artistic programs.”