You Dev It. We Rev It. Tobii Tech Announces Million Dollar Fund for Game Developers

STOCKHOLM — July 29, 2015 — Tobii Tech, a business unit of Tobii, the global leader in eye tracking, today announced the Boost to the Big Time Program, a $1 million fund to support the development and distribution of PC games with integrated eye tracking. The Program offers strong potential to innovate, global game distribution, stellar marketing opportunities, cash payments and development support for those developers and studios that show superior creativity and promise in bringing gaming to the next level with eye tracking.

“The Boost to the Big Time program is an opportunity for all game developers to improve immersion and reach a broad global audience at the same time,” said Henrik Johansson, VP, products and marketing of Tobii Tech. “Eye tracking represents the next evolution in video games and, even more, an opportunity for developers to create experiences unlike anything gamers have seen before. Developers joining the program will revolutionize gaming, get the opportunity to partner and showcase with the world’s largest gaming hardware manufacturers, reviewed by the world’s most prominent gaming media and get paid at the same time.” 

The first of its kind program is open to developers large and small with no restrictions on the size or scope of the game or where it is published. Any game that features eye tracking is eligible for the program. Specifically, the Program offers:

• Competitive Advantage: Developers that are part of Boost to the Big Time will join the ranks of Tobii partner studios like Ubisoft and Avalanche and be among the first to harness the power of eye tracking to innovate and increase immersion in their games.
• Distribution: Tobii and its global gaming partners will pre-purchase up to 10,000 copies of eligible games to bundle with next generation gaming notebooks, peripherals and monitors, reaching thousands of new gamers around the world.
• Promotion: Developers will receive additional exposure through extensive demos and reviews by the world’s largest gaming media and promotion through MSi, SteelSeries,Tobii and other partner channels.
• Support: Participants will also have access to the global experts in eye tracking as well as the Tobii EyeX Dev Kit that includes the EyeX Engine, code base, and supports Unity and Unreal Engines and Microsoft Visual Studios to expedite the development process.

“The real beauty in eye tracking integration is its simple and easy implementation,” said Anders Olsson, VP, software partners of Tobii Tech. “Our current partners have been able to create completely new immersive experiences with very little additional development time - even as little as two days - meaning we can even add eye tracking to existing games or games currently in production, as seen in Assassin’s Creed Rogue and theHunter:Primal.”

 With eye tracking, developers can create immersive experiences that don’t exist in today’s games. Four key eye tracking implementation opportunities include:

• Infinite screen – Make the player’s gaze and that of the hero one and the same. No longer will PC players be restricted to the size of their screen to explore the environment; the game auto-pans intuitively and in harmony with the player.
• Multidimensional Movement –Using traditional controls to shoot in one direction while using the player’s gaze to focus and throw an object, such as a grenade, in another.
• Eye Contact –Allow characters in the game react based on eye contact from the player, just as they would in real life.
• Immersive Graphics and Sound – Environmental elements of the game react with animation or sound based on eye contact from the player. 

For more on the Boost to the Big Time Program, including how to apply, please visit tobii.com/Boost. 

Additional Information

• Experience eye tracking immersion first hand at the Tobii GDC Europe or Gamescom Booths.
• Interested in creating the next great eye-tracking game? Order your Tobii EyeX Dev Kit here.
• Explore existing eye-tracking games on the Tobii Arcade.