NEW YORK, NY and SEATTLE, WA –– Peeka VR, the world’s first platform for virtual reality (VR) children’s books and content, has teamed up with global publishing house HarperCollins to ink a first-of-its-kind licensing deal to bring beloved storybooks to life in virtual reality.
This partnership represents the first VR-licensing deal for picture books from a major global publisher.
What’s in store?
Peeka’s fully immersive experiences are mobile phone-based, making their platform extremely accessible to families of all backgrounds. With a simple cardboard or plastic VR headset, families can jump into the pages of storybooks and let the stories happen to them.
Peeka’s studio in Seattle, WA has already begun production on HarperCollin’s “I Want to Be a Doctor” by Laura Driscoll (from the very popular “I Can Read!” series), and will soon start pre-production on “Zuri Ray Tries Ballet” by Tami Charles and the Christmas classic “Peppermint Post'' by Bruce Hale. These experiences are slated to hit the Peeka app beginning later this year.
Why is this important?
In a recent Project Tomorrow research survey, 75 percent of parents and 71 percent of teachers expressed that effective use of technology is crucial for the future success of students in a post-pandemic world.
In a world dominated by screens, Peeka helps bring kids back to books and reading using devices they love, and HarperCollins contributes with content that’s safe, comfortable and delightful for every family to dive into together.
Further, this deal is landmark for both industries: publishing and virtual reality. For publishers, the Peeka x HarperCollins partnership opens the doors for new mediums that publishers and authors can explore with their IP. For VR, this partnership legitimizes educational and family-based use cases, and creates more visibility, creators, and access points for the entire VR ecosystem at large.
What are people saying?
Peeka CEO Michael Wong said: “ I’m excited and honored to bring HarperCollins into the wonderful world of immersive kid’s entertainment and education. This is a major milestone for Peeka, for HarperCollins, and for both of our industries (VR and publishing).”
Sr. Director Business Affairs, HarperCollins Productions David Weinir said: "Hopefully this can be the template for lots of business together. So many opportunities here. Very excited for what is going to come from this relationship!"
ABOUT PEEKA
Peeka, a VR startup based in Seattle, WA, is the first and largest kid’s VR company, primarily focusing on picture book-related and other educational, kid-friendly content to help motivate children to find a passion for learning and reading. A majority of Peeka’s immersive content deals with important topics such as diversity, empathy, race, mindfulness, gender, and more.