Red Iron Labs
Immerse Yourself in Dark Reality
Red Iron Labs is an indie game house that provides virtual reality entertainment to fans of the dark fantasy, horror and post-apocalyptic genres. Our priority is to make games that are story-driven and will scare the crap out of all of us.
We were founded in January 2016 and are located in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Our first virtual reality game, Abduction, is set to release early 2017.
Lloyd has been many things to many people throughout our 11-year partnership—a friend, a mentor, a creative mind. By 2015, he had spent 5 years developing mobile apps, learning the market and the intricacies of generating sales in a global market. But that Sunday morning, looking at his pile of gadgets, contemplating what new project would be next, he graduated to entrepreneur. The OSVR development kit, purchased from Razer months earlier, enticed him to do something entirely new. Virtual reality had to be explored.
After months of prototyping with various virtual reality headsets, we decided it was time to create a new company and a new brand. At the time, Red Iron Labs was only a concept, started years ago as an experimental branch off FileArchiveHaven, the original brand used to release mobile apps and games. We assembled lists with hundreds of company names, including the experimental brand, and sent off a targeted survey. To our delight, within a week, all 50 votes were in. Equipped with a great name, combined experience in development and communications, and a vision to create immersive, experiential games, Red Iron Labs was reborn.
Since May, we’ve been working the local circuit, starting with our exhibit at GDX Edmonton and hosting a playtest session at Assembly in Calgary. In June, we exhibited at the Calgary Annual Horror Con, had our game voted-in by the Steam community, and our friends at Razer included our technical demo in their E3 showcase. Over the next few months, we'll be presenting at K-Day and Tech Stock. We're also started presenting at CGDA meetings on VR game development best practices.
Our vision is to put Calgary on the game industry map. We have the drive, skill, and opportunity to create immersive dark stories that challenge the current ‘isms’ throughout the gaming industry. We want our games to be different, to represent us.
During the naming process, we began digging into the survey results. What are people looking for? What can we do different? We love horror, wanted a strong brand and a clear vision. We wanted our fans to always know what to expect from us.
We built this company based on our combined love of horror, games and emerging technologies. Owning a gaming company was always in our plan, but timing is everything. And the time for us is now.
May 7. Showcase Abduction proof-of-concept at Game Discovery Exhibition (GDX), Edmonton
May 20. Release Abduction gameplay video on Steam platform for Greenlight approval
May 23. Playtest Abduction demo, Assembly Co-working Space, Calgary
Jun 11-12. Showcase Abduction demo, 2016 Calgary Horror Con, Calgary
Jun 14-16. Abduction demo showcase by Razer, Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles
Jun 25. Abduction approved on Steam Greenlight
Jul 29-30. Abduction feature, K-Days, Edmonton
Sep 2-5. Preview Abduction game release, 2016 PAX, Seattle (currently on wait list)
Sep 15. Preview Abduction game release, TechStock 2016, Calgary
Oct 18. Startup Calgary Pitch Night event
Nov 17. Startup Calgary Launch Party exhibit & crowdfunding campaign kickoff
Dec 24. Early release Abduction.
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Abduction is our first virtual reality game, set to release on November 30, 2016. The VR component is optional, and can be played on a standard desktop.
The concept of the game is a mixture of survival, puzzle and horror, as players must use their wits to navigate throughout a fully interactive apartment building to escape alien creatures and avoiding abduction.
To date, we’ve had over 200 live beta testers with highly positive feedback.
You wake up in the middle of the night and quickly realize—you’re not alone. Armed with your wits, it’s up to you to make it through your apartment, find the tools you need and survive the ABDUCTION.
Steam is our main storefront for release. This is also where we update our fans on the latest development news, giving our fans a chance to support us and follow our game as we prepare to release on the Steam retail store.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Friday, September 2, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Need to put our logo in something?
Quickly download the PNG file, or email rhernandez@redironlabs.com for a vector copy.
Please don't modify our logos in any way. Use only as provided.
Writing a story about our product?
You can download any of our publicly released photos and screenshots here.
Please don't modify our images in any way. Use only as provided.
Co-Founder
I am a self-taught developer, having started coding in Basic before I was even a teenager. I have released over 200 applications and games for various mobile platforms, and worked as the 3D developer for a Calgary-based medical software company.
I am a self-professed tech junky, funding over 50 crowdfunding initiatives on Kickstarter and Indigogo. I also volunteer as an Ambassador for MobileNations.
I am strong supporter of mentorship, grass roots initiatives and the Calgary Game Developer Association.
Co-Founder
I have been working in different facets of communications for the past ten years. Since 2007, I have been an active member of my community, volunteering in different boards and committees.
Currently, I am also working on my master's in international and intercultural communications.
I love horror movies and am genuinely petrified of aliens. So starting with Abduction just makes sense.
Partnership Inquiries: Lloyd Summers at lsummers@redironlabs.com
Media Inquiries: Rosalinda Hernandez at rhernandez@redironlabs.com
Red Iron Labs Ltd.
119 14 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N