East City Films Secures Innovate UK Creative Catalyst Funding

We’re thrilled to announce that East City Films has been awarded funding from the Creative Catalyst programme by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. This support will enable us to take our critically acclaimed immersive experience, In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, to the next level—expanding it from a single-player journey into a dynamic, multi-user experience.

Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas. Through its funding and support, it connects businesses to the partners, customers, and investors that help turn ideas into commercially successful products and services. Innovate UK funds business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into R&D. It is part of UK Research and Innovation. For more information, visit www.innovateuk.ukri.org.

With this co-funded support from Innovate UK, we will be investing in R&D to transform In Pursuit of Repetitive Beatsfrom a single-user VR experience into a four-player interactive journey. This crucial development will significantly increase audience throughput and accessibility, allowing more people to step into the heart of the 1989 UK rave scene simultaneously. The funding will support key advancements in software development, networking infrastructure, and optimising the experience for larger-scale deployment.

Ash, Co-Founder and COO of East City Films, commented:

“This funding from Innovate UK is a game-changer for In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats. The ability to expand this experience into a multiplayer format will not only enhance its creative and social impact but also open up new commercial opportunities. We believe in the power of immersive storytelling to transport audiences, and this funding allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in location-based VR entertainment.”

We’re incredibly grateful for the support from Innovate UK and excited to begin this next phase of development. Stay tuned for more updates as we work towards bringing this groundbreaking multiplayer experience to audiences in 2025!