Atlas V unveils Astrea, a new key player in the XR distribution business

2021-09-06

French immersive studio Atlas V announces the launch of a sister company dedicated to the distribution of immersive content – publishing and sales to broadcasters, LBE theaters and events.

Eighteen months after acquiring the creative studio Albyon (ex-Fauns) based in Lyon (France), the Atlas V team unveils Astrea, a third structure entirely dedicated to distribution. With a pre-existing expertise within the group, Astrea offers its services independently for Atlas V’s productions but also for other actors of the international market.

En français

The XR distribution job is hybrid in nature. We have to manage publishing, international sales, festivals whether for films or video games. And work on marketing on each medium, which is not the primary role of the producer.
Antoine Cayrol

Headed by Antoine Cayrol and Danielle Giroux, Astrea will support the publication for online stores, the distribution and presentation of immersive experiences in all media – virtual reality, dome or other broadcasting support. The strengthening of the group’s activities on the distribution side confirms the sustained dynamism of the XR industry in a context where the diffusion of immersive content is accelerating. Particular attention is paid to the localization of content, with processes already in place and access to platforms by country (particularly in South Korea and Japan).

Astrea wishes to invest in projects as soon as they are produced in order to better anticipate the problems of distribution, but also marketing with notably actions towards influencers of the most recognized social platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok – or even advertising campaigns with VR broadcasters such as Oculus or Steam.

Our role is to discuss with professionals already concerned with immersive content, but also to go out and meet new festivals, new distribution possibilities (ephemeral, local, event-based…) for the content we integrate into our line-up. We just released the Pico version of GLOOMY EYES, which is a way to develop a very strong Asian market – especially in China.
Danielle Giroux

With a catalog of 50 projects to start with (including GLOOMY EYES, SPHERES, BATTLESCAR, AYAHUASCA, MADRID NOIR, I,PHILIP, NOTES ON BLINDNESS… ), Astrea focuses primarily on interactive narrative works and independent VR gaming – with an ambition to integrate each year 5 to 10 new works, whether unreleased (to come) or already passed through the festival circuit (BLIND VAYSHA, ALTERATION, I SAW THE FUTURE, ISLE OF THE DEAD. ..). An internal committee will supervise the choice of acquisitions.

Astrea’s team is made up of 4 people between Paris and London, and should grow in the coming months.