Virtual Reality Venue Coming To Bergen's Busiest Mall

PARAMUS, NJ – Virtual reality is coming to Westfield Garden State Plaza.

The Void, a developer of virtual reality entertainment centers, plans to open its first New Jersey location sometime next year, according to Westfield Garden State Plaza’s owner, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

In July, the Void partnered with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which owns 92 shopping centers across the globe, to bring more than 25 new VR venues to malls by 2022. Other locations as part of the deal include Chicago, Paris, London, San Jose, Vienna, Stockholm and Amsterdam.

At each venue, guests will “become active participants in the story” during the experience, which combines technology, physical stages and multi-sensory effects, like touch and smell, with Hollywood characters and storylines, according to The Void.

The Utah-based start-up has content deals with entertainment studios including Disney and Sony. VR experience titles so far include “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire,” “Ralph Breaks VR,” “Ghostbusters: Dimension,” and “Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment.”

Curtis Hickman, The Void's co-founder and chief creative officer, said The Void takes people "as far far as their imaginations will go, providing them with an unforgettable entertainment experience that they will want to relive over and over again."

There are currently 16 Void locations globally, including 14 in North America. Within the U.S., some of those venues are Downtown Disney in California, Disney Springs in Florida, the Mall of America in Minnesota and the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center in New York City.

Christophe Cuvillier, a Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield executive, said “Over the past years, our industry has evolved dramatically. In a connected world, shopping is not enough anymore. Today, our customers expect to be entertained and brought together to share memorable, engaging sensory experiences. We are very happy to partner with The VOID in an industry-first, to bring cutting edge immersive experiences like these to our visitors”.

As more and more stores close, the make-up of the traditional shopping center is changing, forcing mall owners to try and find new ways to keep people coming in.

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Virtual reality is just one of the new ways in which mall owners are trying to lure people in.

Attractions such as escape rooms and axe-throwing venues – along with VR venues – are popping up at malls across the country.

CNBC reported that five years ago, the proportion of leases URW was signing that were devoted to fashion-based stores was more than 50% and now about 35%.

In New Jersey, after Ocean County Mall's Sears store closed, mall owners Simon Property Group announced it would demolish the building to make way for an LA Fitness and Homesense.

A Toms River shopping plaza also redeveloped after Pathmark shut to include an axe-throwing facility, a gym, a basketball training facility, a blood donation center and a pizzeria.

Last year, Disney Junior Play Zone opened its first New Jersey location at Menlo Park Mall. And this fall,Woodbridge Center will unveil an aquarium at the shopping center.

Later this month, American Dream will officially open its $5 billion Meadowlands megamall, which includes a water park, theme park, indoor ski and snow facility, more than a hundred restaurants, an aquarium and stores.

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