During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canyon Country resident and film producer Julie Pifher Cawood and her husband, Michael Cawood, got a virtual reality headset to pass the time. Cawood said it helped the couple feel like they could get out of the house, exploring different virtual worlds while actually being stuck inside.
They are now planning on launching their first VR game called “The Phoenix Gene” this spring.
“‘The Phoenix Gene’ is a story-based game that’ll also be a six-book series,” Cawood said in a recent telephone interview. “We just thought it was so cool, and just a wave-of-the-future technology that we should get into because of how we were personally affected.”
The game is based on a screenplay she wrote in 2016 that the couple tried to produce. Cawood said she never liked the ending but always loved the idea. It was a project that was ultimately never produced as a film.
But when she and her husband began thinking of doing something in VR, that screenplay came to mind.
“The Phoenix Gene” will allow VR gamers to fly a time-traveling Phoenix through the multi-verse on a mission to stop what’s called Life Rite’s immortality serum from annihilating the poor and oppressed. Those who play the game can get physical by dodging obstacles, reaching for collectibles and power-ups, and protecting innocents.
According to product literature, “The Phoenix Gene” is an action-packed shooter game that’s infused with strategy, allowing players to toggle what’s in their reality.
Cawood and her husband funded the game personally. Both currently work in the entertainment industry. Cawood comes from the live-action TV world, having produced, among other projects, TLC’s 2015-16 series “My Giant Life.” Her husband comes from the animation world, having worked on films like 2006’s “Happy Feet” and 2016’s “Pete’s Dragon.” The two of them created the 2019 Oscar-qualified animated short “The Wrong Rock.”
According to Cawood, the couple’s recent foray into the VR gaming world, while still untested, won’t be their last. Cawood hopes to do more projects in the medium. The success of the “The Phoenix Gene” will ultimately determine how they approach their next project.
“First and foremost, just shipping this project is a big accomplishment, and we’re proud of what we’ve crafted,” Cawood said. “That is definitely first and foremost. But of course, we would like it to be a commercial success that’s profitable, because that can help us make the next one. We are self-funded, and so, the success of this one will help us determine the scope of the next one, really. But I think no matter what, we want to make another one, and we’ll figure out what we can make on what budget. But obviously, yeah, the more successful it is, the bigger the scope for the next one will be.”
For more information, go to bit.ly/3FUMBqE.
