Apache

What Apache does

Apache is a UK-based XR studio founded in 1991, specialising in Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Kinect-based body-tracking experiential installations. The company is led by CEO Adam Vahed and EVP of Business Development and Sales Delin Manuel, with a deliberately small team (1–10 employees) of technical visionaries, artists, and producers. Apache primarily serves major Hollywood film studios and global consumer brands — including Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Fox, Sony, Lionsgate, Paramount, Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Morgan Motor, Swarovski, Madame Tussauds, Bulmers, Cartoon Network, and the United Nations — building AR body-tracking suit-up experiences (Become Iron Man, Hulkbuster, Batman v Superman, X-Men, Captain Marvel, Ben 10, TMNT, Microsoft Humans), VR games (Jigsaw, Emoji), VR 360° films (UN Great Green Wall, Swarovski Chalayan), AR configurators (McLaren P650S, Mercedes-Benz CLA), and bespoke room-mapping AR installations. Its core technical assets include proprietary Kinect-based real-time body measurement, gesture detection, palm-bonding mechanics, projection mapping, volumetric capture, and Hololuminescent Display (Looking Glass) integrations. Notable technology firsts include the world's first commercial Kinect 2 application (Disney Planes 2, 2013) and the first AR app with real-time reflection/refraction effects (Bulmers Perfect Pour, 2012).

The business model is primarily project-based professional services — bespoke XR commissions tied to film releases, brand activations, trade shows, retail installations, and public events. Pricing is per-project and not publicly disclosed. Secondary revenue streams include the VRX Networks pay-to-play VR kiosk network (co-founded, $5 per play, US/Mexico/Australia distribution) and own-IP VR game BARDO on Steam and Oculus Home. Go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-led, anchored by an enterprise portfolio of all major Hollywood studios, with industry awards (BAFTA, Unity, AWE, Opal, UXUK, Campaign Marketing New Thinking) functioning as third-party credibility. Distribution spans direct enterprise sales, app-store channels (iOS, Google Play, Steam, Oculus), and venue/co-location partners (Madame Tussauds, Disneyland, IMAX, Odeon, Comic Con events); AR apps are also distributed through campaign-specific POS kits (e.g., Bulmers' 10,000 on-trade outlet rollout).

Apache owns no disclosed parent company, has no institutional funding or acquisitions on record, and has operated as a bootstrapped, founder-led studio for 35 years. Geographic reach spans 18+ countries across four continents for marquee activations (Disney Become Iron Man, Ben 10), with permanent installations in Disneyland Hong Kong and Shanghai, IMG Worlds of Adventure (UAE), MoPOP Seattle, and Madame Tussauds London and Shanghai.

Name

Apache

Legal name

Apache

Website

https://apache.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UK-based XR studio developing bespoke AR, VR, and body-tracking experiences for major Hollywood film studios and global consumer brands, with a co-founded out-of-home VR kiosk network and an own-IP VR game.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Extended Reality (XR) Studio Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE)

Keywords

• Augmented Reality Experiences
• Virtual Reality Development
• Body Tracking Installations
• Immersive Experience Studio
• Extended Reality Production

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Albans

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bespoke XR Project Development: Commissioned development of AR, VR, and body-tracking experiences for film studios, entertainment brands, retail chains, and corporate clients. Projects are tailored to specific IP and marketing objectives, deployed at events, retail locations, and public venues.
2. VR Pay-to-Play Kiosk Operations (VRX Networks): Co-founded VRX Networks operates a network of VR kiosks across the US, Mexico, and Australia in shopping malls and cinemas. Revenue generated at $5 per play.
3. Own-IP VR Game Sales: BARDO, Apache's own IP VR archery game, launched on Steam and Oculus Home platforms for direct consumer purchase and download.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Apache is a UK-based XR studio that designs and develops bespoke Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and body-tracking immersive experiences for major Hollywood film studios, entertainment brands, and consumer companies. The studio creates AR suit-up activations, VR games, 360° films, holographic and projection mapping installations, and AR mobile apps, and also operates its own-IP VR game BARDO and co-founded the VRX Networks out-of-home VR kiosk platform.

Product overview

Apache is an industry-leading XR (Extended Reality) studio specialising in Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and body-tracking experiential installations. Established for 35 years with 15 years focused on immersive technology, the company operates as both a bespoke experience developer for major Hollywood film studios and IP holders, and as an own-IP VR game developer. Its core offerings fall into several distinct product categories: (1) AR Body-Tracking Experiences — signature suit-up and body-tracking installations using Kinect and computer-vision technology for film marketing activations (e.g., Become Iron Man, Hulkbuster, Batman v Superman, X-Men, Captain Marvel, Ben 10, TMNT Tartaruga Run, Microsoft Humans); (2) VR Games — out-of-home VR kiosk experiences co-founded through VRX Networks (Emoji VR, Jigsaw VR), and its own-IP archery game BARDO on Steam and Oculus Home; (3) 360° VR Films — immersive 360° video content for clients including the United Nations (Great Green Wall), Swarovski/Chalayan, and Star Wars events; (4) AR Mobile Apps — marker-based and markerless AR apps for brands including McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Sony PlayStation, Bulmers, Lenovo, and Morgan Motor Company; (5) VR Retail Experiences — HTC Vive-based room-scale VR experiences for retail environments (intu Winter Wonderland). The company also operates VR kiosks through VRX Networks and has created holographic and projection mapping installations for Madame Tussauds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VRX Networks: Co-founded VR network operating out-of-home Virtual Reality kiosks across the United States, Mexico and Australia, offering pay-to-play VR experiences in shopping malls and cinemas.

Products and services

• BARDO VR Game Apache's first own-IP VR game — a fast-paced atmospheric VR archery action title set in a Buddhist monastery-inspired world between death and rebirth, featuring time-suspension bow mechanics. Distributed for direct consumer purchase on Steam and Oculus Home, and playable at Monster VR theme park in South Korea.
• VRX Networks Pay-to-Play VR Kiosk Platform A co-founded out-of-home Virtual Reality kiosk network operating in shopping malls and cinemas across the United States, Mexico, and Australia, offering pay-to-play VR experiences at $5 per play. Apache supplies launch titles including Emoji VR and Jigsaw VR.
• Become Iron Man AR Body-Tracking Experience AR body-tracking suit-up experience commissioned by Disney/Marvel for the Iron Man 3 release, using Kinect to measure players' proportions and overlay a fitted Mk XLII Iron Man suit in real time. Featured J.A.R.V.I.S. voice-over by Paul Bettany. Deployed globally in 18 countries across four continents.
• Hulkbuster AR Body-Tracking Experience AR body-tracking experience commissioned by Disney/Marvel for Avengers: Age of Ultron, featuring 1:1 Johannesburg location recreation, Sub-Ultron AI, destruction physics, AR suit-up, and Kinect controls. Permanent installations at Disneyland Hong Kong and Shanghai, IMG Worlds of Adventure, and MoPOP Seattle.
• Emoji VR Experience VR game developed for VRX Networks kiosks promoting Sony's The Emoji Movie, designed for younger audiences with intuitive hand movements. Co-created with original voice actors T.J. Miller, James Corden, and Anna Faris. Became the most popular VRX experience to date and won the UXUK Award 2018.
• Jigsaw VR Experience Horror escape VR experience commissioned by Lionsgate for the Jigsaw film, transporting players into the film's world to navigate deadly trap rooms. Aimed at audiences 17+ and launched as the second VRX Networks title.
• Humans Virtual Shopfront AR Experience BAFTA award-winning virtual shopfront AR body-tracking experience for Microsoft and Channel 4's 'Humans' TV drama. Using Kinect 2 technology, the installation detected passersby, waved in response to hand movements, and enabled palm-to-palm virtual bonding with synthetic characters. Won BAFTA and three Campaign Marketing New Thinking awards including Grand Prix.
• Madame Tussauds Hall of Heroes AR and Body-Tracking Experiences Suite of AR body-tracking, holographic (Looking Glass), and projection mapping experiences at Madame Tussauds London Hall of Heroes, including Ant-Man and the Wasp hologram, Black Panther animated backdrop, Daily Bugle news bulletin, Captain Marvel multi-user body-tracking, and Hulk Smash challenge. The venue welcomes millions of visitors annually.
• Growing a World Wonder UN VR 360° Film VR 360° film for the United Nations promoting the Great Green Wall initiative, following a young Senegalese girl and her family. Premiered at COP21 in Paris and distributed via YouTube 360° and a dedicated iOS/Android app with Gear VR and Google Cardboard support.
• Ben 10 Hero AR Experience Kinect-powered AR experience for Cartoon Network's Ben 10, enabling children to transform into one of four Ben 10 aliens with photo opportunities. Localised into 10 languages and toured globally across all continents except Antarctica. Won the 2017 Opal Award in the Experiential category.
• Legion Body-Tracking AR Experience Gesture-controlled AR activation at Liverpool Street Station in London for Lenovo's Legion gaming brand launch, using computer vision to mirror users' movements onto on-screen gaming avatars. Reached over 700,000 people and generated over 1,600 competition entries.
• Mercedes-Benz CLA AR Configurator App AR app developed for the 2014 Canadian Auto Show to showcase the Mercedes-Benz CLA before its physical release. Recreated the CLA in high-resolution detail for tablets and smartphones, collected prospective buyer data, was featured at CES, and released on iOS and Android with 5-star reviews.
• Bulmers Perfect Pour AR App Pioneering AR app demonstrating Bulmers' perfect pour guidelines, and the world's first AR app to achieve real-time reflection and refraction effects. Rolled out across 10,000+ on-trade outlets and major supermarkets via POS kits, sampling, and digital channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700,000+ people reached; 1,600+ competition entries from a single Lenovo Legion activation at Liverpool Street Station
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VRX NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache co-founded VRX Networks, a company leading the next generation of Out-of-home Virtual Reality entertainment. VRX operates a network of VR kiosks across the United States, Mexico, and Australia in shopping malls and cinemas. Apache developed the Emoji VR and Jigsaw VR experiences as the first titles for VRX Networks, making Emoji VR the most popular VRX experience to date. BARDO VR is also playable at Monster VR in South Korea.
• Channel 4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with Channel 4 and OMD UK on the BAFTA award-winning Microsoft Humans AR body-tracking experience. Channel 4 created the pseudo-brand Persona Synthetics and opened a shop on Regent Street to promote the TV drama 'Humans'. Apache's technology enabled fully interactive synthetic human interaction using Kinect 2.
• OMD UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMD UK was Channel 4's media agency partner on the Microsoft Humans campaign, working alongside Apache and Channel 4.
• VRX NetworkscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVRX Networks distributes Apache-developed VR experiences (Emoji VR, Jigsaw VR) through its pay-to-play kiosk network across the US, Mexico, and Australia.
• venturethreeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with venturethree and Surround Vision on the UN Great Green Wall VR 360° film project. venturethree contributed to creative direction.
• Surround VisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with Surround Vision on multiple 360° video projects including the UN Great Green Wall and Swarovski Chalayan Paris Fashion Week experiences. Surround Vision provided 360° video capture expertise.
• 20TenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with creative agency 20Ten on the Sony PlayStation Christmas AR app project.
• Space (Creative Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked closely with award-winning creative agency Space on the Bulmers Perfect Pour AR app project.
• AOLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with AOL alongside Paramount Pictures on the TMNT Tartaruga Run body-tracking AR experience.
• Brand & DeliverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with Brand & Deliver on the Lenovo Legion body-tracking AR experience at Liverpool Street Station.
• My Friend's Nephew (Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache worked with US agency My Friend's Nephew to develop the Zaxby's VR Fanz of Flavor experience for American Football games.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Unit9: Global production studio with a dedicated XR/immersive practice that builds bespoke AR/VR brand experiences, experiential installations, and interactive campaigns for major brands and entertainment studios. Directly comparable as a creative-led studio serving the same enterprise marketing and entertainment clients as Apache.
• Rewind: UK-based immersive content studio that produces VR, AR, and mixed-reality experiences for brands, broadcasters, and entertainment companies. Closely comparable as a UK-headquartered XR studio with strong entertainment and broadcaster relationships (Sky, BBC), competing in the same bespoke immersive-experience market.
• Visualise: London-headquartered immersive content studio specialising in 360° VR film production, volumetric capture, and AR/VR brand experiences for global brands. Comparable for its 360° film work, volumetric capture expertise, and similar blue-chip enterprise client base.
• Here Be Dragons (formerly VRse): Immersive storytelling studio producing VR films and brand experiences for entertainment and cultural clients. Comparable as a creative studio producing premium VR content and brand experiences at the intersection of entertainment and marketing.
• Atlas V: Immersive content studio producing award-winning VR narratives and interactive experiences for global brands and entertainment companies. Comparable for its focus on premium VR storytelling and brand-funded immersive content with similar award credentials.

Broad incumbents

• Framestore: Global VFX and immersive studio with deep relationships across Hollywood and a growing immersive/experiential practice. A larger incumbent that competes for the same blockbuster marketing budgets and has in-house XR capability across AR/VR activations.
• Moving Picture Company (MPC): Major global VFX and post-production studio serving Hollywood with an expanding immersive/experiential division. Competes for the same entertainment-studio budgets that fund Apache's bespoke XR campaigns and brings significantly more scale.
• The Mill: Global VFX and creative studio with a dedicated immersive/experiential practice serving major brands and entertainment studios. Comparable as a scaled, award-winning creative production house with overlapping XR capabilities and similar enterprise client roster.

Emerging players

• Felix & Paul Studios: Immersive 360° and VR content studio producing premium experiences for entertainment brands and cultural institutions. Comparable for its focus on immersive 360° filmmaking and brand-funded VR experiences, though oriented more toward documentary/narrative IP than marketing activations.
• Surround Vision: 360° VR video production company that has partnered with Apache on projects including the UN Great Green Wall and Swarovski Chalayan. Closely comparable as a 360° video specialist whose work directly overlaps Apache's immersive video offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/apachesolutions
• Facebookfacebook.com/ApacheInt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apache-solutions-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Apache