2020 Journey by 42 Interactive: Stories of Ups and Downs

Can you believe that we are now in December and close to the end of 2020?

It has been 12 months of the strangest of years for everyone globally handling the Covid Pandemic.

Here we would like to share the stories of ups and downs that we have been through in 2020.

January: Journey to the Future

Stepping into 2020 was an exciting start to the year. With some major pitches from 2019 finalised we were ready for our highly dedicated and enthusiastic teams in Bali and Sydney to execute on some of our Partners' projects.

February: Embracing New Projects and Pitches

February was an exciting month where we had new inquiries came in for the 42Interactive team to workshop and scope. We also had 2 large projects greenlighted to start. We assembled, discussed, and conquered. Milestones were set, releases communicated for client approval and then the design and development fun began.

March: Then This Happened - COVID Pandemic

April: X-Ray Plugin

The launch of the X-Ray Plugin. It is a custom shader that enables X-Ray style functionality for your Unity3D project. Make an object look like it’s being scanned with our X-Ray plugin for Unity 3D Free on the Unity Asset Store. Use this Shader tool to create an X-Ray effect on different objects. This plug-in will enable you to create different modes of see-through objects in Unity.

Check out this plugin on the Unity Asset Store to assist enhance your project with this X-Ray software.

May: Adapting to the "New" Normal - Tech Innovation

Here comes the most significant turning point of technology, probably ever. With businesses were closed (or some on the brink of bankruptcy) due to the pandemic while people have bills to pay and mouth to feed, challenges arise in how to keep business afloat. People were seeking an innovative, convenient, and safest way to conduct commerce and human interaction. And technology answered it with an online virtual meeting room. Zoom has become a major trend around the world and being used by people in all segments of life.

Do you use Zoom? If not, what online meeting provider that you have at home?

June: Adapting to Covid

In this stage, we came to realize that Coronavirus won't be gone anytime soon. It's either we adapt and overcome, or we will lose the battle. We saw rising cases and sadly also increasing death tolls during this time. Drastic measures and changes were taken and so the Glory days of office work have since been replaced with the virtual world. The word "New Normal" has been invented and introduced worldwide. The majority of nations executed full international and domestic lock-downs, some nations implementing stricter rules than others.

July: Sitecore Collaboration

In July we were overjoyed to become a Silver Partner on the Sitecore Partner Network (SPN). With several certified developers in Indonesia coupled our Sydney and Melbourne development team, that include an MVP with of 10 years of experience we are well placed to be able to design, build and deliver amazing Sitecore platform experiences from either greenfield or and update point of view.

We have unleashed the Sitecore power for numerous winning orgs with features such as:

Multi-Tenanted CMS
Personalization
Analytics
Campaigns (EXM)
Social
Asset Management
Sitecore Content Hub

If you need an experienced Sitecore CMS development team, that can help with personalization to content, commerce, and data, start marketing in context with Sitecore's web content management and digital experience platform, then get in touch.

August: InstacalmVR™ 2.0

In August we launched an update to InstacalmVR on both Steam and Oculus stores.

Introducing InstacalmVR™, from Neurotechnology Pty Ltd. With great collaboration between 42 Interactive with Wilfred Lax, a Clinical Psychologist with over thirty years of experience.

InstacalmVR™, is our suite of Virtual Relaxation Therapy products. Our relaxation narration seamlessly leads you through the experience deepening your relaxation as you let go of you're stress. The experience has been designed as a virtual guided imagery experience by our psychologists to give you a much quicker and deeper relaxation immersion than other cognitive mindfulness events.

There are 5 unique Virtual Tour Relaxation Therapy you can experience using your VR headset. Try all of the journeys. Synchronize your breathing to each of the tour as it slows you will descend into a deeper and deeper relaxation. The experience is designed to help you increase the experience of your physical breathing.

September: HP ISV Partnership Agreed

In September we were delighted to join forces with HP in the Virtual Reality area and become an HP Independent Software Vendor (ISV).

The ISV program allows us to combine forces to create the future roadmap for innovation and growth in Virtual Reality (VR) solutions, especially around Healthtech, but also in other market areas.

This partnership allows 42 Interactive to work together with HP’s global team of professionals in merging sales and marketing efforts as well as gaining privileged access to HP’s powerful line of VR ready devices.

We are looking forward to road testing, the new Reverb VR products in early 2021 with some of our recently updated and yet to be released Virtual Reality experiences.

October: Launching New Services of 42 Interactive - Digital Marketing

In October, we were proud to introduce our long-waited Digital Marketing Service to provide you with customized tailored marketing solutions. We will help you reach your niche market to offer products and services to your target customers.

Through SEO, we will help you to improve your website and online presence on search engines. And then on Paid Advertising, we will set up carefully customized campaigns that will allow you to reach relevant audiences and target market. That's not all. With Social Media Marketing, we will help you build your brand, increase sales, and drive traffic to your business. And Email Marketing is a great way to connect with your current and potential customers.

Discover why you need Digital Marketing and how we can achieve your business goals consistently here

November: Our Team Has Grown

Despite the challenges of this year the demand for technology continues to increase and we are happy to announce that approaching the end of the year 2020, our team has expanded across the design, development, marketing, and QA areas and in both Australia and Indonesia. We are ready for our next chapter in 2021 and moving forward, together we are committed to building a solid professional team to deliver only the highest quality standard of work, and welcoming the opportunities that lay ahead of us.

December: FindMyPlayground, find Playground fun

Christmas and the holidays are here. Our FindMyPlayground digital experience is available on both web and mobile. This Playground Finder and review tool would come in handy and provide you with some ideas and insights for kids holiday activity locations. So whether you're at home or lucky enough to be getting away to another destination this year FindMyPlayground should be something that you check out with the kids.

Find My Playground is an interactive mobile and web experience where users can add their reviews on playgrounds, globally, they have visited recently and suggest a new playground to the list. The filter and search features will help users to find the nearest playgrounds and parks that match users' preferences.