Factory 42
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- Founded
- 2016
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About Factory 42
Factory 42 was a British immersive content studio and creative technology agency based in London. Its work combined virtual, augmented and mixed reality with narrative production, interactive software and spatial computing. The studio described its approach as “knowledge entertainment” and “impact entertainment,” using immersive experiences to explore subjects including natural history, environmental science, culture and education.
Its capabilities covered experience design, full-stack software development, XR content production, interactive installation engineering, volumetric video integration, 3D environments and spatial audio consultancy. Projects ranged from individual headset experiences and mobile educational applications to installations combining digital environments with live performance.
Immersive productions
Hold The World (2018), commissioned by Sky VR Studios with the Natural History Museum, featured a photorealistic volumetric representation of Sir David Attenborough guiding users through rare specimens. The project brought museum collections into an interactive virtual setting.
For The Green Planet AR Experience (2022), Factory 42 served as lead creative and technical partner alongside BBC Studios, EE and NVIDIA. The attraction presented interactive biomes guided by Attenborough and used streamed augmented reality to connect natural history storytelling with spatial interaction.
The studio also collaborated with the Almeida Theatre and Sky on Lost Origin (2021), a live-action mixed-reality adventure using Magic Leap headsets. Its educational work included My Dino Mission AR and My Robot Mission AR, developed through its internal children’s division, 42 Kids, with the Natural History Museum and Science Museum.
Other productions included Painting the Future with the Royal Academy of Arts, Giselle VR with English National Ballet and choreographer Akram Khan, and Unearthed VR, a narrative biodiversity game exploring the Amazon and Tongass ecosystems.
Company history
Founded in 2016, Factory 42 subsequently entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation on 31 July 2024. The winding-up process concluded with its dissolution on 5 March 2026. By the October 2026 research date, the studio had ceased operating and its website was no longer functioning.
More about Factory 42
Founders and name
Factory 42 was founded by former Sky executive John Cassy and director Dan Smith. Cassy chose the name partly to mark his age at founding and partly as a reference to Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Production methods
The studio brought together game developers, filmmakers, software engineers, visual artists and academic researchers. For The Green Planet AR Experience, its technical approach combined 5G mobile edge computing with NVIDIA CloudXR streaming to render the interactive environments.
Public funding and recognition
The 2020 Dinosaurs and Robots initiative received support through the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, under Audience of the Future. The experience Painting the Future won Best VR Experience at the Broadcast Digital Awards. Unearthed VR was featured at SXSW.
Notable credits
9 creditsOffices
Current and former locations of Factory 42
- New Wing, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA, United KingdomLondon, England, United Kingdom
London office
Former officeAbout this office
Former overall studio headquarters. The internal 42 Kids division also operated from these premises. The studio is confirmed closed; the precise premises closure year is not established.
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