Oculus just bagged an Emmy for its animated VR short Henry

Oculus Story Studios made a bit of history this week when its animated virtual reality short film Henry won the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Original Interactive Program." 

VR-curious devs should note that this is the first time an original VR narrative film has won an Emmy, and that around this time last year Oculus actually released the UE4 assets used to make Henry.

Henry was always pitched to devs first and foremost as an example of what could be accomplished in VR, and in an Oculus blog post today director Ramiro Lopez Dua made a point of encouraging others to continue experimenting with storytelling in VR.

"We never anticipated that one of our first projects would be given such a distinction and this recognition is not only a testament to our team’s creative and technical achievements, but also a validation for the VR storytelling community as a whole," he stated. "While Henry is just one step in the long journey ahead, we hope this moment inspires storytellers to bring their ideas to this new medium and help shape the future of VR storytelling."

The "Outstanding Original Interactive Program" Emmy is itself a relatively new award, one that in previous years has graced the metaphorical shoulders of experiences like the Emma Approved web series and the Taylor Swift Experience interactive music video.