How Oculus VR faced tragedy amid virtual reality’s great moment (interview part two)

Oculus VR was readying itself for a stellar E3, the biggest video game trade show in June. The maker of virtual reality game goggles was preparing a high-definition version of its Oculus Rift system. It had also closed a $16 million round of funding that would enable it to create a consumer version of its technology.

Then tragedy struck. Oculus VR co-founder Andrew Reisse was struck and killed by a car that was fleeing the police while he was in a cross walk. His death brought everything to a halt at the close-knit startup. The funding announcement was put on hold and work on the HD demo for E3 halted. The team gathered a memorial for Reisse and helped support his family. But the company rallied together and employees at Epic Games, the partner on the virtual reality project, flew out to finish the job that Reisse was leading.