Quell, a London-based fitness gaming developer and publisher, is launching the Quell Impact fitness gaming platform with the goal of making exercise more engaging, enjoyable, and accessible. After four years of development, the Quell Impact is debuting with its first game, Shardfall, a boxing game that combines exhilarating gameplay with athlete-grade resistance bands and camera-less motion tracking.
The Quell Impact aims to deliver immersive, high-intensity, full-body workouts at home. During the closed beta phase, Quell received feedback from its first 5,000 pre-order customers, and now the product is available worldwide. The platform costs $329, with a monthly subscription fee of $8.48.
The Quell Impact distinguishes itself from competitors by prioritizing high-quality fitness experiences. Through HIIT workouts tailored to each player’s fitness level, users can burn more than 600 calories an hour. In addition to boxing, the platform offers a variety of exercises such as squats, running, and jumps to provide a full-body workout.
The launch title, Shardfall, is a roguelike game where players sprint, leap, and fight their way through a fantasy world. The better players perform, the faster they progress through the game. With over 100 unique enemies and enchanted landscapes, each 20-minute session offers an engaging workout experience.
One of Quell’s key features is its personalization. By utilizing AI, deep fitness data, and procedural generation, the platform can deliver customized workouts tailored to individual fitness levels and goals. It also offers analytics that track performance and show improvements over time, helping users understand their progress and focus their efforts.
In terms of social features, Quell plans to introduce leagues where players can compete and rise in the ranks or get relegated. This social play aspect adds an extra layer of motivation for players to push their limits and achieve their fitness goals.
The Quell Impact platform includes two controllers with haptics, heart-rate monitors, and motion sensors, as well as a chest unit with an additional motion sensor. It also comes with two resistance bands and wrist straps, a belt with a breathable design, a USB-C charging dock, a WiFi connection hub, and a wash bag. The platform is priced at £299 ($329) with free shipping to select regions.
Quell membership starts at £6.66/$8.48 per month and provides unlimited access to all Quell games, content updates, fitness analytics, and social play for up to five friends and family profiles per account. To play the games, users will need a compatible PC or Mac computer and a TV or display.
The origins of Quell date back to the COVID lockdowns when the founders interviewed people about their exercise habits and found that most people disliked running but tolerated it for the exercise. They wanted to create a fitness gaming platform that combined the fun of gaming with the benefits of real exercise. Instead of using virtual reality, which caused motion sickness for many users, they opted for a traditional screen and built a motion recognition system from scratch.
With a team of around 50 people and $18 million raised to date, Quell aims to revolutionize the way people experience exercise. By taking the “work” out of workouts and replacing it with immersive gaming experiences, Quell motivates players to stick to their fitness routines, push themselves harder, and build lifelong healthy habits.