When Alien: Covenant In Utero was released, there was some disappointment expressed by fans that it was a 360-degree video and not a full virtual reality (VR) videogame experience. Fox are now seemingly seeking to address that complaint with a multiplayer VR experience set in the Alien universe.
The experience is being produced by FoxNext, a recently formed subsidiary of 20th Century fox that is concentrating on immersive entertainment and the future of storytelling technology.
A reporter from The Hollywood Reporter had the opportunity to try a proof-of-concept demo of the experience, which involved fighting against alien creatures – including the famous Xenomorph in a cave on a distant planet. The demo as described appears to be taking the form of a first-person shooter, complete with a prop weapon for added realism and immersion.
“FoxNext was created to support our motion pictures and with the view that technology is creating an opportunity for us to really revolutionize the way stories will be told in the future,” FoxNext president Salil Mehta ssaid, “There’s enormous innovation occurring that allows real interactive storytelling, and we created divisions to focus on games, VR and location-based entertainment. We’re trying to define the best ways to create content for each.”
Based upon Mehta’s remarks, it seems that the Alien VR experience is being designed as a location-based experience, something which has seen a lot of growth over the past few months. The demo used a Samsung Gear VR, but it seems likely that it will later be adapted for custom proprietary hardware. Mehta continued: “There’s an incredible opportunity to marry this with what we’re doing in VR and bring VR to locations. We have an incredible property in Alien and with the timing of the movie and the experience, we can make something genre defining.”
VRFocus will bring you further news on the Alien VR experience and other upcoming VR experiences.