British creative studio REWIND is already well versed in immersive content production, having created the likes of Silicon Valley: Inside The Hacker Hostel for HBO, and Ghost in the Shell VR for Dreamworks and Paramount. Today, the studio has announced its latest virtual reality (VR) experience, a futuristic street racer called Curfew: Join The Race.
Created in partnership with Endemol Shine UK, Curfew: Join The Race is an interactive experience based on an upcoming TV series called Curfew, starring Sean Bean and Billy Zane.
The eight-part show follows the story of ordinary people competing in the world’s fastest, most furious, illegal night-time street race. They risk everything as they race through the night from London to northernmost Scotland in pimped-out, weaponised vehicles to win the ultimate prize – freedom from the totalitarian government curfew that controls their lives.
A 15-minute VR experience, you’ll find yourself in the co-pilot seat, sat next to your driver Eduardo while the mysterious ‘Helena’ communicates to you from her hideout over CB radio. As co-pilot, you must make decisions in the hope of evading the police, other racers and surviving the night.
Daryl Atkins, ECD at REWIND and Creative Director on Curfew – Join The Race said in a statement: “The ambition was to create a narrative experience which meshes deeply with the timeline and themes of the show itself, providing an immersive alternative angle on the action. The experience allows fans to step inside the world they see on screen and get closer to the race. Virtual Reality can give audiences a new way to experience stories set inside the universes of their favourite shows. With Curfew we wanted the user to not only watch a story, but be a part of it.”
“We’re all hugely excited to have produced our first scripted, interactive VR experience alongside REWIND and can’t wait for the experience to launch in conjunction with the series so fans can experience it first hand,” said Karolyn Holbon, Head of Online Video and Multiplatform for Endemol Shine UK. “To be able to place a viewer at the centre of a scripted universe originally created for linear broadcast – is truly innovative and we are extremely proud of the end result.”
Curfew: Join The Race is scheduled to launch on 22nd February – the same day as the show – for free on Oculus Rift. For further updates from REWIND, keep reading VRFocus.