Last year during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Dimension (formerly Hammerhead) teased the first details of killer robot ABE’s return, not just in virtual reality (VR) but across location-based entertainment (LBE) and film. It’s now released two micro-films which begin to further dig into the story of ABE.
As you’d expect from a horror franchise these shorts aren’t some playful animation, they’re extremely dark concepts with one taking place on a subway train and the other set in a laundrette. Episode One ‘The B Train’ is the classic lone traveller being stalked by the killer, moving ever closer as the lights flicker. Episode Two ‘Acid Wash’ is from the viewpoint of a cat who wanders into the laundrette’s basement chasing a moth. Spoiler, the kitty is fine.
These two are just the first in a 10-episode series Dimension has planned for ABE, still directed by Rob McLellan who created the original live-action short film in 2013. The rest will be released over the coming year, teasing more of ABE’s story through the eyes of the robot and his victims as the studio gear’s up to expand this horror universe.
This will come in three parts, a continuation of the short film, another videogame which will be VR compatible and the LBE experience. While little has been revealed content-wise so far, the LBE title will be a multiplayer escape room.
It was in 2016 that McLellan and Dimension released ABE VR, a short cinematic experience where at points you become the victim. ABE is a misguided robot seeking the unconditional love of humans in all the wrong places, namely by trying to ‘fix’ them by cutting them up. Needless to say, this never works, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.
While ABE VR wasn’t interactive the new projects are expected to add gameplay elements, in a similar fashion to other titles like Vader Immortal or Agence. As more of the micro-films are released, VRFocus will let you know.
Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult adds: “Three years ago, as part of our ongoing strategy to help boost the UK’s immersive content creation sector, Digital Catapult launched Dimension with Hammerhead VR as the first commercial volumetric capture studio in Europe, collaborating closely with Microsoft’s mixed reality studio. Today, combining real-time immersive production capabilities and volumetric performance capture operations under the single banner of Dimension signals the maturing of this sector. We continue to be excited by how this story is developing and how immersive mixed reality technologies are paving the way for future formats and experiences as well as extending what is possible in current mass-market film and tv formats, delivering increased flexibility, time savings and increases in quality.”
