Category: Snatch

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Enter The Oasis With Ready Player One AR Portal

One of this year’s hotly anticipated movies is Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the Ernest Kline book Ready Player One. As you would expect for a film heavily featuring virtual reality (VR), immersive technologies such as VR and augmented reality (AR) are forming a significant part of the publicity for the film, such as with the Snatch Ready Player One AR Portal.

The Snatch AR treasure hunt was released in November 2017, and used concepts similar to the modern geocaching hobby with an immersive twist that let players all over the world seek out and claim virtual parcels, which could be exchanged for high-value items from companies and brands, including Nike, Heineken, Samsung and Netflix.

Snatch Ready Player One

The company behind the title have previously worked with those companies to create limited edition branded experiences within snatch, and have now teamed with Warner Bros to bring a Snatch AR portal themed around Ready Player One to Snatch users.

Considering that the movie and book are centred around and extended hunt for a well-hidden ‘Easter Egg’ hidden within the virtual world of The Oasis, tying in with a scavenger hunt app seems to be a logical fit.

What developers Draw & Code have created is an AR portal that allows users of the app to step into The Oasis, the virtual world from the book and film. Once ‘inside’ the space, the user can look back out into the real world through a virtual doorway. The player will also be able to engage with a number of mini-games within the virtual space, such as an arcade cabinet which can be engaged with to answer trivia questions about the film.

The developers used Apple’s popular ARKit toolset to create the AR portal, something that has become commonplace among developers, brands and companies with its ability to allow for marker-free AR experiences. The team at Draw & Code hopes the AR portal for Ready Player One will provide a fun, interactive experience for Snatch players and fans of the book and movie.

Snatch Ready Player One

For further news on Ready Player One, along with VR and Ar experiences, keep checking with VRFocus.

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Crackle’s Free VR Experience Snatch Featuring Rupert Grint now Available on PlayStation VR

Last April VRFocus reported on Sony Pictures Television free, ad-supported streaming network, Crackle renewing original drama Snatch starring Rupert Grint from the Harry Potter films. As part of the deal an immersive virtual reality (VR) short was to be made and today it’s now been released for PlayStation VR.

Snatch VR episode

Production on season two of the 10-episode series will kick off this month in Málaga, Spain, with Entourage’s Kevin Connolly directing several episodes on the Costa del Sol, as well as Tom Dey (Failure to Launch, Shanghai Noon) and Luis Pietro (The Oath, Kidnap).

The Snatch VR Heist Experience is a six-minute immersive branching narrative that transports the user into the middle of a safe-cracking diamond heist alongside additional Snatch series stars Luke Pasqualino (Skins, The Borgias), Lucien Laviscount (Scream Queens, Honeytrap) and Phoebe Dynevor (The Village, Dickensian). The 3D stereoscopic experience originally premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival allowing viewers to control the outcome of the heist.

Snatch’s main storyline for season one centered on a group of twenty-something, up-and-coming hustlers who stumble upon a truck load of stolen gold bullion. Finding themselves thrust into London’s underworld, they need to deal with rogue cops, gypsy fighters, international mobsters and local villains to survive. In this upcoming season, the team is on the lam and what begins as a well-deserved vacation quickly becomes a face off with a local kingpin; fighting to save their fortune, and ultimately their lives.

Snatch UnitEp105_0381

In season two Grint returns as the utterly posh, Charlie Cavendish-Scott whilst also serving as an executive producer. In addition, the series stars an ensemble cast featuring Pasqualino as Albert Hill, Laviscount as Billy Ayres, Dougray Scott as Vic Hill, Dynevor as Lotti Mott and Juliet Aubrey as Lily Hill.  The series is executive produced by Alex De Rakoff, who also serves as writer and showrunner, Aaron Ginsburg and William Green.

PlayStation VR owners can download the Snatch VR Heist Experience for free now. For any further updates involving TV VR tie-ins, keep reading VRFocus.

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‘Snatch’ VR Experience Comes to PSVR, Featuring Rupert Grint of ‘Harry Potter’ Fame

To kick off the production of season two of Crackle’s TV series Snatch, Sony has released a “VR heist game experience” on PSVR featuring Rupert Grint, known for his role an Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, and a number of other cast members from the show.

The Snatch VR Heist Experience is a six-minute narrative experience that puts the user into the middle of a safe-cracking diamond heist, blending 360 video with interactive elements. The experience, which debuted at last year’s Venice Film Festival, is now available on PSN for free.

image courtesy Crackle

Grint joins Snatch series stars Luke Pasqualino (Skins, The Borgias), Lucien Laviscount (Scream Queens, Honeytrap) and Phoebe Dynevor (The Village, Dickensian).

The experience was created by Future Lighthouse, a Spain-based studio also known for the patently insane BeefeaterXO VR experience and the stylish, if not looked-over El Ministerio del Tiempo VR.

The post ‘Snatch’ VR Experience Comes to PSVR, Featuring Rupert Grint of ‘Harry Potter’ Fame appeared first on Road to VR.

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Find Real Life Prizes In AR, And Keep Thieving Hands Off Them In Snatch

Thanks to the continued developments in immersive technology the line between what is real and what is not real continues to be blurred. Now a new augmented reality (AR) videogame app is looking to blur that line even further and reward you with real prizes for your actions in AR.

The app is called Snatch. Launched yesterday it takes you on an AR treasure hunt one with a hefty amount of prize money behind it. According to the developers there’s goods worth £50 million (GBP) from big brands that you can locate on the streets of the UK. These include companies such as Nike, Xbox, Heineken, Missguided, Boohoo, Gousto, Virgin Wines, Netflix and Samsung. Other prizes such as cash prizes, tickets to gigs, holidays abroad, etc.

The app is now out following an initial Beta phase where it attracted half a million players, with a 40-60,000 daily average of active players each of whom spent 90 minutes per day.on average in-game.

Snatch uses your smartphone and transforms the surrounding area, by AR, into “an interactive playground”. In this alternate version of your location you will then need to locate and acquire various virtual parcels and packages dotted around the place, competing against fellow players in the process. Once you have acquired a parcel you need to defend it from other players – because they can steal parcels from you.  Likewise you in turn can swipe a potential prize from an unwary Snatcher. Users will need to use acquirable traps, hideouts, etc to defend your territory.  Safe houses also exist and you can check into these at real world locations, such as public houses and restaurants.

“Snatch allows people to compete for real prizes, experience the thrill of winning and the illicit kick of stealing other people’s parcels. It’s an entirely new way for brands to reach customers.” Explains Snatch‘s founder and CEO Joe Martin. “It’s gamifying the whole experience and changing it: people are tracking down brands rather than the other way around, but the outcome is the same- it all leads to product discovery and brand engagement.”

Snatch is available to download from the Google Play Store and the Apple Store now, you can find out more at the official website, VRFocus will bring you more updates on Snatch in the near future.

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Venice Film Festival to Premiere Melita, Snatch and Argos File VR Films

Last week VRFocus reported on the 74th Venice Film Festival (VFF) taking place this summer in Italy. As with a lot of film festivals around the world, the event will also be home to several virtual reality (VR) films with three set to premiere, Melita, Snatch and The Argos File.

Melita is a 20-minute animation created by Future Lighthouse. Consisting of three parts, with the second and third still in the development, Melita tells the story of two strong female characters on their quest to save humanity due to climate change’s irreparable damage to Earth.

“What really sets this apart from other VR experiences is a combination of cinematic movement, character development, actors, and dialogue,” said Nicolás Alcalá, director Melita and CEO of Future Lighthouse. “The experience pushes the boundaries of VR cinematic narratives and visually appears as though the viewer has been placed inside any of your favorite animation films”

The Argos File image

The Argos File is a VR proof of concept create by Cinaptic in collaboration with Future Lighthouse and Magnopus. The film is an interactive, live-action VR experience integrating 360-degree stereoscopic footage and cinema-quality visual effects where find themselves as a detective solving a murder by exploring the recorded memories of the victim.

As a first-person experience The Argos File incorporates augmented reality (AR) overlays to add extra layers of engagement for viewers whilst featuring a mockup of future intuitive controls allowing users to rewind, pause, and fast-forward the memories.

“We wanted to imagine a world that took our most complex fears about the modern age, and explore it within the intimate, sensory-overload experience of VR,” said Joshua Rubin, writer and co-creator of The Argos File. “What do we become as a culture when every moment we experience is saved and shareable, and in constant danger of being hacked?”

“The different elements allow viewers to piece together emotionally-charged fragments to solve the mystery, and understand the context of the main character’s final moments,” said Josema Roig, director of Argos. “This truly explores what VR really is, and addresses the question of who am I? Why am I here? Why should I care?”

Lastly there’s the Snatch VR Heist Experience featuring Harry Potter star Rupert Grint. An off-shoot of Sony Pictures Television’s Crackle programme Snatch which first aired last year, the experience transports viewers into the middle of a safe-cracking diamond heist alongside Grint, Luke Pasqualino, Lucien Laviscount, and Phoebe Dynevor.

“VR gives the viewer power and controls over the outcome,” said Future Lighthouse CEO Nicolas Alcala. “Our goal is to teleport you alongside Rupert Grint and his thieving friends to make you feel the adrenaline of the heist. We want the viewers to have agency over where they want this caper to go.”

The experience is platform agnostic, and currently available on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, and Samsung Gear VR.

For further VFF updates keep reading VRFocus.

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Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint Stars in VR Episode of Snatch

Snatch, an original scripted drama that airs on Sony Pictures Television’s Crackle has been renewed for a second season in 2018. As part of the project – which stars Rupert Grint from the Harry Potter films – an immersive 6-minute, 360-degree interactive episode has been made, launching later this year.

Co-produced by Future Lighthouse, the experience transports viewers into London’s high-stakes world of organized crime. The VR episode was shot during four days in Manchester, and each character was filmed on a different day using stereoscopic techniques.

Snatch VR episode

“Rupert, Luke and the rest of the cast have created memorable characters who truly resonated with our viewers, and we look forward to following their adventures in season two of Snatch,” said Eric Berger, Crackle, GM and EVP, Digital, Sony Pictures Television Networks. “Sincere thanks to our production team as well as Snatch’s creator, writer and executive producer Alex De Rakoff for being the creative force behind what is our most successful drama to date.”

“In VR the viewer has a lot of power and controls the outcome.  Our goal is to teleport you alongside Rupert Grint and his thieving friends to make you feel the adrenaline of the heist.  We want the viewers to have agency over where they want this caper to go,” said Nicolas Alcala, Future Lighthouse’s CEO and director of creativity.

Snatch centers on a group of twenty-something, up-and-coming hustlers who stumble upon a truck load of stolen gold bullion. Finding themselves thrust into London’s underworld, they need to deal with rogue cops, gypsy fighters, international mobsters and local villains to survive.

The VR episode will be available through PlayStation VR this summer. For any further updates on Snatch, keep reading VRFocus.

Posted on

Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint Stars in VR Episode of Snatch

Snatch, an original scripted drama that airs on Sony Pictures Television’s Crackle has been renewed for a second season in 2018. As part of the project – which stars Rupert Grint from the Harry Potter films – an immersive 6-minute, 360-degree interactive episode has been made, launching later this year.

Co-produced by Future Lighthouse, the experience transports viewers into London’s high-stakes world of organized crime. The VR episode was shot during four days in Manchester, and each character was filmed on a different day using stereoscopic techniques.

Snatch VR episode

“Rupert, Luke and the rest of the cast have created memorable characters who truly resonated with our viewers, and we look forward to following their adventures in season two of Snatch,” said Eric Berger, Crackle, GM and EVP, Digital, Sony Pictures Television Networks. “Sincere thanks to our production team as well as Snatch’s creator, writer and executive producer Alex De Rakoff for being the creative force behind what is our most successful drama to date.”

“In VR the viewer has a lot of power and controls the outcome.  Our goal is to teleport you alongside Rupert Grint and his thieving friends to make you feel the adrenaline of the heist.  We want the viewers to have agency over where they want this caper to go,” said Nicolas Alcala, Future Lighthouse’s CEO and director of creativity.

Snatch centers on a group of twenty-something, up-and-coming hustlers who stumble upon a truck load of stolen gold bullion. Finding themselves thrust into London’s underworld, they need to deal with rogue cops, gypsy fighters, international mobsters and local villains to survive.

The VR episode will be available through PlayStation VR this summer. For any further updates on Snatch, keep reading VRFocus.

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SXSW 2017: Snatch Is Like Pokemon Go With Prizes You Must Steal

SXSW 2017: Snatch Is Like Pokemon Go With Prizes You Must Steal

Many mobile augmented reality experiences will continue to be compared to Pokemon Go for the foreseeable future. It was one of the first times that an AR-based game drew such a massive following and, even though it was mainly due to the strength and nostalgia of the Pokemon brand, the game did present ideas that take advantage of today’s constant use of smartphones.

The major key for Pokemon Go’s popularity was fostering a social experience by getting groups of people out in droves and Snatch is an AR app that hopes to do the same — but with a bit of a twist.

When it comes to groups hitting the pavement to collect items and capture creatures in Pokemon Go, it was always exciting to see other people clearly doing the same as you hit up parks, stores, and other places. With Snatch, you may be a lot less excited to see other players. In this AR app, your goal is to grab parcels on an augmented map but you must also protect them from being snatched by other players. You can steal from those people as well, but your focus is staying on defense considering the game has some pretty great prizes for you to earn. You’ll regularly find in-game currency that will allow you to steal and defend with unique tools, but the parcels can even contain extremely impressive gifts from cash to concert tickets and even full vacation packages.

The frequency of prizes is going to be a big concern for those trying this out (we’ll update everyone with some hands-on impressions of the app soon) but one key detail is that the parcel count is dependent on the amount of people playing the game in one area. So, though you’ll be wary of people playing near you, it’ll serve you better to invite as many people as you can to open up more chances for prizes. Stay tuned to UploadVR for more updates from SXSW.

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