Summer Movie Blockbuster Dunkirk Gets WebVR Videogame

Last week VRFocus reported on director Christopher Nolan‘s summer movie Dunkirk getting a virtual reality (VR) experience that takes the viewer into each of the film’s three perspectives: land, sea and air. Warner Bros has announced a second piece of VR content, an online multiplayer called Dunkirk WebVR.

Available via desktop in browsers like Chrome, via mobile devices, or using any WebVR-supporting head-mounted display like Google Cardboard or Google Daydream, Dunkirk WebVR casts players as one of two trapped soldiers. Players get to choose to play with a friend or be paired with someone randomly across the globe, the cooperative nature of the experience means that one player’s choices directly affects the other.

Dunkirk WebVR game

Created by Warner Bros in partnership with Jam3, Google Zoo and Google Chrome VR Team, the experience aims to emulate the cooperative nature of the evacuation as portrayed in the film. Players are exposed to alternating perspectives, sounds and characters along the way, all driving them toward one collective goal – to escape.

Jam3 was responsible for the design and production of the Dunkirk WebVR game, which involved creating gaze-based interactions required to move gameplay forward for your teammate on the battlefield.

If you didn’t know already, Dunkirk  tells the story of the rescue of 400,000 allied soldiers from the German army in WWII. The film is released in theatres on 21st July 2017.

There have been several promotional VR movie tie-ins recently, such as Spider-Man Homecoming VR Experience and Blade Runner 2049 VR ExperienceAs Hollywood continues to explore the possibilities of VR experience VRFocus will let you know.

Dunkirk: Save Every Breath VR Experience Comes to HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR

Virtual reality (VR) film experiences seem to be growing by the day over the course of 2017, there’s Spider-Man Homecoming VR Experience, Blade Runner 2049 VR Experience and now upcoming historic flick Dunkirk – written and directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) – is getting its own VR promotional content.

The upcoming feature film is a cinematic retelling of the pivotal World War II Battle of Dunkirk, set for theatrical release later this month. Today however, the Dunkirk VR Experience thrusts the viewer into each of the film’s three perspectives: land, sea and air.

Dunkirk: Save Every Breath VR Experience

Created in partnership with Intel, Warner Bros. and Practical Magic, the VR experience is available for free across a range of immersive platform. You can download it via Vive Video on Viveport, or head to the official website to get it for Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR. The Dunkirk VR Experience can also be found on Littlstar, Facebook 360, YouTube 360 and Life VR.

Checkout the Dunkirk VR Experience trailer below. For any further VR movie tie-ins, keep reading VRFocus.

Warner Bros. Chief Digital Officer Believes in Potential of VR

During an interview at the VRTL summit in Los Angeles last week, Chief Digital Officer for Warner Bros. Thomas Gewecke spoke about the potential and opportunities presented by the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industry.

Gewecke spoke of how Warner Bros is experimenting with VR and AR technology and looking into how it can be successfully monetised, but cautioned that there is still a lot of work to be done: “We think VR and AR represent an enormous opportunity,” Gewecke said, “The potential is huge. We’ve learned that we are in the really early days.”

One of the lessons the company has learned, according to Gewecke, was about the need to build experiences that are compatible with multiple platforms. Something that was learned after the launch of Batman Arkham VR, initially for PlayStation VR, then ported on to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive for release last week. Though Gewecke insisted that Warner Bros. Is not dissatisfied with how Batman Arkham VR performed: “we are really happy with how it did,” Gewecke said.

Warner Bros are also trying to tie in the movie division with VR, having announced a partnership with IMAX to co-finance three VR experiences for Warner Bros movies such as the upcoming comic book movies Justice League and Aquaman. The studio are also partnering with HTC to create a VR tie-in to upcoming movie adaptation of Ernest Cline’s sci-fi novel Ready Player One: “It’s an incredible story, incredible book. It will be a really great vehicle for raising awareness about the whole category.”

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on Warner Bros. VR projects as it becomes available.

Watch the First two Missions of Batman: Arkham VR

Batman: Arkham VR is proving to be hugely popular, both on PlayStation VR and the recently released PC edition compatible with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. VRFocus has spent a considerable amount of time with the videogame, and today brings you two new gameplay videos.


Played on the Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch, the videos below showcase the first and second mission sequences from Batman: Arkham VR, respectively. Watch as the team uncover the secrets behind the murder of Batman’s former sidekick Robin, now operating solo as Nightwing, and attempt to pursue his killer. Batman: Arkham VR is designed to push the qualities of the hero as ‘the world’s greatest detective’, and these first two sequences from the videogame give you a taste of exactly how that unfolds.

 
Batman: Arkham VR is now available for Oculus Rift with Oculus Touch, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, and VRFocus will bring you more coverage of this hugely popular title in the near future.

 

 

Warner Bros. File Patent for AR/VR Movies

Entertainment giant Warner Bros. have filed a patent for a technology that allows for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to be utilised in movie theatres and at home.

The patent filing from Warner Bros. Entertainment describes a system that will allow movie goers to experience VR and AR content at the movie theatre in a similar fashion to how 3D films are currently handled. However, unlike 3D movies the new system is designed to be compatible with Netflix and iTunes for home use.

As reported by Patently Apple, HoloLens and other commercially available headsets are mentioned in the patent filing, and the filing further says that the system will work with headsets powered by either ARM or Intel processors. Though it is implied that next-generation headsets will be needed to implement most of the technology described.

With the specific mention of iTunes and Netflix, it seems likely that the system will work with live streaming of entertainment and rely on 5G networks to support the amount of data that will need to be streamed. 5G networks are due to begin rolling out in 2018, and speculation has already begun on when the system described in the patent filing will begin implementation.

It is not known at this stage if implementation of the system will mean that cinemas will be handing out headsets the way 3D glasses are currently distributed for 3D movies, or if there will be a ‘bring your own device’ solution in place for VR/AR content. Both approaches are likely to bring their own share of hurdles to overcome.

VRFocus will bring you further information on the potential new Warner Bros. System when it becomes available.

Batman Arkham VR Coming to HTC Vive and Oculus Rift this Month

Today has seen HTC Vive announce plans for its first anniversary later this week. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment have revealed PlayStation VR title, Batman Arkham VR will be launching on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on 25th April 2017.

A BAFTA nominated virtual reality (VR) experience, Batman Arkham VR immerses players in Gotham City, allowing them to see through the eyes of the World’s Greatest Detective.

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“Bringing Batman™ to VR was a very rewarding experience for us here at Rocksteady. The Dark Knight has always been an incredible character to work with due to his psychological depth, so it’s really exciting to use this immersive medium to delve deeper into his psyche than ever before” said Sefton Hill, Creative Director, Rocksteady Studios. “We’re thrilled that PC players can finally wear the cowl for themselves and take on the role of the World’s Greatest Detective with the addition of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift versions.”

At launch Batman Arkham VR will support the HTC Vive’s motion controllers and Oculus Touch. It’ll also have full gamepad support on PC, including the PS4 Dual Shock 4 Controller, Xbox One Controller and the Steam Controller.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Batman Arkham VR, reporting back with any further updates.

Justice League, Aquaman To Get Interactive VR Experiences

Justice League, Aquaman To Get Interactive VR Experiences

The first full Justice League trailer hit this weekend, sending the internet into a frenzy for both better and worse. These days no Hollywood blockbuster is complete without a promotional VR experience, though, and Zack Synder’s latest move is no exception.

Warners. Bros announced today that it has partnered with IMAX to create three new VR experiences based on its upcoming movies, the first of which is Justice League, set to debut later this year. Then in 2018 we’ll get another experience based on Aquaman — a solo spin-off of this year’s superhero team up — and a third experience based on an unannounced movie will arrive in 2019.

These experiences will be interactive, but neither company has clarified if they’ll be fully VR games or 360 degree movies. They’re set to be timed exclusives for IMAX’s VR centers, which currently only feature gaming content but do have plans to expand into 360 degree experiences that tie into current releases in theaters in the future. IMAX is even giving filmmakers 360 degree cameras to shoot panoramic experiences for headsets.

We’ve reached out to the company to ask about the nature of these new experiences. A press release refers to them as “premium”, so expect to pay for them once they reached in-home headsets.

IMAX currently has one VR center open in Los Angeles, but plans to expand with new locations in New York City, California, the UK and Shanghai over the coming months. We’ve tested the LA one for ourselves and, while it’s definitely still in the experimental phase, we’re excited for the opportunity it presents in getting people into VR for the first time.

This isn’t the only VR deal Warner Bros. has announced this week; the company also partnered with HTC and will produce content for next year’s Ready Player One on Viveport.

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IMAX and Warner Bros. to Bring Justice League and Aquaman to VR Platforms

In an announcement today IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have revealed a new virtual reality (VR) co-financing and production agreement, seeing the development of three experiences based on some of the latters upcoming blockbuster films.

Of the three, two have been officially unveiled, Justice League and Aquaman. One title will be released each year, with Justice League VR set to arrive in late 2017. The releases will receive an exclusive window in IMAX VR centres after which home and mobile VR platforms will be added.

IMAXVR-Logo-Full-Color

“It’s fitting that with IMAX and Warner Bros.’ shared history of launching Hollywood movies in IMAX theatres, today we’re entering into our first studio deal to bring original VR content to the multiplex,” said IMAX Corp. CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “A key component of our vision for VR is to help usher in the first wave of high-end blockbuster-based content. Justice League and Aquaman feature some of the most beloved characters on the planet, providing iconic properties to launch this effort.  This type of premium content will introduce audiences to virtual reality in standalone and multiplex-based IMAX VR centres as well as other platforms.”

“We are excited to be partnering with IMAX to develop and deliver premium VR experiences, and believe that capitalizing on Justice League and Aquaman characters from our well-known DC properties will broaden the appeal of this fast growing technology,” said Ron Sanders, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution.  “Using content and characters from these upcoming films and incorporating creative direction from some of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers will help us to bring a groundbreaking experience to audiences and consumers who are hungry for a cutting-edge virtual reality experience.”

IMAX has been getting more involved with VR as the technology progresses. In January the company launched its IMAX VR Centre in Los Angeles, California, with plans to open at least five additional centres in New York City, California, the UK and Shanghai in the coming few months.

The company also created the IMAX VR Fund in 2016, a $50 million USD VR fund to help finance the creation of at least 25 experiences over the next three years.

As VRFocus learns more about IMAX and Warner Bros. VR content we#ll let you know.

Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One To Get VR Content Made By HTC

Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One To Get VR Content Made By HTC

As far as recommended reading for VR goes, Ready Player One ranks highly. Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel, set in a world ruled by the technology, has been given out at VR conferences and sourced as an inspiration countless times within the industry. Facebook’s Oculus even once gave all new employees a copy of the book. Next year, though, Ready Player One will be virtualized itself.

HTC today announced that it has exclusively partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures to create and distribute VR content based on the sci-fi hit. According to a press release, this will consist of both “experiences and games”. This content will be connected to the upcoming film adaptation of the novel, directed by Steven Spielberg and set for release just over a year from now on March 30th 2018. It’s a project we’ve been watching with a close eye.

HTC CEO Cher Wang and Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara celebrating the deal.

The content will be released through HTC’s Viveport service, meaning it will support the company’s own HTC Vive headset as well as all other “VR in-home platforms”, which very likely means the Oculus Rift, OSVR and, by the time of release, even LG’s recently revealed SteamVR headset. There will also be mobile VR content and experiences developed for HTC’s Viveport Arcade, which licenses VR games to arcades around the world. HTC will demo the content at events across the globe, but no word on when or where we’ll see it first.

And that’s pretty much all we know for now. We’ve reached out to HTC to ask who might be developing this content; we’ve seen the company work with real developers to bring movie-based games like John Wick to the Vive before. Given that the book is held in such high regard these apps will surely become some of the most anticipated on the horizon for the VR industry.

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