VR Education to launch Titanic gaming experience

Virtual reality technology company VR Education announced the launch its “highly anticipated” immersive gaming experience Titanic VR on Thursday, which would be available for the PC, Oculus, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality platforms from 1400 BST.

The AIM-traded firm said the Titanic VR game allowed users to experience the events of the doomed Titanic ocean liner through the eyes of a survivor, and to virtually explore the wreck on the seabed as she looked today.

It said the game featured a “fully immersive” and historically accurate animated experience, which told the story of the evacuation to lifeboats, based on the eyewitness testimonies of survivors of the 1912 tragedy.

The project began its life through a Kickstarter campaign in early 2017.

Motion capture technology and extensively-detailed maps of the shipwreck were used to create a reportedly accurate 3D depiction of the Titanic, setting the scene for an educational game where players were tasked with navigating the wreck using their submersible and ROV.

The game featured eight dive missions and seven lab missions.

“I am delighted to launch Titanic VR following the success of Apollo 11, which has been downloaded over 130,000 times since its launch in 2016,” said VR Education chief executive officer David Whelan.

“Titanic VR is a factually animated experience that tells the famous story of the sinking of RMS Titanic as witnessed by survivors.

“As well as creating a realistic VR experience that tells the story of the tragedy in a compelling way, the game will also serve as a valuable resource for discovering more about the stricken ship through a realistic exploration experience, using detailed maps and 3D models of the historic wreck site.”

Whelan said the company had used motion capture, face-scanning technology and professional voice actors to immerse users in the story, and enable them to relate to the people involved.

“In developing this we wanted to create an accurate portrayal of events, so it is not only educational, but also emotional and very engaging.

“We are confident that Titanic VR will be a great success and will update investors on early-stage demand at the time of the group's interim results.”