MWM Immersive, the division of MWM behind the sold-out immersive experience Chained: A Victorian Nightmare and the upcoming VR game Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, today released a trailer for War Remains, a boundary-pushing experience about the First World War presented by Dan Carlin (Hardcore History) that combines VR with practical effects and a tactile physical installation. MWM Immersive has also revealed that after premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival’s immersive program later this month, War Remains will open in Austin this summer. More details are coming soon.
Directed by Academy Award-winning Brandon Oldenburg and developed by immersive storytellers Flight School Studio, with audio design by the legendary Skywalker Sound, War Remains takes audiences into the trenches of the war that changed everything. Using floor rumblers, wind effects and special haptics, along with a touchable physical set, War Remains allows people to experience one of the most nightmarish wars in history like never before.
Quote from Dan Carlin, who narrates War Remains:
“War Remains, our immersive attempt at a time machine-like dive into a Western Front battlefield, is the most realistic simulation to date of a nightmarish human experience from more than a century ago. I’ve always said that places like the Western Front at their worst were inconceivable to those who hadn’t seen them firsthand, but one of the valuable parts of this experience is it uses the latest technology and techniques to make it easier to imagine. In that sense I hope it’s an empathy-enhancement tool. It takes things one step further than film or television or video games have been able to do. I think it engages the senses and ‘lizard brain’ of someone experiencing it in a way that truly bridges the gap between something that is spectator-oriented to something that is participatory. It commands 100 percent of the audience’s attention. It refuses to be ignored.”
Quote from Ethan Stearns, Executive Producer of MWM Immersive, which produced the experience:
“We at MWM Immersive are beyond excited to bring audiences this incredible journey with the legendary Dan Carlin. His voice is an icon of the podcasting world and beyond, and we believe that this medium represents a captivating new way for Dan to share his stories. People have been connecting with Dan’s narrations for many years, and in so many ways, he acts as a portal for us into the most visceral moments in time. It was crucial to MWM that we maintain that unique power of Dan’s storytelling when translating it out of podcasts and into VR, and Dan quickly understood how to use this technology to recreate historical moments like has never been done before. This involved going beyond what you see, and tapping into what you hear. War Remains is just as much of an audio experience as it is a visual and haptic one.”
