UNEARTHED
IMPACT
A groundbreaking new mixed reality adventure game, giving players animal superpowers to find the mysterious professor and protect the planet.
CLIENTS/PARTNERS
Meta, United Nations Environment Programme, StoryFutures
TOPIC
Interactive Virtual Reality, Meta Quest Passthrough, Replayability, Learning, Environment, Biodiversity
TECHNOLOGY
Interactive Virtual Reality, Meta Quest Passthrough, Video Performance Capture
THE BRIEF
To create a mixed reality adventure game that will set a new bar for immersive learning experiences. Giving players unique powers and inspiring them to protect the planet.
FACTORY 42 ROLE
CONCEPT AND DESIGN
Orginated the concept, creatively directed and designed all aspects of the game.
BUILD
In-house engineering, art & visual effects, production, user testing and quality control
DEEP DIVE
Battle with bears, become a jaguar, protect a fishy family and ride beetles into flowers!
The player experience
Unearthed is a funny, impactful and innovative adventure into the epic wilds of the Amazon and Alaska. Players will use their incredible animal powers and agility, to find a missing Professor and save the world.
On the journey with them are two haphazard robot guides, voiced by Richard Ayoade (Soul, The Mandalorian) and Sian Clifford (Fleabag).
The Professor is played by Indira Varma (Game Of Thrones, Obi Wan).
These robots help collect the animal and plant information the players will need to find the Professor. They believe she holds the key to protecting these ecosystems and saving the world. The rest will be up to the players.
Harnessing their predator powers, electro bow with shrink arrows and bio scanner, gamers will need everything at their disposal to complete their vital missions. They will shrink to the size of a bug, explore mushroom forests with a very useful woodlouse, hunt down reptiles with razor sharp claws, pounce like a jaguar and teleport across jungles and forests all in an effort to understand nature and the importance of biodiversity.
The app is accessible via Meta’s Quest app store and retails at $14.99 in the US and £10.99 in the UK. It has a play time of 3-5 hours.
Behind the scenes of Unearthed
Unearthed was created by Factory 42, with the support of Meta Education and in association with the United Nations Environment Programme. Together they aim to inspire players to protect and care for the planet.
On Unearthed, Factory 42 worked with University of Oxford Associate Professor of Biodiversity and Sustainability Robert Montgomery to ensure learning outcomes and scientific accuracy were built into the script and gameplay. It also partnered with StoryFutures on user testing and ensuring the product met educational and impact goals.
The design for Hazzi, the robot character voiced by Richard Ayoade, was initially conceived by Jake Lunt Davies, the concept artist who was behind the design of the iconic BB-8 droid in the Star Wars sequels trilogy.
The technology and innovation
The game is built in the Unity real time engine and uses the Passthrough feature from the Meta Presence Platform to enable a real-time 3D visualisation of the player’s physical world during the Interview story. Video performances, spatial audio and a variety of game mechanics are combined with optimised fully immersive VR environments to bring players into the heart of the stories.
What the partners said:
John Cassy, Founder and CEO of Factory 42 CEO, commented: “Unearthed is a new type of game genre where people are immersed in new worlds and learn by stealth through joyful, memorable and impactful play. It’s a funny and charming experience with interaction and puzzle solving that enables people to learn more about ecosystems, biodiversity and be inspired to help protect the planet. We know from experience that when you enable people to step into these worlds and become active participants then the impact becomes far greater than simply being a passive observer. This is all powered by Factory 42’s unique approach to creating Impact Entertainment.”
Matthew Sanders, Education and VR Director at Meta said: “Virtual reality is creating new opportunities for people to learn, and we’re excited to support developers innovating in immersive education. Backed by research and collaboration with top UK education institutions, Quest users will have the chance to enjoy Unearthed gameplay while also hearing its important message about the environment.”
Indira Varma said: “Unearthed was my first virtual reality performance as an actor and it was amazing. This feels like a really innovative way of teaching, allowing the user to totally engage with the surrounding environment and immerse themselves in it. I really wanted to be part of that.”
Professor James Bennett, Director at StoryFutures, said: “Unearthed is bound to be a hit: it’s one of the most exciting examples of immersive storytelling we’ve seen.”
University of Oxford Associate Professor of Biodiversity and Sustainability Robert Montgomery said: “The novel educational format prepared by Factory 42 has the potential to revolutionise educational outcomes enabling players to retain vital biodiversity information through entertaining virtual game play.”
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