Posted in: Games, Video Games, VR | Tagged: HBO, Lovecraft Country, Lovecraft Country: Sanctum, vr

HBO Launches VR Experience With Lovecraft Country: Sanctum

Published Tue, 01 Sep 2020 22:45:02 -0500

HBO has decided to promote Lovecraft Country a little differently than other shows by offering up a VR experience you can play. The experience is called Lovecraft Country: Sanctum, which is a series of exclusive virtual reality events that will transport invited guests into a world inspired by the show. 100 chosen influential voices will experience three events that will be a mix of immersive theater, escape rooms, art installations, puzzles, and a live concert. All of which you will experience on the Oculus Quest and will simultaneously run on the social VR platform VRChat and YouTube Live. So you'll be able to see what those in the game see in real-time. You'll be treated to voiceover performances by Jonathan Majors, Courtney B. Vance, and Michael Kenneth Williams; as well as art installations by David Alabo, Devan Shimoyama, and Adeyemi Adegbesan. There will also be a theatrical performance inspired by the words of James Baldwin, adapted by series writer Shannon Houston, and performed by Jurnee Smollett. Plus a concert with a TBA performer. The first event will take place on September 3rd at 7pm PDT. We got a couple quotes about the experience below, along with screenshots and a teaser.

How will you come back from the experience? Courtesy of HBO.

"We were very inspired by the deeply layered and dynamic world Misha Green has brought to life in Lovecraft Country and wanted to create a digital experience for fans that is just as innovative as the series itself," said Dana Flax, Vice President, Program Marketing at HBO. "We're so thrilled to be partnering with The Mill on creating a virtual reality 'secret society' in Sanctum. So much of Lovecraft Country is rooted in the idea of travel as a catalyst for self-discovery. Sanctum provides a way for fans to come together virtually and safely in a unique new place and experience incredible performances that further explore themes and ideas from the show. These virtual events also give us the special opportunity of spotlighting the work of Black artists in celebration of this very important series."

"We created Sanctum as a space to expand the possibilities of what the future of theatre, games, art installations, concerts, and live events can be," said Rama Allen, Executive Creative Director at The Mill and lead creative on the Sanctum experience. "It is an alternate universe, built for Social VR, that tests, and exceeds, the boundaries of what we believe possible. We sought to create a space in partnership with Black artists and voices that centers on the Black experience. We chose Social VR because it is the most transportive medium to lift us from the isolation of quarantine, to coexist in a rarefied location. This technology can erase geography to bring us together."