“Multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer reached out to the team at Immersive Tech with the challenge of creating an immersive experience that was both high quality and representative of their brand while being easily transportable across the world. Focusing on the Leaps by Bayer initiative aiming at “conquering ten huge challenges facing humanity”, our team concepted and executed on an all-in-one experience in the form of a customized 40’ shipping container. Divided into 4 rooms, with 3 being for gameplay, the container acted as storage too, helping transport an additional 13’ foot video wall to showcase brand content and player leaderboards. Players interacted with a blend of tactile, digital and technology driven puzzles in their efforts to save the world in less than 20 minutes.”

— Immersive Tech, Leaps by Bayer project page

feature: hidden depths

In the game’s narrative, players dock with a “Moon”-inspired research station anchored to the floor of Monterey Bay, California. Their task is to complete the scientist’s research, retrieve a sample of an experimental compound, and escape the station before the pressure of the depths crushes it. Using scripted lighting changes, creaking sound effects, and an introductory video that laid out the stakes, we sought to maximize immersion and make players forget they were in a shipping container in Boston. One way of extending the sense of space was by building a small exterior environment in the Unity game engine that allowed players to “see out” of the station’s portholes which were wall-mounted televisions cropped with a frame. 

In one section of the experience, players are tasked with launching a mini-sub to retrieve a sample tethered to the ocean floor. If players looked out one of the station “portholes”, they could actually see the sub as the other player piloted it. When the player returned with the sample and docked with the station, they could actually see themselves inside the shipping container as they drove past the windows. To achieve this effect, we embedded a tiny wide-angle camera into the porthole’s frame and piped that feed into the game engine. It was a level of detail that I was so happy we could include, as it really created a sense of immersion and a larger sense of space.

There are plenty of similar ambitious details and end-user considerations in this experience. If you’re interested in hearing more, get in touch, and I’d be more than happy to schedule a call. Cheers!

See more:
Boston Globe | “A Deep Sea Escape Game gets at the heart of HubWeek’s mission”

build progress

Below are a few work-in-progress images from the build at our fabrication shop in Vernon, BC. It was a bit of a frenzy to get everything printed, applied, wired up, and programmed before the container was due to be shipped, but we somehow got it done. Credit to the fabrication team, game designers, programmers, and the rest of our team back at home base. We sacrificed a good night’s sleep and gained a few grey hairs, but the end result made it all worth it.