Iconic duo Wallace & Gromit have been delighting audiences for decades, thanks to Aardman’s excellent stop motion clay animation and British humour. Today, it has been revealed that the pair will be stepping into augmented reality (VR) later this year with Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up.
The AR title is set to offer a brand new window into the world of Wallace & Gromit as they embark on their latest business venture, Spick & Spanners. They take on a contract to fix up Bristol – the home of Aardman – with players able to join in at home as employees.
Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up will include a variety of content, from multi-user AR gameplay and new CG animations to in character phone calls, comic strips and Extended Reality (XR) portals. It’s all designed to be enjoyed at home, so you can see Bristol city centre come to life in your living room care of 3D mapping platform, Fantasmo.
Created in partnership with Fictioneers; a consortium of British companies including Potato, Sugar Creative and Tiny Rebel Games, the project was made thanks to funding from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) as part of its Audience of the Future program.
“Aardman is a multi-faceted creative studio and is just as happy with classic film making as it is with new and emerging technologies. Wallace and Gromit’s heart and soul is in stop motion, but they have often dabbled in the cutting-edge of tech, and this is one of those occasions,” said Aardman’s Merlin Crossingham, Creative Director of Wallace & Gromit in a statement. “We are delighted to join forces with the amazing folk at Fictioneers to take Wallace and Gromit on a new adventure in such a groundbreaking way.”
Initially, the free mobile app for Android and iOS devices will get a UK launch in the Autumn with plans to roll out Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up globally to follow.
This isn’t Aardman’s first foray into immersive tech as the company previously teamed up with Google Spotlight Stories for a short interactive film called Special Delivery.
As further details on Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up are released, VRFocus will let you know.
via Mint VR