Sinking of Titanic to be recreated as a realistic VR experience

2 Feb 2017

The sinking of the Titanic is to be recreated in a realistic VR game. Image: Immersive VR Education

The sinking of the Titanic is to be recreated as a VR experience by the same start-up that brought us the Apollo 11 moon landing experience.

Based at Waterford Institute of Technology’s TSSG ArcLabs, Immersive VR Education sprang to prominence when it recreated the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in VR.

The game has been a hit on various VR platforms, including Oculus and PlayStation, and it won the Time Warner Future of Storytelling Award in New York last year.

‘We want to create an accurate portrayal of events so it is not only educational, but also emotional and very engaging’
– IMMERSIVE VR EDUCATION

The company, a former Siliconrepublic.com Start-up of the Week, has returned with a new experience on the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912.

Immersive VR Education has begun a Kickstarter campaign to bring its game to market on PCs and PlayStation 4, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR devices.

Titanic: Up close and personal

Sinking of Titanic to be recreated as a realistic VR experience

Go inside the ship and experience its watery grave. Image: Immersive VR Education

As well as creating a realistic VR experience that tells the story of the tragedy in a compelling way, the game will also serve as a valuable resource for discovering more about the stricken ship through a realistic exploration experience, using maps and 3D models of the historic wreck site.

“We are also using motion capture, face-scanning technology and professional voice actors to immerse users in the story and relate to the people involved,” the company said.

“We want to create an accurate portrayal of events so it is not only educational, but also emotional and very engaging.”

Sinking of Titanic to be recreated as a realistic VR experience

Explore the wreckage of Titanic using a submarine. Image: Immersive VR Education

The company has created a teaser demo of the new game that can be downloaded here.

The Kickstarter campaign aims to raise €50,000 and, at the time of writing, €8,253 has been raised from 281 backers.

Supporters who pledge €20 or more will be able to choose their preferred platform on release.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com