Award-winning creative production company We Are Royale (WAR) has joined forces with Ubisoft to create the much-anticipated reveal trailer for Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, marking the popular gaming franchise’s first foray into immersive virtual reality (VR) gaming.
Leveraging motion-controlled cameras, state-of-the-art gameplay reenactments, and cutting-edge visual effects (VFX), WAR has offered a thrilling glimpse into this exciting new chapter of the Assassin’s Creed universe. The trailer successfully encapsulates the immersive first-person experience of players donning the Quest 2 VR headset, transporting them deep inside the game’s world.
The trailer opens with a player donning the Quest 2 headset, and embarking on a journey as the stealthy Connor in Revolutionary-era Boston. It then transitions to Ancient Greece, where the formidable Kassandra engages in visceral hand-to-hand combat.
Finally, the legendary Ezio Auditore da Firenze showcases breathtaking parkour skills as he navigates the rooftops of the Italian Renaissance. All these experiences are presented from a first-person perspective, a groundbreaking departure from the series’ traditional style. Watch below:
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This impressive trailer premiered at the Ubisoft Forward event and has already garnered over 300,000 views on YouTube, receiving acclaim from prominent gaming publications such as IGN, The Verge, Engadget, and more.
Behind the Scenes
WAR’s Creative Director, Eduardo Guisandes, highlighted the importance of narrative and cinematography as the foundational principles of their creative process. He emphasized that, despite incorporating advanced technology and techniques, their core mission is storytelling with a design-centric approach, which they adeptly adapt to new mediums like VR.
Throughout the creative process, WAR focused on harmonizing deliverables across various production pipelines, bridging their headquarters in LA, Ubisoft in Montreal, and London-based Woodblock, WAR’s real-time production partner for CGI gameplay reenactments. The seamless collaboration among global teams contributed to the trailer’s thrilling and immersive quality.
A motion control rig seamlessly synchronized CGI cinematic cameras with high-speed live-action plates to capture live-action segments of the trailer. WAR’s team meticulously animated camera movements during pre-visualization before integrating the data into a specialized BOLT robotic arm. This innovation resulted in a perfect 1:1 sync, allowing WAR to seamlessly blend live-action footage, gameplay reenactments, and VFX.
The majority of the trailer remains firmly rooted within the game world, aligning with the first-person perspective characteristic of the title. It also pays subtle homage to previous Assassin’s Creed® trailers and storylines, offering a treat for longtime fans of the series.
The trailer for WAR’s Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR captures the thrill of discovery, the fascination with historical settings, and the inner assassin that lies within us all. Guisandes credits the project’s success to the smooth teamwork between WAR and Ubisoft, highlighting the trust Ubisoft had in WAR’s creative approach.
Working on this legendary franchise’s transition into the immersive world of VR was a great opportunity for WAR, as it complemented the lore and gameplay of Assassin’s Creed perfectly.
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