Bastille fans are invited to a house party – actually, a 3D immersive experience. DoomDays.House is a fully interactive experience created by Powster for Bastille to promote their latest album. For this experience, the band and the creative studio used real-life actors and physical sets to offer fans the most realistic feel possible.
DoomDays.House – the Album Launch Party of the Virtual Reality Era
Bastille wanted something different for the launch of their third studio album. The UK indie-rock band enlisted Powster, an award winning immersive creative studio. The result is a 3D immersive experience treatment and a virtual meeting place for fans.
DoomDays.House is an interactive experience which also invites fans to solve 3D puzzles. For each puzzle they solve, they can unlock a new room in the virtual house. Each room gives access to a new song from the album. There are11 rooms, each containing a different scenario.
Escape Reality and Relive a Party in 3D Immersive Experience
The experience is set at a quarter past midnight. The 3D virtual house is dark, but the users can explore it, room by room and go back in time. Namely, they can experience the feeling of reliving a party the morning after, through 3D memories. Each party scene features the core theme of the song that plays in it.
Beyond the visual experience, the fans can discover the songs from the Doom Days album, one by one. At the moment, only 7 songs are available, each hidden in a different room. Soon, the fans will be able to access more rooms, which are unlocked one every few days.
The Work Behind the Scenes
Putting DoomDays.House together was a joint effort from Powster, Bastille and their record company, Virgin EMI. For Ste Thompson, the CEO and Creative Director of Powster, this project goes beyond an interactive web app experience.
“By immersing fans into the evening, this activation paves the way for a new method of engagement for audiences, creating more memorable and meaningful experiences,” he said in a press release.
Also, this approach is in line with the message that Bastille shares in all their songs and live appearances. According to Tony Barnes, Senior Director Digital at Virgin EMI:
“Innovation has always been super important to the band and at the heart of every Bastille album campaign. We are always keen to experiment with new technologies, creating fun and engaging experiences for the fans.”
For a more immersive experience, DoomDays.House also uses World AR for iOS. Thus, fans can use their iPhones to bring scene from the website into their real-world space. In this way, they can discover the Doom Days world from every angle. This mobile experience will soon be available for Android phones, as well.
Redefining Music Streaming Services
Apart from the exciting experience for the fans, the 3D immersive experience for Bastille’s album is also a milestone for digital rights management. Thanks to the Spotify integration, fans can listen to whole songs from the new album, while in the immersive experience.
The experience is also available to people who do not have a Spotify account, but they will enjoy only snippets of selected songs. In this way, the band can protect its IP rights, and attract new fans who may try the experience out of curiosity.
For the moment, the full 3D immersive experience complete with music is available for users in the US and the UK. Fans can access the experience via any web browser or through iOS devices. However, Android users will soon receive access to DoomDay.House, as well.
