SAN FRANCISCO – Unity Technologies, a leading creation engine for gaming and interactive entertainment, announced a partnership with global content company Lionsgate to deliver the first-of-its-kind virtual reality (VR) advertisement for the mass market release of
Jigsaw
, the newest film in Lionsgate's blockbuster
Saw
horror film series.
Saw
is one of the highest-grossing horror franchises of all time with $873 million at the worldwide box office.
Unity and Lionsgate partner to create first-of-its-kind VR ad for the upcoming release of new Jigsaw film.
Built on Unity, the new interactive ad format will be a “Virtual Room,” available for surfacing in any existing VR apps also made with Unity. This heart-pumping short-form VR experience will give players the ability to interact with objects as they learn more about the new film, and ultimately decide how to save themselves from impending doom. The Jigsaw VR “Virtual Room” was created within the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) emerging ad experience guidelines, and will launch this fall, prior to Lionsgate's global theatrical release of the film on October 27.
“Diehard franchise fans and new horror buffs alike are in store for a truly visceral and entertainment experience that’s sure to thrill,” said Lionsgate's SVP of Digital Marketing, David Edwards. “As big believers in the power of immersive storytelling, we are incredibly excited to bring Jigsaw into the world of VR.”
“At Unity, we want to redefine how people consume advertising, and are thrilled to have a visionary studio like Lionsgate take this leap forward with us,” said Agatha Bochenek, Head of Mobile and VR/AR Advertising at Unity Technologies. “To grow this emerging form of advertising entertainment, we are taking the guesswork out of the biggest hurdles in a new medium – production and distribution. Our goal is to enable advertisers to build high-quality, engaging content quickly which will create memorable experiences, and can seamlessly reach users across all VR platforms.”
Bringing compelling advertising experiences to VR is a natural next step for Unity -- the platform accounts for creating more than 2/3rds of VR content today. Within non-VR mobile apps, Unity serves as the largest independent ad platform in mobile games, reaching more than one billion users per month. This new wave of interactive advertising content will be brought to the world through the power of the Unity engine. As the VR medium continues to develop, advertising will offer a new way for Unity developers to monetize content.
The Jigsaw VR “Virtual Room” is a pilot program, intended to showcase Unity’s capabilities to bring fully engaging VR ads the world.