Bringing Chernobyl To Life, Virtually

Chernobyl has always been a place of fantasy to some, a location of post-apocalypse material. Completely inhospitable, radiated, and generally unexplored since the nuclear meltdown that took place there in 1986. In fact, it may not be livable for another twenty to several hundred years depending on area, contamination, and many other scientific aspects that you nor I understand. But what about visiting Chernobyl now? What if you could go on a tour of Chernobyl and see the place for yourself from the safety of your own home?

The Chernobyl VR Project, newly released on Steam, walks you through the “Exclusion Zone” as something of a museum, filled with interviews, videos from the times, and narrations in realistic environments. No, this isn’t a game per-se, but watching it take place in a documentary fashion can show the true colors of such a location and, hey, you might actually learn something. Explore, interact with the environment, and reveal the stories of the people affected by the events. Learn about the liquidators, various citizens and military personnel who stemmed the impact of disaster, at the cost of their own health.

Official Press Release

September 26, 2016 – A captivating blend of documentary and virtual experience that brings players inside the infamous Exclusion Zone, Chernobyl VR Project launches today on Steam for HTC Vive, including new features and enhancements also now available on Oculus Rift.

This updated edition of Chernobyl VR Project for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift includes a wealth of new and updated content, including higher quality 360 movies, new narrations and interviews, and more realistic environments including better sounds and glass. Chernobyl VR Project on HTC Vive also includes Steam Controller support and optimizations for increased player comfort.

30 years after the world’s worst industrial disaster, Chernobyl VR Project combines 3D scans with spherical photography and stereoscopic video to present the very first virtual tour of the Chernobyl and Pripyat areas. Explore, interact with the environment, and reveal the stories of the people affected by the events, including the Liquidators; citizens and military personnel who played pivotal roles in stemming the impacts, often at the price of acute radiation sickness.

From the development team:
“Chernobyl VR Project began with the simple plan of bringing people into the Exclusion Zone, but over time it has grown into something much more personal as we find new stories to be told and places to be explored. This is not the end of Chernobyl VR Project. Plans are already in place to visit the area again to collect even more footage and bring more of the area’s history to life later this year.”

Chernobyl VR Project is available now on HTC Vive and Oculus Rift for $14.99 (USD).

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