Polish game company The Farm 51 has announced its plan to create a virtual reality tour of Chernobyl and Pripyat, the city that housed the nuclear plant's workers.
Chernobylwas the worst nuclear disaster in human history, and the site has been abandoned for nearly three decades. Few dare to go there, and even fewer dare to linger beyond the short deadline predicted by scientists.
The company has just released a video featuring the Chernobyl VR Project, which is set to be released on April 26, 2016, exactly 30 years after the disaster.
According to the company, it will be more than just a virtual tour of the places currently visited by tourists. The developers of The Farm 51 have secured permission to explore and record areas that are off-limits to the public. The goal is to “immortalize the contaminated zone and allow the user to learn about the events of April 26, 1986.”
The development team will focus on producing high-resolution images with 360-degree stereoscopic cameras to capture details like peeling paint or rust. The company's Creative Director, Wojciech Pazdur, also says the tour will include a few "surprises" for users, including ghostly appearances at certain angles.
The creation of this project is timely, not only because of the 30th anniversary of the disaster, but also because tourism in the Chernobyl exclusion zone is constantly on the rise. The power and shaping of nature in an area that has been completely abandoned by man has an undeniable charm and currently attracts around 10,000 visitors per year.
With the expected program, however, you won't need to buy a plane ticket and a Geiger counter to see the mysterious ruins of Chernobyl, nor will your presence disturb the wildlife populations that have recovered there in the absence of humans.
For now, see the trailer released by the company below.
