By Ewan Wilkie
Google Play and British rock band Queen have partnered to release The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience, a virtual reality app developed by Enosis VR, available on Android today.
The app is an interactive, animated virtual reality experience, soundtracked by a 3D spatialised version of Queen's hit Bohemian Rhapsody reacting sonically to the user’s movements as they move through the narrative.
The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience will aim to recreate “the sensation of being on stage with the band” with visual and audio elements that respond to the user’s movements.
The band has worked closely with the creative team, donating archival content for the apps visuals.
“This fabulous Google clip is a new ground-breaker – perhaps the first great work of art in stereoscopic VR animation. It's compatible with all VR smartphone-based systems, including my own London Stereoscopic Company OWL VR kit. A new kind of 3-D experience!” said Queen’s Brian May.
“We hope this virtual reality experiment will give fans a new way to experience this iconic track while also representing the boundless possibilities for artists and creators to collaborate with Google Play,” added Gareth Hornberger, brand manager on Google Play.
The Bohemian Rhapsody Experience is available as a standalone Google Cardboard app on Android today and will be coming to iOS devices soon. It also includes a 360-viewing mode for users to utilize the content if they do not own a VR viewer.
