GMCRANGELAND DERBY VRFOR OCULUS RIFTCALGARY STAMPEDE 2017

Director of Integrated Production
& Executive Producer • 2017

AGENCY Momentum Worldwide
CLIENT General Motors
PROJECT Oculus Rift Multiplayer VR Game

Brand experience agency Momentum Worldwide and multi-platform creative studio Flight School have developed a multi-player VR experience for truck manufacturer GMC celebrating the latter’s longstanding relationship with the Calgary Stampede, a ten-day rodeo, and offering a new twist on a marquis event: Chuckwagon racing.

And because most of the anticipated 1.3 million attendees don’t get a chance to race chuckwagons in real life, Momentum and Flight School created the GMC Rangeland Derby VR experience. In it, Calgary Stampede visitors race around a CGI replica of the legendary track, which is also known as the Half Mile of Hell, but instead of horses, they “harness the power of a GMC Sierra 2500 pickup” and Oculus Rift.

Rangeland Derby VR allows up to four players to compete in real time. A live host on site calls the races, amplified by in-game host and track announcer Les McIntyre. McIntyre will also provide in-game instructions and help users get acquainted with their “truckwagons.”

Rangeland Derby VR not only allows attendees to ride a chuckwagon, it “puts them in the race and provides a great way to integrate the GMC product”. And, as the first of its kind for both GMC and the Calgary Stampede, the experience will not only transport consumers into the Rangeland Derby, but also the energy surrounding it.

“Truckwagon strikes the perfect balance of realism and fantasy with a superb technical, graphical and audio execution. It’s an exciting, immersive experience that was formulated to bring fans as close as possible to the deepest and most authentic aspects of GMC and their sponsorship of the Calgary Stampede.

- The Drum (July 2017)
[lightly edited for clarity]