The Nissan Rogue gets battle-tested in this new Star Wars-themed VR experience.
To help celebrate the blu-ray release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Nissan has teamed up with Lucasfilm Ltd., Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light & Magic to release a ridiculously intense 360-degree VR experience centered around the epic intergalactic battle.
The automobile manufacturer has already collaborated with the blockbuster film prior, airing a high-octane TV commercial for the Nissan Rogue SUV. They even sold a limited edition Star Wars Nissan Rogue SUV that came with a Death Trooper replica helmet. But as intense as the commercial was, it still didn’t deliver the level of captivation Nissan was hoping to achieve. So to up-the-ante even further, they decided to bring that same adrenaline-fueled commercial to the immersive world of VR.
Clocking in at just under three minutes, Battle Test: A Nissan 360-Degree Virtual Reality Experience is a action-packed ride that puts users in the driver’s seat of the new Nissan Rogue as they traverse a riveting ground-battle simulation from the Rogue One film.
Explosions and lasers fly past the Rogue SUV as it utilizes its various Nissan Intelligent Safety Shield Technologies to safely navigate the danger. Tools such as Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection and Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection assist your vehicle swerves between thermal detonator explosions and incoming AT-AT canon fire.
“With this experience, we’re putting fans right in the middle of the action,” said Jeremy Tucker, Vice President, Marketing Communications & Media, Nissan North America, Inc. “One of the many goals we set out to accomplish through this wildly successful collaboration was to engage current and potential customers, and we’ve done that through a variety of opportunities including television commercials, auto shows and in dealerships.”
“Since the announcement of our relationship with Lucasfilm and the Star Wars brand last August, we’ve successfully improved awareness for the Nissan Rogue, and the Nissan brand too,” added Tucker. “Rogue sales have made the jump to hyperspace, up nearly 50 percent in 2017 from this time last year, and we’re not planning on letting up anytime soon.”
You can watch the 360° video below.
Overall the 360° video is a highly-engaging experience that does an excellent job of subtly showcasing the various safety features of the Rogue without killing any immersion. Looking through the windows and seeing Rebel soldiers duke it out with stormtroopers as you drift through the alien sand is a pretty mesmerizing feeling that my 12-year-old self would have literally killed to experience. Literally at one point you speed underneath the hulking body of an AT-AT, staring in awe through the Rogue’s large moonroof as it’s massive mechanical legs stretch over the vehicle. I mean as a huge Star Wars nerd, how do you not freak out?! Simply put, it’s a captivating advertisement that entertains without shoving the product down your throat, something I think we can all appreciate at this point.
Battle Test: A Nissan 360-Degree Virtual Reality Experience is available free on Steam, Oculus, Daydream, Samsung VR, Jaunt, Discovery VR and Littlstar. It will also be available to view in 360° on Nissan’s Facebook and YouTube accounts.
