Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, the next big Oculus Studios game, is set to launch on December 11th. A new trailer for the title highlights the in-game ‘gallery’ which includes documentary short films featuring World War II veterans.
Many big game productions often see developers trying to get as close to the source material as they can, whether that be visiting inspirational locations, using photogrammetry to capture real assets, or recording authentic sound effects from real-world vehicles, guns, and more.
Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, is going… erm… above and beyond with this sort of background research in an effort not only to bring authenticity to the game but also present & preserve the stories of real World War II veterans whose trials and tribulations inspired the game. The studio says the game will include a ‘gallery’ where players will be able to view short-form documentary films shot during the game’s production.
In a new trailer released today, the studio made it clear how seriously it’s taking this venture. While it’s said that the game doesn’t depict any specific stories from the veterans interviewed, Respawn says the stories help to unscore the real-world emotion and gravity of the heroic feats that players will experience.
Though the trailer mentions that 360° cameras were used at some points during the production, it isn’t clear if the included documentary shorts will be presented in an immersive format or just traditional video.
What is clear is that beyond just making a compelling VR game based on WWII, the studio wants to show reverence for the people that actually had to live through the events in so that others could be entertained by them decades later from the safety of a simulation.
This is the second trailer released for the game so far; be sure to check out the previously released story trailer for a closer look at gameplay & narrative.
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Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is set to launch on December 11th on both Oculus PC and Steam (which will make it the first Oculus Studios title to also launch on Steam).