Earlier this week, virtual production studio Dark Slope, developer of the mixed reality game The Bogey Ogre, announced that it has partnered with Canadian production company Insight Productions to develop a new form of “experiential television” that will blend metaverse technology with the reality TV genre.

The ‘Hyperreality Initiative,’ as it’s referred to by Dark Slope, will utilize the new Unreal Engine 5 game engine to deliver high-quality visuals as well as a combination of haptic feedback technology to further immerse contestants in the experience. The company will also make use of hand, face, and object tracking, offering detailed interactions with the digital world that would be more difficult to recreate using standard motion controllers.

The metaverse is growing right here in Ontario!

Toronto's virtual production and gaming company @darkslopexr is partnering with @insightprod to develop new competition formats within the metaverse.

Check out the full details now!

https://t.co/wqh8vDmxOz pic.twitter.com/XfPVWU9dfO

— The Lodgge (@TheLodgge) May 17, 2022

“Our partnership with Dark Slope affords both companies an incredible opportunity to produce dynamic new formats that will dramatically elevate the genre,” said John Brunton, Chairman, CEO, and Executive Producer for Insight Productions.

Insight Productions is the same award-winning company behind a number of popular Canadian television programs, including Big Brother Canada, Canadian Idol, and The Amazing Race Canada just to name a few. The company recently announced Eurovision Canada, a new music competition based on the popular European song contest that will air in 2023.

“Our expertise in reality competition programming and desire to continually push the boundaries of storytelling, combined with Dark Slope’s unsurpassed virtual technologies and ability to create boundaryless exploration, will make for incredible viewer experiences,” added Mark Lysakowski, Executive Producer & Senior Vice President, Insight Productions.

“We look forward to sharing what we are creating by combining Insight’s expertise in storytelling and original formats with our technical expertise in virtual production,” said Dan Fill, President of Dark Slope Studios. “The age of immersive metaverse television is now within our reach and we are excited to be trailblazers in this genre.”

This isn’t the first time a company has experimented with immersive technology in regard to television. In 2017 we reported on a Norwegian game show from The Future Group and Fremantle Media (the company responsible for American Idol and X Factor) that has players competing in a series of mixed reality competitions.

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