Alien: Covenant, hot off a surprise trailer dropped over the holidays, is quickly approaching its 2017 release this summer. And with all the whispers surrounding if it will live up to the heights of the series (1979’s original Alien) or be another semi-disappointing popcorn romp (2012’s prequel Prometheus), director Ridley Scott and Fox Innovation Lab have another related project in store: a virtual reality accompaniment.
in virtual reality, no one can hear you scream
The VR experience, while details are currently scarce, will be released as a paid application for major VR platforms (though which ones specifically remains an elusive detail), as reported by Variety. It will be the second major VR film accompaniment from Fox Innovation Lab, the first being The Martian (another film directed by Ridley Scott). The Martian’s VR experience saw a release late 2016 on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR, long after its demo during last year’s CES.
But this isn’t the first time Alien has ventured into VR, Or rather, had plans to. Back in 2014, the terrifying videogame Alien: Isolation was teased for the Oculus Rift. Though, the survival horror never saw life beyond that first hint. The upcoming “dread-inducing journey into the depths of the Alien universe,” as coined by Fox Innovation Lab, likely won’t be as involved as the wholly interactive Alien: Isolation, but it still carries the potential to evoke that signature sense of dread that comes with the Alien namesake. After all, in virtual reality, no one can hear you scream. (Except for if your roommates are home.)
Alien: Covenant hits theaters in May 19, 2017. Its VR side project will hopefully see a release around that time… and not over a year later like The Martian’s.
