Edward Saatchi is the rare VR studio head who doesn’t have much faith in the future of virtual reality movies. That’s what we learned from our conversation with him last year — now, he’s ready to commit to that idea. At Sundance today, Saatchi announced that he’s shifting his company Fable away from virtual reality experiences. (It’s also dropping the “Studios” part of its name.) Instead, they’re going to focus primarily on artificial intelligence and “virtual beings,” or characters you can interact with naturally across any sort of medium.
Lucy, the lead character from Fable’s Wolves in the Walls, is the first virtual being from the studio. She’s starring in a a new Sundance experience, Whispers in the Night, where you’ll be able to chat with her using natural language processing. Based on the trailer above, it’s almost as if you’re having a hushed conversation with an inquisitive child. And just as Saatchi said last year, she’ll be able to track your movements and remember what you’ve said when she sees you again.
