For some of the more major video game releases, Ubisoft have been known to release some incredibly creative web-based tie-in project. One of the most memorable to date for me has been Watch_Dogs WeareData, which used publicly available information for Berlin, London and Paris to highlight just how much we and the government use technology to run our everyday lives. However, this latest web-based is their most morbid yet fascinating to date.
This week, Ubisoft released a new project titled Collapse. While I will let epidemiologists determine just how accurate what’s displayed actually is, this is billed as a realistic simulator which shows how quickly a weaponized virus can potentially spread, leading to the collapse of society. To make users feel a little bit more guilty, they start out as patient zero of this highly infectious virus, and have to make several choices which will have consequences on the spread of the pandemic.
To further add to the simulation, Collapse makes use of information sourced from Open Street Map, NASA open source data and IATA Flight routes, in addition to input from emergency risk specialists and public service employees. In total, this project features more than 3,800 cities worldwide which is home to 95% of their population. While I have yet to discover a positive outcome, it is interesting to see where different situations can lead to an area being more or less vulnerable.
This web-based simulator is inspired by Ubisoft’s upcoming release of Tom Clancy’s The Division, which is set to be available on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One starting next month.
