Blast Theory launches Kickstarter campaign to revive legendary mixed reality game ‘Can You See Me Now?’

Pioneers of interactive art Blast Theory are redeveloping their most iconic work as an app for iOS and Android and are seeking the support of Kickstarter backers to raise £20,000.

Well before smartphones and mobile internet, Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now? took the art and gaming world by storm, captivating audiences worldwide, touring 22 cities across four continents.

First created in 2001 in collaboration with the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham, Can You See Me Now? pushed the boundaries of gaming by connecting virtual and physical spaces in real time for a fast paced game of chase. As you play online, you run through a virtual city chased by the runners. The twist is that the runners are real people, running through an actual city. As you dodge around a corner, nip across a street and head into the park on your mobile, one of the runners will do the same with real traffic and a real park. And they stream their audio in real time so you can hear them as they chase you.

An online player in Seattle said: “I had a definite heart stopping moment when my concerns suddenly switched from desperately trying to escape, to desperately hoping that the runner chasing me had not been run over by a reversing truck (that’s what it sounded like had happened).”

With the advancement in technology and the rise of the metaverse, Blast Theory are now reviving this groundbreaking game for a new generation of players. The redeveloped mobile app will offer an immersive mixed reality experience, exploring themes of presence, absence, and our interconnected lives online.

Director of Blast Theory, Matt Adams adds:

Can You See Me Now? is a mobile game before mobile games were a genre. Back then, GPS were separate bits of kit that cost hundreds of pounds. We bought an ex-NATO radio mast so that we could set up our own WiFi. We climbed church spires, multi storey car parks and even the mast of a ship to get the coverage we needed.

Now, with the hype about the metaverse and the degraded world of social media, we are again wondering what community online looks like. How are we connected or disconnected with friends and strangers? In what sense is the online world a shared space?

We believe that there is a new generation of players who will love the game.

The Campaign

Blast Theory has hired developers and begun redevelopment. However, to fully realise their vision, they are turning to the Kickstarter community for support. Backers will have the opportunity to follow the game's progress and participate in a Kickstarter-exclusive game this summer.

They need to hit their Kickstarter target of £20,000 by Wednesday 22nd May 2024 for them to develop the app for iOS and Android.

Link to Kickstarter page

Contact

For further information please contact:
Jonathan Goode (Communications Manager, Blast Theory) on +44 (0)7850 677 401 / +44 (0)1273 413 455 / jonny@blasttheory.co.uk

Notes to Editors

BLAST THEORY: Four times BAFTA Award nominated group Blast Theory are renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous artists’ groups using interactive media. They have shown work at Tate Britain, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, ICC in Tokyo, Sundance Film Festival, the Venice Biennale and the Royal Opera House. The group has won the Golden Nica for Interactive Art at Prix Ars Electronica and the Maverick Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in the USA.

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