Blast Theory’s legendary mixed reality game ‘Can You See Me Now?’ returns

Blast Theory’s Can You See Me Now? was one of the first location-based games in the world. It won the Prix Ars Electronica and toured from Tokyo to Tate Britain. Over a decade later, this gripping mixed reality game of chase is back for its UK premiere at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts on Tuesday 19 – Thursday 21 November.

Can You See Me Now? is a mobile chase game with a twist. Once players log into the app, they are dropped at random into a vivid 3D world with the task of evading the ‘runners’. The twist? Those runners are pounding the actual streets on the map. And online players eavesdrop on their pursuers via live audio: they can hear them getting lost, cold and out of breath on the streets of the city.

As an online player commented: “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).”

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.

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

Blast Theory Artist 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.

Contact

For further information, including interview requests, 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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