Dubai Expo 2020:
Cross-Reality Experience
Overview
Client
World Expo Dubai 2020
Technology
Augmented Reality
Platform
Mobile
Industry
Entertainment Education
Release Date
7th December 2021
Awards
XR Award
Web Excellence Award
Telly Award
NYX Award
Lumieres Award
Lovie Award
COGX Award
Introduction
When the Magnopus team flew to Dubai in 2018 to “have some meetings about a possible World Expo project” they didn’t know quite what to expect. But the brief turned out to be inspiring and compelling and so began a complex journey to make it happen.
“Magnopus and the wider team have unified the most innovative technologies into one integrated experience that truly brings Expo 2020’s creative vision to life in the digital & virtual world.”
- Rehan Asad, Chief Program Officer for Expo 2020 Dubai
The brief
Expo 2020 Dubai promised to host not only the best-ever physical Expo, but also the very best virtual Expo. That commitment and the COVID-19 pandemic challenged Magnopus to find a way to share the Expo experience and content with a larger global audience.
The solution
Expo Dubai Xplorer is a rich digital experience that allows anyone, anywhere to experience the magic of Expo 2020 Dubai with friends, whether on-site or at home. The multi-player experience was available on iOS and Android during the live event, powered by cloud-hosted services developed by Magnopus.
Key features included:
Real-time connectivity between on-site and remote users. Standing on the Expo site, a visitor could see a friend from the other side of the world (viewed through the lens of their phone) as an avatar they can share experiences with, and communicate with via group creation and messaging.
One of the largest deployments in the world of persistent Cloud Anchors which allowed millions of on-site visitors to enjoy augmented reality spectacles aligned accurately to real-world locations. Remote visitors could access the same AR content and experiences, over a connected digital twin of the site, via an interface similar to popular mobile games like Fortnite or Roblox.
A social, interactive digital twin of the 4.38km² Expo site built from architectural files and enriched with content and experiences. Hundreds of artists working around the world spent more than two years creating the living digital replica, enhancing it with dynamic lighting, art installations, animated experiences, and stunning spectacles. Virtual reality was used to collaboratively develop the designs and experiences so they could be tested before the physical site was even built.
The impact
The gamified platform broke new ground for digital scale and production, expanding Expo 2020 Dubai’s vision of ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’ into the Metaverse.
“Our journey with Expo 2020 Dubai began in 2018 designing the visitor experience for the Mobility Pavilion. We quickly discovered that the messages of this Expo needed to be accessible to everyone, anywhere.
Working with the leadership at Expo and hundreds of our team around the world , we designed, developed, and delivered a new way to experience it that could serve as a model for the world of tomorrow.”
— Ben Grossmann, Magnopus
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Full Credits
Multiplayer Experience
The multiplayer experience has been in development for nearly three years with world-class partners including Google, Unity Technologies, and Amazon Web Services with key contributions from:
REWIND (experience design and platform development)
Virtuos (3D asset development)
Hexagram (quest narrative design and technology)
Pinscreen (avatar technology with AI-driven face synthesis)
Dog Studio (web development for Virtual Expo connected to content databases)
VIM (BIM conversion technology)
Terahard (activation development)
Activated Realities (activation development)
Source Sound (audio design and development)
Team
Lead Narrative Designer - Jeff Leinenveber
Animation Director - David Weatherly
Art Director - James Grant
Technical Art Director - David Dalzell
Art Director, UK - Erol Kentli
Head of Studio, UK - Justin Manning
Director of Engineering - David Swift
Director of Engineering, UK - Sam Birley
Director of Technology - Kevin Mullican
Director - Ben Grossmann
Executive Producer - Daisy Leak
Addison Herr
Aileen Semira Jocson
Aisha Sheikh
Alejandro Delgado
Alex Xavier
Alicia Mirelez
Allison Comrie
Andreia Rodrigues Do Amaral
Andrew Binder
Andrew Bueno
Andrew Choi
Andrew Dohr
Antonella Mazzoni
Ashley Pinnick
Ben Grossmann
Bobby Speck
Brandon Maraia
Brandon White
Brett Jackson
Brett Skaggs
Brian Magno
Caio Andrade
Ceri Llewellyn
Chad Boyd
Chris Chavira
Chris Cherubini
Chuy Brambila
CJ Savage
Colter Coates
Cosku Turhan
Craig Tolliver
Daisy Leak
Daniel Klein
Daniel Naulin
Darlene Barahona
Daryl Kimoto
David Carlson
David Dalzell
David Flamburis
David Mazzocco
David Ruzicka
David Swift
David Weatherly
Dean Martinetti
Derek Blume
Derrick Canfield
Devon Mathis
Dirk Rhynsburger
Dylan Markowitz
Elizabeth Bolas
Ellen Montgomery
Fernando Rabelo
Filippo Baraccani
Frank Capezzuto III
Gabriel Blake
Gabriela Montes
Grant Marzette
Gun Tangtrongchit
Haezeline Crayon
Jacob Elseth
James Grant
Janet Hwang
Jared Sain
Jasmine Aguilar
Jason Crosby
Jeff Leinenveber
Jerome Meyers
Jesse Braddock
Jody McAdams
Jonathan Garrity
Jonathan Schoonhoven
Joseph Talbot
Jue Wang
Justin Dykhouse
Justin Schriefer
Kalan Ray
Kat Harris
Katherine Soldevilla
Katie Lafaw
Kellie Brewart
Kevin Mullican
Kevin Shiau
Kimberly Greenough
Kuang-Hsin Liu
Kyle Garrett
Lap Luu
LaTasha Tobias
Liam Fernandez
Lisa Hill
Lorena Rother
Luis Rosario
Luke Schloemer
Mari Long
Maria Matthews
Mark Allen
Marvin Street
Matthew Alcala
Matthew Davis
Max Geiger
Michelle Shyr
Mike Ryan
Miranda Due
Mitch Aseltine
Mitchel Clayton
Nathan Lange
Nicholas Thompson
Nick McClure
Nick Paparazzo
Nico DeLucia
Nigel Budden
Pam Peterson
Paul Im
Pierce Caldwell
Rachel Victor
Ralph Byrd
Ralph Roma
Raquel Kidd
Rey Chang
Richard Zirbes
Russ Klinkerman
Ryan Benno
Ryan Roberts
Sally Slade
Sam Birley
Sam Knudson
Sarah Bailin
Sarah Hudson Semple
Sarah King
Scott Holman
Scott Smith
Seth S. Scott
Steve Chon
Subhechha Bista
Tahnee Sauer
Takki Thammawan
Taolun Guo
Teresa Fitzgerald
Tommy Honton
Tony Kwok
Travis Ngov
Tricia Stokes
Tyler Ohlsen
Tyler Sheedlo
Vini Lembi
Vivek Reddy
Xavier Coelho-Kostolny
Xavier Gonzalez
Yardan Cohen
Yerim Lee
Yiran Zheng
Yong Park
Zachary Rock-Zelazny
Zo Douglass