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Sarner wins tender to design new heritage experience

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Sarner Assassin's Creed Valhalla Winchester

Immersive visitor attraction to recall historic city roots with popular Ubisoft game franchise

Sarner International, the leading experiential design expert, has been chosen to design and deliver a new attraction in Hampshire.

The new cross-sector collaboration between a heritage group, a tech innovator and the gaming industry will deliver an all-new technologically-advanced historical attraction.

Viking influence

The new UK-based immersive visitor experience will provide audiences with an insight into Anglo-Saxon life in Winchester, through storytelling and audio-visual projections. Guests will have opportunities to interact and explore contemporary objects from Hampshire Cultural Trust’s collections.

Sarner’s creation will tell the tale of King Alfred’s capital, and its importance in shaping English history. The attraction will examine warfare and conflict with the Vikings, but also more subtle topics such as the time period’s influence on English language, commerce and daily life. 

The experience will be complemented by items from the popular video game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which featured a 9th Century recreation of the city, and its educational spin-off, Discovery Tour: Viking Age, both published with the input of historians by Ubisoft.

Upon completing the attraction, the experience will continue outdoors with an augmented reality mobile app being developed by UK studio Sugar Creative, continuing the exploration of Winchester.

Rich history

Ed Cookson, projects director at Sarner International says “We are thrilled to be able to bring the rich history and drama of Anglo-Saxon Winchester to life through the incredible assets of Hampshire Cultural Trust and the engaging environments and worldbuilding of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Visitors are going to love exploring  and experiencing the stories and settings of this turbulent but vibrant time.”  

Paul Sapwell, chief executive of Hampshire Cultural Trust adds “We’re delighted to bring Sarner  International on board to help us develop our vision of 9th century Winchester, creating a unique and immersive experience that will bring this pivotal period of English history to life for our visitors.” 

The new experience is projected to open in late 2022.

Sarner International recently announced another UK project it is working on, a Doctor Who exhibition. This is opening next year and is based on the popular BBC Studios IP.

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Adam Whittaker

Adam studied Marketing and Advertising Management at Leeds Beckett University. Originally from Lancashire and now based in Norfolk, UK, you can usually find him appreciating art deco design or on a roller coaster.

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