Sarner International, the leading experiential design expert, has worked on an innovative new visitor attraction in Winchester, UK, alongside Hampshire Cultural Trust, Ubisoft and Sugar Creative. 878 AD, which opens to the public on 12 November, brings a key moment in the city’s Anglo-Saxon history to life, through the world of the popular Assassin’s Creed video game.
Located within Winchester’s The Brooks Shopping Centre, 878 AD explores a pivotal moment in the history of England: the defeat of the Vikings by Alfred the Great at the Battle of Edington in May 878. It recreates the atmosphere of the city and the lives of the people who lived there on the eve of the battle, as they await its outcome.
In the summer of 2021 Winchester-based charity, Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT) released a tender looking for an immersive exhibition design company for a new Anglo-Saxon Winchester attraction. As a specialist in the design and build of immersive historical and cultural attractions, Sarner was awarded the contract.
Explore Anglo-Saxon Winchester
To create the attraction, HCT partnered with Ubisoft, the creator of the global best-selling gaming series Assassin’s Creed and its educational experience, Discovery Tour, which is free of combat and adapted for audiences of all ages. In a previous game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the city of Winchester featured heavily. Now, the 878 AD experience uses imagery and assets from the game to create an engaging representation of the city at the time.
There are two distinct parts to the experience: a physical visitor attraction and an app. The attraction shows guests what life was like in Anglo-Saxon Winchester through live performance, telling the stories of the thief to the reeve, the soldier to the slave, alongside innovative interpretation.
Artefacts from the HCT collection will also be on show, for example, the Winchester Reliquary, which is the only known Anglo-Saxon reliquary to have been found in England. Guests can also enjoy interactives such as Anglo-Saxon games. There are also podiums featuring interactive content inspired by Discovery Tour: Viking Age, enabling visitors to find out more about the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and then test their knowledge with a quiz. This part of the attraction has been delivered by Sarner International.
“We are telling the story of an incredible moment in English history – the eve of the Battle of Edington in May 878AD, the outcome of which will profoundly influence the future of the Anglo-Saxons,” says Ed Cookson, projects director at Sarner International. “We are able to combine the authentic stories and historical artefacts from the archives of HCT with the incredible characters, environments and world-building of Ubisoft’s Winchester as it featured in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
“Visitors will experience this moment through immersive audiovisual storytelling, live actors, physical and digital interactives and a children’s trail, all set within a multi-sensory freeflow themed environment. What’s exciting is that it feels as though we are pioneering a new type of collaboration between a heritage organisation, the gaming industry, and immersive attraction designers like ourselves.”
A one-of-a-kind project
The second part of the experience, the 878 AD: Winchester Revealed app, uses the Assassin’s Creed universe. This app was developed by the immersive tech innovation studio Sugar Creative. Using AR, it allows guests to visit key historical points throughout the city where they can see buildings from the city’s past, including the Nunnaminster, come to life. The app also features chances to do some virtual archery practice, create a shield and throw an Anglo-Saxon pot.
“878 AD is without a doubt the most exciting and innovative project that we have embarked on at Hampshire Cultural Trust,” says Paul Sapwell, chief executive of Hampshire Cultural Trust. “Our partnership with Ubisoft and Sugar Creative is a pioneering collaboration between the heritage sector, the gaming industry and technology innovators.
“We have an incredible team of historical advisors working on this project and are pleased to have funding from and the support of both Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council. We are also delighted to have received funding from Arts Council England, Garfield Weston Foundation, Art Fund and The Syder Foundation. Together with generous contributions from a number of donors, this funding is enabling us to bring this one-of-a-kind project to fruition.
“We want 878 AD to attract more visitors to our city, increasing its reputation nationally and internationally as a cultural destination, supporting the local economy through the creation of local jobs and bringing more visitors to the high street. Most of all, we want to create a sense of wonder and excitement for our visitors and through the use of gaming assets, innovative technology and real Anglo-Saxon objects, opening up our history and heritage for everyone to discover.”
Something for everyone
Cookson says:
“I genuinely believe there will be something for everyone in the exhibition and its strength lies in the fact that you can explore history through a range of different storytelling techniques. However, one of the highlights is undoubtedly the Winchester Reliquary, a priceless real 9th-century artefact (which played an important role in the Ubisoft videogame).
“A reliquary is a kind of copper purse said to contain the relics of a saint and was thought to have the power to bring luck and win decisive victories for the Anglo-Saxons. We have developed an interactive display that overlays a digital “holographic” pepper’s ghost onto the actual historic artefact, enabling us to explain the story, design, and potential contents of the reliquary in a very intuitive and engaging way.”
Amy Jenkins-Le Guerroué, strategic alliances director at Ubisoft, adds: “We see this immersive experience as a unique opportunity to enable players to complement their gaming experience with a physical one. They will be able to learn even more about Anglo-Saxon England through the new visitor experience thanks to this collaboration with Hampshire Cultural Trust and Sugar Creative.
“We are pleased to see this innovative and thrilling cultural initiative come to life, perfectly timed for the 15th anniversary of Assassin’s Creed.”
Sarner International also recently announced it has been selected by the Science Museum Group to create a new immersive experience which celebrates the upcoming centenary of the Flying Scotsman.
Top image: A view across Winchester towards the market and Old Minster. Credit Assassin’s Creed Valhalla & © Ubisoft Entertainment.
