Syfy has set a September 22 launch date for Halcyon, a “hybrid” VR scripted series that will premiere across multiple platforms, including Syfy’s channels, companion web sites outside the U.S., and in virtual reality format on the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.
NBCUniversal International Networks revealed plans for Halcyon in February, announcing that it had tapped Secret Location to produce the 15-episode series.
The “police procedural” series, directed by Benjamin Arfmann (Random Stop), will alternate between ten episodes on Syfy linear channels and their accompanying Syfy websites, with five VR episodes exclusively tagged for VR platforms. For viewers without VR access, Syfy will also supply short recaps of each VR-based episodes.
The series, set in the year 2040, centers on Blake Creighton (Michael Therriault), the CEO of a VR company called Halcyon that has cornered the market and discarded VR headsets in favor of virtual space created via neurological implants. that manipulate the senses to create a virtual world. When Creighton is found dead, presumed murdered, detective Jules Dover (Lisa Marcos) and her partner, Asha (Harveen Sandhu), take on what is could be considered “the world’s first virtual crime. “
Independent Production Fund and the Ontario Media Development Corporation are also backing the production.
