Only one video game will compete in the VR category at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, which will take place September 1-11. And it is a narrative-driven adventure The Last Worker.
Publisher Wired Productions shared the news on July 29. The Last Worker is competing in the VR Expanded category and will be available exclusively to the festival’s jury and accredited guests. It is the only video game among all 23 nominees.
“It has been my lifelong dream to see one of my stories in the Biennale, but who knew that it would be with a VR game!” the title’s writer and director Jörg Tittel said. “It is truly beautiful that the world’s oldest film festival is at the forefront of celebrating the future of storytelling.”
Jörg Tittel is Belgian director, writer, and producer, who worked on films like The White King and wrote book Ricky Rouse Has a Gun. He is now working on his video game in collaboration with VR developer Wolf & Wood.
The Last Worker is set in an increasingly automated and dehumanizing world. The game combines elements of work simulation, first-person narrative, and stealth gameplay. It is expected to come out in 2022 on Oculus Quest 2, Steam VR, Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.