Zone Zero: Royal Caribbean Cruises
Client: Royal Caribbean Cruises | Studio: Chicago Scenic Studios and Designsmith Co
Role: Concept Design, Space Planning, Renders, Technical Drawings | 2019–2021
The Brief:
Zone Zero was the first VR gaming experience designed for a cruise ship and it was built into Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas as the ship was constructed. The concept was an exclusive steampunk pirate adventure in which a team of four players suit up in VR headsets, tactile vests, and motion tracked gloves and anklets and then played together in a shared virtual world. My role covered the full design process from initial space planning and concept development through to final renders and construction.
Initial Concepting.
The first challenge was spatial, one room would be gameplay and technical operations, the other was check-in, suit up, briefing and a photo opportunity. These early sketches were about understanding how people would move through the space: how they entered, where they suited up, how the two teams would flow without crossing paths.
Covid Pandemic.
The project was paused in early 2020 due to the global pandemic. When it restarted in 2021, the RCC team had changed entirely. I came back to the project with all the spatial thinking and documentation from the first phase and worked with an entirely new client team to refine and finalise the design as the ship neared completion.
Final Design.
The final design resolved every constraint while staying true to the futuristic nature of the game. The first room, check-in, suiting up, briefing, immersed players in the aesthetic before they put on a headset. The second room was designed around function rather than appearance: players in VR are blind to their physical surroundings, so the space was built around tactile interactive elements, a galleon's wheel, rope pulleys, a cannon, positioned to correspond with moments in the virtual game. Equipment storage and charging was built into the environment.
Completed Installation
Zone Zero was a unique experience. A permanent installation designed and built during a pandemic into a cruise ship as it was being constructed. I overcame challenges with maritime regulations, throughplay, integrating technologies and a game that no one could actually see. It took collaboration between designers, construction, RCC and the ships operational staff with the unusual time pressures of the pandemic. It is the project I am most proud of for the problems it quietly solved.
If you're looking for a designer who can navigate complexity, solve spatial problems quietly, and stay the course from first sketch to final installation, then I'd love to hear about your next project.
Get in touch.
Get in touch.