Audiences will get to travel into the world of Middle-Earth once again when The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters on December 13, but before that, they will have the chance to experience the world in a new way.
Inspired by the film, a new Chrome Experiment has launched that brings the locations and characters from “The Hobbit” Trilogy to life with a mix of modern web technologies.
So what exactly is this Chrome Experiment? The online experience, developed by North Kingdom in collaboration with the studios, takes fans through an adventure that unfolds across an interactive map of Middle-earth. Users can zoom in to explore Trollshaw Forest, Rivendell and Dol Guldur, with new locations set to be added in the weeks ahead. Each destination on the map gives the visitor access to its history and the characters who inhabit it, or presents unique survival challenges in which fans can test their wits.
With immersive 3D graphics built with CSS3 and WebGL, “Journey Through Middle-earth” is the first Chrome Experiment designed to bring this beautiful, 3D experience to mobile, with technology support for WebGL in Chrome for Android on devices with high-end graphics cards. Although WebGL isn’t supported on iOS, Chrome users can still experience most of “Journey Through Middle-earth” on their iPhones and iPads.
To check it all out, head over to thehobbit.com/middle-earth and be sure to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in theaters December 13.