Quando Sega registrò il nome Orbi si scatenarono diversi rumor ed articolate teorie sull’improbabile ritorno di una console Sega. Come spesso avviene in questi casi la realtà però è ben diversa. Il nome Orbi sarà infatti legato al progetto che vede unire le forze tra Sega e BBC Earth per creare un parco naturale virtuale. Orbi unisce l’esperienza di BBC Earth con i documentari naturalistici, con l’esperienza di Sega con i parchi indoor e la tecnologia necessaria per dar vita al progetto.

Sega Orbi aprirà i battenti il 19 Agosto a Yokohama, ma non è da escludersi l’apertura di ulteriori centri sparsi per il globo in caso di successo.

Di seguito la press release:

Sega, BBC to open interactive entertainment facility

TOKYO, May 29 — Japanese video game company Sega Corp. and BBC Worldwide Ltd. said Wednesday they will open an interactive entertainment facility on Aug. 19 in Yokohama.

The facility, “Orbi,” fuses content produced by BBC Earth — BBC Worldwide’s global natural history brand — and Sega’s advanced technology, enabling visitors to experience spectacular nature phenomena.

Sega and BBC also plan to open similar facilities in other parts of the world in the future, they said.

The attraction features 12 walk-through entertainment experiences and the main theater is equipped with one of the largest screens in Japan — 40 meters wide and 8 meters high — that will show new natural history films made exclusively for Orbi by BBC Earth.

The multi-sensory experience allows visitors to experience life in the deep ocean, watch frozen polar icecaps melt, or feel as if they are in the midst of a wildebeest herd, using physical sensations, advanced sound installations and scent technology.

The Orbi will open inside the Mark Is minatomirai commerce facility in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo.

Sega and BBC have been working on developing the facility since they signed a partnership agreement in June 2011.