New chat fiction app unrd launches with real time thriller stories
unrd launches unveiling a new genre in storytelling
- unrd is Game Of The Day on Apple App Store today [4 October]
- The home of real time stories, unrd captivates its readers with intuitive stories played out through instant messages
- unrd launches with 3 stories to choose from, each with a crime thriller narrative guaranteed to fascinate audiences from start to finish
- “unrd is perhaps the most ambitious interaction narrative platform we’ve seen so far” Apple Inc
LONDON, OCTOBER 2018; New real time fiction app unrd launches today, offering crime thriller readers a new format for experiencing fiction. Coined by The Bookseller as "a new genre for the WhatsApp generation”, unrd promises to do for mobile storytelling what Netflix did for TV; create a single destination for gripping stories that audiences can access through their phone - but with a twist, allowing readers to experience the stories in realistic timelines as they develop.
Each story allows readers to access various fictional characters’ phones - to live their story through a series of messages, media and live video sent by the protagonist and their friends and family. The first of its kind and carving a new genre in real time fiction, unrd’s format means audiences experience the story ‘as it would happen’. Ensuring an intuitive and true to life experience, the reader must wait for messages to come in sporadically from the conversation as if really having a discussion with other people.
Readers have been flocking to fast fiction apps, with audiences keen to experience the format, read in a way they feel comfortable with – instant messages. unrd provides another dimension to the experience, utilising the chat format to create a new genre that combines great stories with mobile storytelling techniques.
The two London-based founders behind the app, Adam Lowe and Shib Hussain, both have backgrounds in digital advertising at agencies, telling stories for brands such as Google and Russian Standard Vodka. The debut story from unrd, Last Seen Online, plays out over seven days, as readers delve into a missing girl’s chat history - and therefore life - and begin receiving messages from her friends and family as they realise she never made it home. The story has already secured awards including bronze award at the Lovies and commendation at the Webbys. The app has so far had over 200K downloads and on average users visit the app over 20 times a day and spend on average 15 minutes interacting.
Founders Shib Hussain and Adam Lowe pride themselves on the immersive experience the real time format offers their unrd users. Hussain says: "We didn’t want people to be able to skip ahead, indulging the binge culture that so many are accustomed to. We wanted to build the tension – to put them in the passenger seat and experience the stories unfolding before them in real time. You can't skip ahead or play the next episode, you have to wait for the story to develop just like you would in real life, creating a truly captivating experience. We are so excited to release unrd and reintroduce tension and emotion in fiction, in a new format.”
Readers can attempt to solve the story as it unfolds by digging through past conversations or view it as a passive storytelling experience by simply reading and viewing as new notifications come in. The combination of the two creates an experience like no other in the ever-growing chat fiction format, as audiences are left waiting for the next notification, discussing theories with friends and replaying content to see if they can spot something that everyone else may have missed. As the story develops, the reader discovers the relationships, scenarios and secrets leading to the conclusion on the final day of the story.
unrd is launching with three stories; giving readers access to the messages of a missing girl, a hostage, and even a death row inmate. Stories are different lengths, from three days to 7 days with content being delivered throughout the course of these days. Stories available are:
• Last Seen Online (Mystery)
• My Last 3 Days (Horror)
• Now Live (Thriller)
Testimonies:
“unrd achieves something many others have failed at over the last 10 years - a compelling, real time story experience that uses the full potential of the smartphone”
- Rebecca Smart, MD of Penguin Random House imprint, Ebury Publishing
" From the moment you begin your journey with unrd, you witness an innovative and captivating experience that is unique on mobile devices and destined to become a place where millions of people engage with captivating content. I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in gaming franchises such as Guitar Hero and LittleBigPlanet which revolutionised how people thought about engaging with video game consoles. I see the same patterns and potential for unrd to change consumer behaviour and interactivity on mobile."
- Chris Lee, Previously Co-Founder FreeStyleGames & Media Molecule, plus Vice President Electronic Arts & Activision. Now Angel Investor.
“unrd is where games meets film meets a living experience. It’s like nothing else I’ve come across, and yet seems so familiar. A ‘digital page turner’.“
- Phil Hunt, feature film Producer, Head Gear Films
Download on the app store now (https://itunes.apple.com/app/unrd/id1388882748) or find out more at unrd.co. Watch this space for new unmissable stories and maybe even some celebrity guest writers along the way.
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For further information please contact:
Aimee@transatlanticent.com or Amy@transatlanticent.com
Notes To Editors:
The app is free for users, with the ‘need’ to know conversations remaining free for users. To delve in deeper and open additional content the package includes keys to unlock specific messages to view more clues and content. Options are:
3 keys [£0.99]
9 keys [£1.99]
21 keys [£3.99]
50 keys [£5.99]
75 keys [£9.99]
200 keys [£19.99]