LA-based digital studio Wildlife puts players into the action in the new 360° interactive promo from EA for the game “Battlefield Hardline.” Created by EA in conjunction with agency FCB West, “Battlefield Hardline” brings new innovations in strategy, speed and story in both single player and multiplayer to deliver a complete first person shooter experience. The game delivers a fresh and stylish new entry to the critically-acclaimed Battlefield franchise as players take to the gritty streets of Los Angeles and Miami in a crime-fueled showdown between cops and criminals.

Wildlife worked with EA to create an interactive experience that reaches beyond the technological boundaries of what has previously been accomplished in online game promos – leading the project to be named FWA’s Site of the Day. Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig of MJZ with visual effects by Method, “Battlefield Hardline” is a three-and-a-half minute wild ride through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, from the edge-of-your-seat bank heist to the high-stakes police chase.

Wildlife was involved from the early pre-production process consulting on technical execution, camera systems and limitations, as well as conceptualizing how the experience could work on desktop, tablet – and most importantly, on mobile, within a standard browser, with no app needed. This is a huge tech leap forward, as interactive video experiences have always been hindered by mobile devices’ playback limitations, particularly on iOS. But a “please visit on desktop” message doesn’t cut it in 2015.

Leveraging WebGL and the latest iOS and Android updates, the Wildlife team was able to create an interactive experience utilizing the Accelerometer to make the phone and tablet act as a window into the world of this live-action, 360 experience on the scale of a massive, blockbuster action movie. Wildlife also devised a creative solve to enhance the edit with on-brand, vfx-enhanced glitches that advance the story forward rapidly in a stylized format.

Shots.net chatted with Nicolai Fuglsig and Wildlife’s Scott and Jake Friedman about the technical challenges of creating the 360 experience, and why there’s no turning back now.