Anyone who has visited the Game of Thrones: The Exhibition at San Diego Comic-Con the last two years can testify that the offsite was one of the coolest things happening at the convention.
The event, known last year as “Survive the Realm”, has been held annually at San Diego Comic-Con the last two years at the Omni Hotel. There, fans could queue up to get an interactive look at Westeros, with original costumes, weapons, and props, free custom-made house t-shirts to take home, a chance to take a picture on the Iron Throne, Game of Thrones tattoos, and a 4D Oculus Rift virtual reality experience that allowed fans to “Ascend the Wall”. For the virtual-reality simulation, HBO took attendees to the top of a physical recreation of the 700 foot Wall from the books and series, where when paired with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and a pair of headphones, gave fans the experience of being in Castle Black’s elevator that looked, sounded, and felt real.
For 2015, this exciting exhibition will be headed to “mostly European markets” with a total of seven cities, and “potential for more markets to be added at a later date”. Currently, the list of scheduled stops includes London, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris.
This year’s exhibition will also add photo stations and a web-based companion to allow fans to place themselves “within some of Game of Thrones most shocking and talked-about moments” and to share the photos on social media. Fans will also be able to “pledge their allegiance to their favorite Game of Thrones family by joining a House before entering the exhibition”.
Although there’s no mention of San Diego Comic-Con on the schedule, there wasn’t on last year’s US based tour either. The “potential for more markets to be added” leaves some wiggle room on HBO’s end to bring the fan-favorite exhibit back to SDCC, but it seems much more complicated to ship the Iron Throne back to San Diego from Paris or Amsterdam than it does to drive it across state lines, meaning that fans likely won’t be seeing this back at Comic-Con in 2015.
However, we’re not counting HBO out. Last year saw the addition of an HBO Pop Up Shop, which included merchandise from Game of Thrones and other HBO series, as well as a smaller offsite exhibit for The Leftovers in Petco’s Interactive Zone. Either of those would be a welcome return, even though neither are on the grand scale of the full offsite.
It’s also possible that HBO could have something entirely new up their sleeve for San Diego Comic-Con 2015, and that we could be getting something even cooler.
Here’s a look at the current list of scheduled stops on HBO’s Game of Thrones: The Exhibition tour dates:
London, United Kingdom (in partnership with Sky Atlantic)
February 9-12 and 15-17
Sky Backstage
The O2, London
Continue to check www.sky.com/gameofthrones for more information
Stockholm, Sweden (in partnership with HBO Nordic)
Dates and venue to be announced
Continue to check www.hbonordic.com for more information
Tel Aviv, Israel (in partnership with yesOh)
April 5-9
Venue to be announced
Continue to check www.yes.co.il/Pages/got.aspx for more information
Madrid, Spain (in partnership with Canal+)
Dates and venue to be announced
Continue to check www.canalplus.es/juegodetronos for more information
Berlin, Germany (in partnership with Sky Deutschland)
Dates and venue to be announced
Continue to check www.Sky.de/GoT for more information
Amsterdam, Netherlands (in partnership with HBO Netherlands)
Dates and venue to be announced
Continue to check www.GOTExhibit.com for more information
Paris, France (in partnership with OCS)
Dates and venue to be announced
Continue to check www.GOTExhibit.com for more information
And here’s a look at the full press release:
New York, N.Y., January 7, 2015 – For the third straight year, HBO will bring its celebrated Game of Thrones internationalexhibition around the world transporting fans to the epic world of Westeros and beyond. The 2015 exhibition tour will include mostly European markets with a total of 7 cities — London, United Kingdom; Stockholm, Sweden; Tel Aviv, Israel; Madrid, Spain; Berlin, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands and Paris, France with the potential for more markets to be added at a later date. Presented by HBO and its international partners, Game of the Thrones: The Exhibition will feature all-new installations focusing on key places, characters and relationships from the fourth season.
In addition, a new integrated web-based companion and photo stations will provide exciting new ways for fans to interact within the exhibition, placing them within some of Game of Thrones most shocking and talked-about moments. These stations will create fun and unique content that fans can share with their friends through various social media platforms. Fans can also, for the first time ever, pledge their allegiance to their favorite Game of Thrones family by joining a House before entering the exhibition.
Last year’s most exciting and acclaimed feature, the “Ascend the Wall” 4D Oculus Rift virtual reality experience, will return by popular demand.Visitors will journey to the top of the iconic 700ft Wall by stepping into a physical recreation of the Castle Black winch elevator and wearing the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and a pair of headphones. From that moment on, they will find themselves inside a virtual version of the elevator – one that looks, sounds and feels extremely real, providing an unprecedented, immersive Game of Thrones experience.
The exhibition will showcase over 70 original artifacts used on set from seasons 1-4 plus select never-before-seen pieces from Season 5 premiering in April 2015. Created by artisans whose extraordinary craftsmanship has lent authenticity to the show since its inception, the collection includes a magnificent costume display featuring armor, dresses, cloaks and jewelry; iconic artifacts built on set, such as a life-size replica of a White Walker and model dragons; weaponry comprising of swords, spears, whips and daggers; House banners and more. Visitors will also have an opportunity to take a picture on the coveted Iron Throne.
In addition, certain locations will host the HBO Shop® which will include an assortment of official Game of Thrones licensed collectable merchandise.
Game ofThrones is an epic serieswhose storylines of treachery and nobility, family and honor, ambition and love, and death and survival, has captured the imagination of fans globally and made it one of the most popular shows on television.In 2014, Game of Thrones was the most searched TV show on Google and the #1 most talked about show on Facebook.
Will you be visiting the Game of Thrones: The Exhibition in one of its international cities? Do you think it still has a chance to come to San Diego Comic-Con? Let us know in the comments.
