VR Experience for the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka

At Unloop, every project begins with the “why” — the question that reveals the true purpose behind the project. The real challenge lies in thinking beyond existing solutions, while developing an authentic identity that resonates with the audience and creates real value for the client.
This was precisely our approach with the National Archives of Qatar: we shaped an experience that reflected their vision and values, turning archival preservation into an engaging, interactive journey that brought their story to life.
With the help of our Qatar partner, Futad Advertising, we transformed traditional preservation work — such as the restoration of historic documents, books, and audio recordings — into a virtual reality experience for the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka.

In this virtual space, Japanese scenery blended with Qatari architecture, allowing visitors to travel seamlessly from Doha to Osaka. Wearing a VR headset, they became guardians of memory, using only their hands to interact with objects, restore documents, uncover hidden texts, and bring sounds back to life.
As the room transformed through light, sound, and holograms, each level revealed a new layer of Qatar’s heritage — from fragile manuscripts and hidden writings to forgotten sounds and restored stories.

Guests became archivists for a day — restoring documents, uncovering hidden manuscripts, tuning sounds, and digitizing heritage. Playful, intuitive, and captivating, the experience turned preservation into an adventure, showcasing Qatar’s rich legacy in a way that was fun, memorable, and inspiring.

The gameplay is intuitive: by using only their hands to interact with virtual objects, visitors could experience the complexity of the work carried out daily by the technicians who safeguard Qatar’s memory.
CONCEPT AND STORYBOARD FOR THE EXPERIENCE

The VR journey unfolded across several stages:
• Learning to handle tools and interact with the environment
• Watching short films and uncovering hidden stories
• Restoring, preserving, and digitizing historical documents
• Completing challenges against time

Unloop handled the creative and technical development — concept, mechanics, 3D, environment, programming, scripting, and music — working alongside Futad Advertising to turn the preservation of history into an intuitive, playful, and unforgettable experience.

This project showed that heritage can be more than preserved — it can be experienced. At Expo 2025 Osaka, visitors didn’t just learn history; they felt it — becoming guardians of memory as they uncovered Qatar’s stories through play, curiosity, and wonder.
What began as an archive transformed into a living, interactive journey that connected culture, technology, and imagination. For the National Archives of Qatar, it was a chance to showcase heritage like never before. For Unloop, together with Futad Advertising, it was a story that began with the right question — and ended with the right solution for both the client and the audience.

CREATIVE DIRECTION – Helder da Rocha Pereira
DESIGN – Arina Zhumasheva
3D PRODUCTION – Nazariy Voloshchuk
MOTION & SOUND DESIGN – Adrian Soto
DEVELOPMENT – Maurício Ferreira