Montpellier Discovery, a virtual reality treasure hunt to explore the city

Core Scope team, from left to right: game designer Capucine Nicolas, programmer Marie Marquet, and communication manager Ophélie Mourier, on the “family” path in Montpellier Discovery, at the Montpellier Botanical Garden. ®E.Hannoteaux
Released in mid-September, the free Montpellier Discovery mobile application transports users into the city’s Medieval history during a Plague epidemic via a life-size treasure hunt. From one puzzle to the next, players use their smartphone to roam through downtown Montpellier’s rich historical landmarks. One of the notable original features in the game is its intensive use of virtual reality.

“We identify with virtual reality technology,” explains Marie Marquet, president of the Core Scope publishing association. “We all played Pokemon Go!”

The game offers two courses, one in the downtown “Ecusson” area for young adults, the other in the Botanical Garden for families.

Its second originality is that Montpellier Discovery was created by a group of students, who founded the Core Scope association in early 2018. Core Group won the Digital Innovation prize in the “Transform your Region” competition organized by Montpellier Université Paul Valéry with Pepite-LR, the student center for innovation, transfer, and entrepreneurship, of which Montpellier Métropole is a partner.