EXPLORE • INTERACT • CUSTOMIZE • WITNESS HISTORY!

SHIP EXPLORER is the newest virtual experience from Turbine Room Studio based in Melbourne, Australia. It’s an immersive experience that puts you aboard famous ships from history as featured on the Oceanliner Designs YouTube channel.

Development began in early 2025 when Matt, one of the studio’s developers, imported a 3D model of the SS United States into Unreal Engine. At the time the ship had just been condemned for sinking as an artificial reef and getting the chance to walk its decks was exciting for much of our team. After some tweaking and playing we realised this was a great opportunity to make a fun, immersive and educational experience for people interested in maritime history.

SHIP EXPLORER is designed to serve as a companion piece to the YouTube channel Oceanliner Designs. The 3D modelling team there makes high-quality models for animations in the channel’s documentaries - but once those video projects are finished the 3D models are simply mothballed. Now - no longer! We’ve given them new life and brought them into Unreal Engine to explore. Now you can walk the decks of some of history’s most famous ships, interacting with information boxes to hear about the ship’s history and how it worked.

Players can interact with special items like ship’s horns and bells and on warships like Bismarck the guns will roar back to life. On top of that, a comprehensive and dynamic weather and time system means you can create the perfect vibe - exploring the ship at sunset on a calm summer’s night or in the middle of the fiercest Atlantic gale! Enter photo mode to fly around the ship externally in third person mode and snap exciting and unique angles - there’s always plenty to see.

SHIP EXPLORER is launching on Steam in July 2025 with two ships - SS Morro Castle and the SS United States. In August, the first DLC ship will be free to all who have bought the game; the battleship Bismarck. After that most DLC ships will be paid additions to the game, the first being the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store and give you the chance to explore these truly incredible mechanical and engineering marvels!