The world watched as the historical Notre Dame cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames. As we watched history burning before our eyes we couldn’t help but wonder what would or could be saved. Would the fire be put out in time to save anything or would it burn to the ground. Thanks for the quick actions of the firefighters we have now learned many artifacts were able to be saved. A huge win for art and history.
Now that we have seen photos of the aftermath the question is, what’s next? How do they go about rebuilding such a historic piece of 12th century architecture. Construction of the cathedral took almost 200 years, almost as long as the entire gothic period, and most would agree it is one of the most important examples of the Gothic style in the world. In architectural history, the cathedral of Notre Dame was one of the first buildings that made use of the flying buttress.
Enter an unlikely hero.
The video game ‘Assassin’s Creed Unity’ and Ubisoft. In a sweeping cinematic shot seen in the 2014 world premiere trailer for the game you hear the bells from the cathedral and a sweeping shot of the iconic structure. The game takes place in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution in 1789, and extends up to the Thermidorian Reaction in 1794. While creating the games open world Ubisoft enlisted the help of Carolyn Muse and a historian. They created incredibly detailed 3D maps that got every brick placement right including the artwork and artifacts. The attention to detail was so incredible the renderings were accurate down to a 5 millimeter construction. Which could become hugely important to rebuild the cathedral.
Since the fire many companies have pledge money to rebuild Notre Dame. Now Ubisoft has come forward with their own donation and announcement about the game. Check out the full press release below.
Ubisoft Press Release:
As the smoke clears on the events that unfolded on Monday at the Notre-Dame de Paris, we stand in solidarité with our fellow Parisians and everyone around the world moved by the devastation the fire caused. Notre-Dame is an integral part of Paris, a city to which we are deeply connected. Seeing the monument in peril like this affected us all.
In light of Monday’s events, we will be donating €500,000 to help with the restoration and reconstruction of the Cathedral. We encourage all of you who are interested to donate as well. In addition, we want to give everyone the chance to experience the majesty and beauty of Notre-Dame the best way we know how. For one week, we will be giving Assassin’s Creed Unity away free on PC, for anyone who wants to enjoy it. You can download it now for Uplay PC here: http://assassinscreed.com/unity-notredame/ or get it directly on the Ubisoft Store here: https://store.ubi.com/
When we created Assassin’s Creed Unity, we developed an even closer connection with this incredible city and its landmarks – one of the most notable elements of the game was the extraordinary recreation of Notre-Dame.
Video games can enable us to explore places in ways we never could have otherwise imagined. We hope, with this small gesture, we can provide everyone an opportunity to appreciate our virtual homage to this monumental piece of architecture.
