The Pirate Queen Chat: Singer Studios and Lucy Liu Spill the Tea on Bringing History Back to Life!

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Mulan (shoutout to Anita Yuen in the 1998 Taiwanese TV series) and Chinese historical TV dramas like Legend of the Condor Heroes, My Fair Princess, and The Book and the Sword. So when I stumbled upon a VR game called The Pirate Queen, centered around the badass female leader Cheng Shih from the South China Sea, I was shook. How did I not know about her before? And why hasn’t she been featured in Asian entertainment?

Playing a bit of the game, released on Meta Quest and Steam on March 7th, I was impressed. Cheng Shih, voiced by Lucy Liu, is a force to be reckoned with. The game’s creators, Singer Studios, are also gearing up to launch a film, podcast, and graphic novels featuring Cheng Shih. Talk about a full-on pirate queen experience!

Singer Studios stumbled upon Cheng Shih’s story through word of mouth, and the rest is history in the making. Despite facing setbacks due to the pandemic, the team pushed forward and created an immersive VR game that highlights Cheng Shih’s incredible journey from courtesan to powerful pirate leader. Liu and Singer put great emphasis on capturing the historical and cultural nuances of Cheng Shih’s life, even going as far as creating women’s hands from scratch for the player’s perspective in VR. This attention to detail is what sets The Pirate Queen apart in the gaming world.
The immersive experience of playing “The Pirate Queen” on the Meta Quest 3 was enhanced by the atmospheric maritime setting. Using the controllers as my hands, I navigated boats, climbed ladders, and interacted with objects easily. Some mechanics, like teleportation for movement, were a bit awkward at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. This style of movement is common in VR games, so experienced players will feel right at home.

Exploring every nook and cranny, searching for keys and clues, felt like playing a classic puzzle or escape room game from my teen years. Rowing a boat and climbing a ladder in the game even got me sweating a bit! The attention to detail, like lighting a joss stick in Cheng Shih’s cabin, brought back memories of rituals from my childhood. The realism was so convincing that I instinctively tried to put out the flame and almost smelled the smoke.

These interactive experiences in VR games have incredible potential for education and empathy. The focus on non-combat elements in “The Pirate Queen” was a deliberate choice by the developers, aiming to create a more engaging and immersive historical narrative. Playing as a character in such a detailed VR world allows players to truly immerse themselves in that moment in time.

Although “The Pirate Queen” is currently exclusive to Quest devices, there are plans to expand to other headsets in the future. Singer Studios is also exploring opportunities to expand the franchise into a graphic novel, film, and television series, extending the immersive experience beyond virtual reality.