Exploria: A Large-Scale Immersive Experience that Changes How We See Inaccessible Nature in Singapore
15 Singapore 2026
Design: GSM Studios
Location: Singapore, Southeast Asia
Photos by Mandai Wildlife Group
Located within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, Singapore’s wildlife and nature destination, Exploria expands the destination’s offering with a permanent indoor experience. It reveals nature’s invisible side through immersive environments. Visitors journey from prehistoric eras and extreme habitats to microscopic ecosystems and the mysterious depths of the ocean.
Developed by Mandai Wildlife Group, Exploria is one of Southeast Asia’s largest nature-themed multimedia attractions at 10,000 m2. Exploria features no living animals. Instead, it offers an immersive encounter with the natural world through digital visuals and storytelling. Focusing on ecosystems that are nearly impossible for humans to access, Exploria gives visitors the opportunity to discover species rarely featured in popular media. As they gain a better understanding of the fragile balance of Earth’s most remote environments, visitors learn of the importance of supporting conservation efforts, becoming agents of change for biodiversity.
An international collaboration
Nathanaël Meyer, Executive Creative Director at GSM Studios, explains: “Exploria was born out of Mandai Wildlife Group’s ambition to create a nature-themed attraction capable of both inspiring and educating audiences, while maintaining a balance between rigorous scientific content and the immersive power of themed entertainment. The storytelling approach we’ve developed is truly rooted in our time: engaging, inspiring, ethical and, at times, deeply moving.”
Fiona Ng, Managing Director of GSM Studios Singapore, adds: “GSM partnered with Mandai Wildlife Group from the very beginning of the project. Our team developed the concept, led the design and worked closely with Mandai to manage and produce every component of the experience through to the final installation. Our role was to coordinate an international consortium of creative and technical specialists while overseeing architects, contractors and suppliers to deliver a fully integrated attraction.”
An immersive experience spanning 10,000 sqm
At the centre of Exploria sits Our Interconnected World, a hub from which visitors can freely explore the attraction’s five worlds. At its heart, a monumental digital sphere comes to life through Our Planet Awakens, a multimedia show symbolizing the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.
Instead of a realistic recreation, each world has been designed as a living archetypal environment — dynamic, imaginative and deliberately interpretive. This creative approach allowed GSM Studios to develop surprising, awe-inspiring environments that promote discovery while remaining grounded in science.
Realm of the Giants: A monumental sculptural environment restores the true scale of Earth’s extinct giants, from dinosaurs to other remarkable creatures of the Mesozoic Era. Augmented reality installations place visitors face to face with these long-lost species, while a 360-degree multisensory show traces the evolution of life on Earth over hundreds of millions of years while raising awareness about mass extinction phenomena.
Micro Worlds: The infinitely small is revealed through a galaxy of illuminated spheres showcasing plankton, insect colonies, fungi and bacteria. Interactive exhibits and physical models allow visitors to explore life at scales beyond human perception.
World of Darkness: Visitors descend into deep oceans and subterranean caves, discovering species that have adjusted to environments where light never reaches. A labyrinthine layout challenges visitors’ perception and encourages them to explore the extraordinary sensory adaptations of life in darkness.
Infinite Wonderland: From tropical rainforests to coral reefs, the planet’s most biodiverse ecosystems are celebrated through a kaleidoscopic journey that moves from the sky down through forest canopies and into the depths of the ocean.
Bitdeer AI Extreme Frontiers: A series of conceptual immersive installations challenges visitors to experience hostile environments including deserts, polar regions, high-altitude ecosystems and urban habitats. Mixed-media simulators combine temperature and wind effects (infinity rooms) to create highly sensory encounters.
Technology at the service of science
Mandai Wildlife Group’s mission is to inspire curiosity about the natural world, thus rallying audiences around biodiversity conservation. To spark that curiosity and encourage visitors to discover all 250 species featured, Exploria uses a centralized gamification ecosystem powered by RFID technology that serves as the backbone of the experience’s interactive storytelling.
By activating a personalized Explorer profile through a digital avatar, visitors can unlock quests, collect badges for species discovered, complete challenges and track their progress across Exploria’s five immersive worlds.
Building on the original concept developed by GSM Studios and Mandai Wildlife Group, Montreal-based interactive studio Dpt. was tasked with designing and producing Exploria’s 87 interactive installations with Singapore partner Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd.
By integrating hours of hyper-realistic wildlife media and developing interactive missions and gameplay systems, Dpt. brought these environments to life in every layer of the visitor journey, transforming scientific discovery into an engaging and participatory experience.
Nathanaël Meyer concludes: “With Exploria, GSM Studios’ ambition is to inspire a deeper passion for the living world. Technology serves knowledge and emotion, supporting a visitor experience that is playful, entertaining and participatory. By revealing species in a context that is neither a zoo nor a standard screen, Exploria introduces a completely new experience format — one we hope will inspire future attractions all around the world.”
Exploria a Large-Scale Immersive Experience in Singapore, Southeast Asia – Property Information
- Design: GSM Studios – https://www.gsmstudios.world/
- Officially opened on March 3, 2026
- 10,000 sqm of immersive exploration
- 5 thematic worlds
- 250 species to discover
- 87 interactive experiences
- 1 RFID-powered gamification ecosystem
- Designed and produced by GSM Studios in collaboration with an international consortium of creators
- A project commissioned by Mandai Wildlife Group
- Competition & Concept:
- GSM Studios – Lead Experience Design (Sets, Interactive, Media, Narrative)
- FORREC – Attraction Planning & Design
- Local Projects – Interactive Strategy
- Design:
- GSM Studios – Creative Direction, Experience Design (Show Sets, Interactive, Media, Narrative), Content Development
- Attraction Planning & Design: FORREC
- Lighting Design: Lightemotion
- Production:
- GSM Studios – Project & Production Management
- Electronics & Engineering – Multimedia & AV Systems Integration
- Bob – Scenography Fit-out, FX Installation, Systems Integration
- Dpt. – Interactive Content Production
- Giant Show Production: Immersive International
- LX Installation & Programming: Auxilio Studio
- Sound Production:Headspace Studio
- Interactive Content Production: CraveFX
GSM Studios
GSM Studios is a global creative group specializing in experience design and production for museums and cultural attractions. With over 65+ years of experience and 1,000 projects delivered in more than 120 cities worldwide, GSM Studios has teams based in Montreal, Singapore and Paris.
The studio is acclaimed for its work on the observation experience at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai; the interactive exhibition Star WarsTM Identities, which has toured internationally for more than ten years; and for its collaborations with major museums including the National Museum of Singapore, the Asian Civilisations Museum, the Canadian Museum of History and Pointe-à-Callière.
Photographer: Mandai Wildlife Group
Exploria a Large-Scale Immersive Experience, Singapore, Southeast Asia information / images received 150926
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