• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 5, 2015

The Associated Press is joining the virtual reality craze with a new content collaboration with VR studio and media company RYOT. Together, the partners will produce and distribute a VR series across both their networks. Users can access the VR content through RYOT’s mobile app, as well as Oculus Share and on Google’s Cardboard system for immersive viewing

The first feature in the VR series is a film called “Seeking Home: Life Inside the Calais Migrant Camp,” which gives viewers a window into the lives of refugees and migrants in the northern French city of Calais, where they have gathered in hopes of crossing to the United Kingdom.

The partners plan to release a number of additional films and video features over the next five months.

Back in August, the AP released an immersive VR film produced in collaboration with Matterport, called “The Suite Life,” which allowed viewers to take a virtual tour of the “suite class” on Singapore Airlines, the Grand Duplex suite on the Queen Mary 2 and the Ty Warner Penthouse at New York’s Four Seasons hotel.

The AP joins a growing list of publishers and content producers embracing VR for interactive video experiences. As reported earlier this week The Wall Street Journal just launched its new, in-app immersive video and VR programming, created in collaboration with video tech firm Vrideo and compatible with both WSJ’s iOS and Android apps. The WSJ will also be making its immersive video and VR technology available as an open source platform.

The New York Times also recently unveiled plans for NYT VR, a new virtual reality app created in collaboration with Google and VR studio IM360, due to launch this month. It will launch with several major ad sponsors on board, including GE and Mini.

Finally, Time Inc.’s InStyle magazine partnered with Jaunt, a company that produces cinematic VR experiences. The new feature, called InStyle Virtual, will allow viewers to immerse themselves in the magazine’s fashion shoots and other events in the world of celebrity glamour.