Virtual reality (VR) title Pixel Ripped 1989 has had a long and tumultuous journey since it began life back in 2013. Started by Ana Ribeiro when she was studying at the National Film and Television School in London and Stef Keegan, the videogame had a failed Kickstarter in 2015, then joined the Boost VC startup accelerator that same year. Pixel Ripped 1989 then dropped off the radar in 2016, only to resurface now, announcing a partnership with Brazilian VR studio ARVORE.
Based in São Paulo, ARVORE will now fund and publish Pixel Ripped 1989, with Riberio now working at the company’s headquarters. In a press statement the Pixel Ripped team said that ARVORE: “is a partner that complements us in every aspect we need support: Q&A, marketing, polish, and something really important here, a family where everybody takes care of each other. This partnership allows us to focus 100% on the development of the game, and not being worried about how to accomplish our respective tasks without the huge stresses that this world brings.”
Currently there’s no word on how far through development Pixel Ripped 1989 is, or whether Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR are still going to be the intended platforms.
Pixel Ripped 1989 transports players back to 1989, finding themselves in a retro classroom environment. The lead character is Nicola a videogame obsessed kid who just wants to play her favourite game without being caught by the teacher. So they’ll need to play on Nicola’s hand-held gaming device the “Gear Girl” whilst paying attention to the virtual surroundings, if caught players will be sent to the Head Master’s office.
For those heading to Unite Austin 2017 in October, Unity Technologies has chosen Pixel Ripped 1989 as one of the titles to feature in its Made with Unity showcase.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Pixel Ripped 1989, reporting back with the latest updates from ARVORE.