Ubisoft has been one of the most prolific virtual reality (VR) publishers amongst the big players in the videogames industry, despite being dismissive of the technology early in the game. With a new update recently launched for Star Trek: Bridge Crew, available now for PlayStation VR and coming soon to PC for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the attention now turns to what is coming next from Ubisoft, and this year’s E3 showcase is a shoe-in for some VR outings.
With Werewolves Within, Eagle Flight, Trackmania Turbo and the aforementioned Star Trek: Bridge Crew already under its belt, Ubisoft is ahead of even Bethesda Softworks in the race for most active third-party VR publishers. Is it possible we’ll see one of the company’s big franchises make the jump into VR? Only time will tell on that front, but for now we do at least have some new VR titles to look forward to.
New VR Games
Unlike Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Oculus VR and others, there’s no certainty that Ubisoft will reveal anything new for VR at E3 2018. There’s a possibility of a home VR version of Virtual Rabbids: The Big Plan – currently only available for Google Daydream – but aside from that, we’re not sure where Ubisoft will go next. More new IP? That’s the dream.
Space Junkies
Speaking of new IP, Ubisoft’s it-came-out-of-nowhere VR title From E3 2017 is almost certain to come back with a vengeance this year. Space Junkies has been bubbling under for quite some time, appearing both at Ubisoft events and at Oculus VR’s own shows, including Oculus Connect 4 and Oculus Unwrapped. We’ll hopefully be seeing something which resembles a near-final product at E3 2018.
Transference
Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision’s VR showcase piece is likely to return at E3 2018, having also been announced at E3 2017 but since having disappeared off the radar. The eerie first-person puzzle title is likely to get hearts pumping when it eventually launches for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, and with Wood himself set to talk at the E3 Coliseum, you’d be a fool to bet against Transference being both featured in Ubisoft’s press conference and playable at E3 2018.
What to Expect at E3 2018: Oculus VR – With new hardware out the door, surely we can expect a grand showing from VR pioneer Oculus?
What to Expect at E3 2018: Bethesda’s VR Games – Bethesda is likely to expand upon its VR success in 2018.
What to Expect at E3 2018: HTC Vive – Will we get a Vive Focus North American and European launch date announcement?