Archangel – Page 4 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 5, 2017

Skydance Prepare for Archangel Launch with New Hire

Skydance Media has named Chris Hewish as Executive Vice President of Interactive, effective immediately. Hewish most recently served as Head of Studio and Publishing at virtual reality (VR) company Survios, and will now be responsible for overseeing development, partnerships, and new business opportunities at Skydance Interactive.

At Survios, Hewish lead a team responsible for the release of Raw Data, reportedly the first VR videogame to generate over $1M USD in revenue in its first month and the first VR title to hit the #1 spot for all videogames available on Steam. Prior to his time at Survios, Hewish served as Chief Executive Officer of social gaming company Bonanza Media, releasing titles including Bingo Home: Race To Earth and Shrek Slots Adventure.

“Chris has an outstanding track record within the industry and his recent success in the realm of VR brings invaluable experience to our newly established rapidly expanding interactive business,” said Skydance Media’s President and Chief Operating Officer Jesse Sisgold, to whom Hewish will report. “As we prepare to launch our first VR title, Archangel, as well as our first PC console title, PWND, we are thrilled to have Chris join our growing leadership team.”

“Skydance has done an incredible job of establishing itself as a visionary creator of top-notch film and television content, and Archangel is well positioned to be a fun and highly immersive new offering for VR gamers,” added Hewish. “To join the team at this stage is an amazing opportunity to help grow the interactive business by creating games that reflect the world-building for which Skydance is known.”

No official release date has yet been announced for the company’s VR debut, however earlier this year Skydance Interactive confirmed Archangel would launch on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on Skydance Interactive’s VR titles.

March 6, 2017

Archangel is an Intense VR Shooter That Lets You Pilot a Massive Mech

When HTC invited me to a behind-closed-doors demo at the 2017 Game Developers Conference (GDC) to show off a brand new VR shooter in development by Skydance Interactive, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was familiar with Skydance Media from their work on several film properties, such as Star Trek, True Grit, Mission Impossible, and more, but interactive entertainment such as video games and virtual reality is something else altogether.

As it turns out their debut project, Archangel, was on display at the show this year. Archangel is an intense, narrative-focused, action-packed VR shooter that puts players in the cockpit of a massive mech, similar to those found in Pacific Rim or even the Power Rangers. The design is quite realistic and evokes a very MechWarrior vibe.

My demo was brief, only spanning a small part of a single chapter, but the entire experience is promised to clock in right around the 3 hour mark. In addition to the main story there will also be a replayable Arena mode that you can use to earn upgrades for the story mode. Replaying missions is also encouraged to get higher scores.

Since this is a mech shooter, my demo took place while I was seated in a chair. Holding an HTC Vive wand controller in each hand, I extended my arms as if they were holding controls from within a mech cockpit. Moving my hands around manipulated the arms of my giant robot, enabling me to aim precisely at enemies.

Each arm had two different types of weapons that could be switched out. The right arm had a standard machine gun and then a powerful single-blast rail gun, while my left arm had single-shot rockets and a lock-on launcher that targeted multiple units before firing. I could also deploy a shield on either arm that could be raised for my defenses.

The entire game will be an on-rails shooter, meaning that the story and your mech are automatically progressed through each level without any input from you. In this way, it felt similar to arcade shooters like Time Crisis, although it had a much more sophisticated story. As the pilot of this massive, powerful mech — The Archangel — you’re tasked with transporting it through enemy lines to the final place of safety for the resistance so that your side can replicate and mass produce the technology to create an army of mechs.

Since each mission unfolds on rails, the short level I played was mostly a shooting gallery with some dialogue and exposition sprinkled throughout. The lack of movement control was disappointing, but the action was intense enough to make me forget.

This isn’t quite on the level of an ideal Pacific Rim-esque VR mech combat game, but it’s a step in the right direction. The voice acting was top notch, the visuals were superb, and the controls felt extremely tight and fun. The wave-based Arena mode and upgradeable weapons should all go a long way towards making this a solid package when it releases in July of this year for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift with Touch, and PlayStation VR (PSVR).

What do you want to see in your dream VR mech game? Let us know in the comments below!

Tagged with: archangel, skydance interactive

March 2, 2017

HTC Vive And Skydance Interactive Announce New VR Game Archangel

Brand-new videogame developer Skydance Interactive today at GDC announced that they were working on a new virtual reality (VR) shooter named Archangel.

The game is set to be a post-apocalyptic shooter where the player takes control of a several-story-high war machine in order to stop an evil corporation. Skydance say that the strength of the game will be in it’s storytelling, detailed graphics and animation.

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Skydance Interactive are a new company, formed from a team of people who have previously worked on games such as Gears of War 4, XCOM 2, Borderlands 2 and Fallout 4. They are based in Marina del Ray in California.

Archangel is slated to be available at launch on all major VR platforms, including the aforementioned HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and Steam. For attendees of GDC, Skydance and HTC will be providing the first ever hands-on demonstration of the game. Interested parties can contact the HTC team at the event in order to book a slot to demo it.

When further information on Archangel becomes available, it will be here on VRFocus.

February 15, 2017

Skydance Interactive Unveils its First Two VR Projects Life VR and Archangel

Skydance Interactive, a developer who’s previous work includes Gears of War 4 and XCOM 2, has revealed details surrounding its first two virtual reality (VR) titles, Life VR and Archangel.

Based on the upcoming feature film Life, due to be released on 24th March, Life VR is a sci-fi thriller set within the International Space Station command module. Players will lead a team of orbital scientists in a desperate fight for survival against a rapidly evolving life form from Mars. Due to launch the same day as the movie, Life VR will initially arrive on Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream, with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR all getting support shortly after.

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Archangel will be the first original VR title by Skydance Interactive. Created exclusively for VR, Archangel is a story-driven shooter in which players take control of a six-story-high war-machine, to stop a tyrannical corporation from taking over a post-apocalyptic America. The title is scheduled for release on VR platforms, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR in July 2017.

“I am proud to unveil today our first two Skydance Interactive titles that bring to life our mission of combining the fun of interactive gameplay with the immersive nature of narrative storytelling,” said David Ellison, Chief Executive Officer of Skydance Media, in a statement. “Whether it’s the action-filled, anti-establishment game of Archangel or the spine-tingling, thrilling experience of Life VR, we are excited to give audiences something they haven’t seen – or felt – ever before.”

“Our goal is to deliver on the promise of VR by giving not only aficionados and fans but even newcomers compelling and cutting-edge content that they can experience through a headset,” added Skydance Interactive President Peter Akemann. “Both Archangel and Life VR have allowed us to employ our accumulated experience making cutting-edge games for the last twenty years while taking advantage of the massive new storytelling opportunities that only VR can provide.”

As VRFocus learns more about Life VR and Archangel we’ll let you know.