Asmodee Digital – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

February 3, 2021

Enjoy Catan VR on Oculus Quest Tomorrow

It’s been a big week for Oculus Quest news with revenue updates and the roll-out of App Lab, its new distribution channel. Among all of this Experiment 7 has revealed that the board game gem Catan VR is ready to launch on Oculus Quest.

Making the announcement over on its Discord channel, Experiment 7 has confirmed the Oculus Quest version of Catan VR will feature all the same content from previous versions of the virtual reality (VR) board game plus some extra goodies to further enhance the experience.

The studio notes there will be “additional private matchmaking functionality” but didn’t state what that would entail. This will only apply to the Oculus Quest version as the developer went onto add: “All other versions are still compatible for standard play – and we’re looking at the feasibility of porting the the private matchmaking updates to other platforms.”

Catan VR for Oculus Quest will also include a new room called ‘The Study’, new high-resolution textures and board animations; 90 Hz Mode for Oculus Quest 2, a higher-res display mode providing 1832p on Quest 2, and updated network and voice stability. Because of all these extra improvements Experiment 7 states: “The Quest 2 version is definitely the best version in performance, detail, and clarity that we’ve ever made.” So that’s something to look forward to.

Experiment 7 brought the classic board game onto VR platforms back in 2018, originally supporting Oculus Rift and Gear VR followed by Steam and then PlayStation VR. Designed for up to four players, in Catan VR you play a settler who needs to establish colonies on the island of Catan. To do so you’ll need to acquire resources to build towns and roads whilst engaging in trade with other players. The end goal is to grow large enough to gain the ten victory points required to win.

Catan VR will be available on the Oculus Quest platform from Thursday, 4th February retailing for $14.99 USD. It’ll support cross-buy on the Oculus Store so if you already own the Rift version then you own the Quest edition as well. For further updates on the latest Oculus Quest releases, keep reading VRFocus.

March 23, 2018

‘Catan VR’ Launches with Cross-play for Rift and Gear VR, Headed to Oculus Go

Based on Klaus Teuber’s popular board game Settlers of Catan (1995), the VR version of Catan is available now on Oculus Rift and Gear VR, and will be a launch title for Oculus Go. The game features cross-play multiplayer, and is said to be coming to more VR platforms in the future.

Described as “true to the classic but optimized for virtual reality,” Catan VR was developed by VR studio Experiment 7 in partnership with Klaus Teuber and his sons Guido and Benjamin, along with the Catan and Asmodee Digital teams. The board game takes place in a virtual room with views of the island of Catan itself through the windows.

Speaking to Gamesbeat last year, Experiment 7 managing director Demetri Detsaridis explained how VR offers a different experience to other digital versions of the game. “When you have the entire field of view in front of you – and Catan is on a big table – the pieces get to be larger than life,” he said. “The ‘screen’ is enormous. You can do cool things like have sheep run around or have water flow or have wheat blowing in the breeze without it looking like you’re peering into the inner workings of a wristwatch.”

Classic Catan AI opponents are available for single player, and the game supports cross-platform multiplayer with friend invites and matchmaking. For now, the game is playable on Oculus Rift and Gear VR, and will form part of the launch line-up for the Oculus Go. The game was playable at GDC 2018 this week, with Rift and Go devices at the same table, as seen during Tested‘s Oculus Go video. Additional platforms are said to be on the cards, but Experiment 7’s previous titles have not jumped beyond Rift and Gear VR yet, despite Dungeon Chess (2017) being confirmed for PSVR many months ago.

Originally due to launch in late 2017, Catan VR is the third release from Experiment 7, who specialise in bringing board and tabletop games into their ‘Magic Table’ platform, an immersive environment designed for ‘social presence’ that supports cross-platform multiplayer. The team’s long-term goal is to attract other developers to the Magic Table platform. Their first game Magic Table Chess (2016) introduced the concept, followed by the Dungeons & Dragons-themed Dungeon Chess.

“The first time I saw Catan on the Magic Table, I was fascinated by what VR has to offer,” said Teuber. “The game I made in our living room with my family 25 years ago in Virtual Reality? It’s incredible. I never imagined actually stepping into the world of Catan when we first started making cut-outs and dreaming about exploring new lands.”

The post ‘Catan VR’ Launches with Cross-play for Rift and Gear VR, Headed to Oculus Go appeared first on Road to VR.

November 30, 2017

Catan VR’s Closed Beta Sign-up is now Live

If you enjoy the odd virtual reality (VR) boardgame or two then you’ll have probably been keeping an eye on developer Experiment 7 and its upcoming title Catan VR which the studio announced work on in September. Scheduled to launch this holiday season, the studio has now opened a call for players to sign up to a closed beta.

A joint project between Catan GmbH, Catan Studio, Asmodee Digital and Experiment 7, Catan VR remains true to the classic, but optimised for VR. Gameplay involves players taking the role of settlers who need to establish colonies on the islands of Catan, acquiring resources to build infrastructure and roads whilst engaging in trade with other players, all with aim of growing large enough to get the ten victory points needed to win.

CatanVR_Screenshot3

Featuring both single-player and multiplayer online modes, up to four people can play against one another, whether they happen to be on Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR. They are the only two headsets confirmed so far but Experiment 7 has said additional VR platforms will follow.

“The first time I saw Catan on the Magic Table, I was fascinated by what VR has to offer,”Catan creator Klaus Teuber previously said. “The game I made in our living room with my family 25 years ago in Virtual Reality? It’s incredible. I never imagined actually stepping into the world of Catan when we first started making cut-outs and dreaming about exploring new lands.”

The Catan VR closed beta is free to sign up to, simply head to the Experiment 7 website and enter an email address.

The studio specialises in VR boardgames having already released Dungeon Chess and Magic Table Chess for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Catan VR and Experiment 7, keeping you up to date with the latest announcements.

September 2, 2017

Settlers of Catan Trades Cardboard for VR

Settlers of Catan, often known by players simply as Catan, is one of the most successful German boardgames. First published in 1995 in Germany, it has since seen its popularity around the world explode, with more than 22 million copies in 30 languages have been sold. Now Catan Studio and Asmodee Digital are brining the classic board game into virtual reality (VR).

A joint project between Catan GmbH, Catan Studio, Asmodee Digital and VR developer Experiment 7 has been formed to bring the the tabletop experience to VR in the most entertaining manner possible, while still remaining true to the original game.

Gameplay in the classic boardgame involves players taking the role of settlers establishing colonies on the islands of Catan, building settlements and road, acquiring resources and engaging in trade, aiming to get their settlements large enough to get the ten victory points needed to win.

In Catan VR fans of the original boardgame and new players alike will be able to watch a Catan settlement come to life in VR. Players will be able to set up games against other players all over the world, or even play against Catan personalities.

“The first time I saw Catan on the Magic Table, I was fascinated by what VR has to offer,” said Catan creator Klaus Teuber. “The game I made in our living room with my family 25 years ago in Virtual Reality? It’s incredible. I never imagined actually stepping into the world of Catan when we first started making cut-outs and dreaming about exploring new lands.”

Catan VR will be coming to Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. A release date of ‘Holiday 2017’ has been set, though a specific date has not been confirmed, nor has a price point been set.

VRFocus will bring you further information on Catan VR as it becomes available.