bigbox vr – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

June 11, 2021

Facebook Just Bought Its Fifth VR Studio, ‘POPULATION: ONE’ Developer BigBox VR

Facebook today announced its fifth VR studio acquisition. This time it’s BigBox VR, the studio behind the popular VR battle royale POPULATION: ONE which launched just last year on PC VR and Quest, and has consistently ranked among Quest’s most popular titles.

Facebook announced the acquisition today on the Oculus blog, saying that Population: One has “consistently ranked as one the top-performing titles on the Oculus platform.” Indeed, we’ve seen the game rank among the most popular titles by ratings in our regular check on Quest app rankings.

As with prior studio acquisitions, Facebook positions the move as an effort to accelerate the studio’s work while aiming to leave its culture in tact.

“We’re excited to help BigBox VR grow and accelerate their vision for POPULATION: ONE as a state-of-the-art VR social gaming experience, as well as pursue future projects, with access to the resources and support of Facebook and Oculus Studios,” the company writes. “All while maintaining the team’s creativity, disciplined methodology, and commitment to community. Welcome to the family!”

Population: One is not only available on Quest however, it’s also on PC VR platforms and offers cross-play between them. Which of course makes players wonder whether or not the game will continue to be supported on non-Oculus platforms. Similar to its other VR studio acquisitions, Facebook is promising that Population: One will continue to see equal support no matter which platform it’s on.

While BigBox VR is now best known for Population: One, the studio was an early mover in VR, having launched the multiplayer VR shooter Smashbox Arena back in 2016.

Today’s acquisition marks the fifth VR studio that Facebook has bought, seemingly in an effort to have greater control over the destiny of killer VR apps and the talent behind them. Facebook has also acquired Beat Games (Beat Saber), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath and others), Ready at Dawn (Lone Echo and others), Downpour Interactive (Onward), and now BigBox VR, all within nearly a year and a half.

The major theme in all of these acquisitions is, of course, multiplayer. Naturally, the social media giant sees social VR as a key pillar of its VR efforts.

“We continue to invest in content that fosters social connection, and we believe POP: ONE delivers this experience to the VR community in spades within a super fun gaming experience,” the company said about today’s acquisition.

The post Facebook Just Bought Its Fifth VR Studio, ‘POPULATION: ONE’ Developer BigBox VR appeared first on Road to VR.

June 11, 2021

Facebook Acquires POPULATION: ONE Developer BigBox VR

Facebook acquired another VR shooter game development studio with the purchase of BigBox VR, the creator of battle royale title POPULATION: ONE.

Facebook said it wouldn’t disclose the terms of the deal, which follows the April purchase of Downpour Interactive and its tactical multiplayer shooter Onward. Both POPULATION: ONE and Onward are among the highest revenue earners on Facebook’s standalone VR headset Oculus Quest. In February, Facebook said six Oculus Quest titles had cleared $10 million in revenue and Facebook now owns at least half of them.

Launched in late 2020, POPULATION: ONE is a first-person shooter (FPS) in which players team up in groups of three and fight across a large map to be the last team standing. The game is comparable to Epic Games’ battle royale sensation, Fortnite, both in terms of structure and business model – POPULATION: ONE is currently running a second ‘season’ of themed content including free updates and cosmetic items that are locked behind a premium battle pass.

The purchase represents Facebook’s 5th VR game development studio acquisition. The company first acquired the developer of rhythm slicing game Beat Saber, Beat Games, in late 2019. Beat Saber is likely VR’s most popular game at more than four million copies sold. Then, in February 2020, Facebook bought Sanzaru Games, the makers of PC VR’s visual powerhouse title Asgard’s Wrath.

In June 2020, Facebook also bought Ready At Dawn, the makers of the Echo VR games. Ready At Dawn’s Lone Echo II is slated for release on PC VR this summer, likely representing a swan song for the PC-powered Rift platform as Facebook zeroes in on the success it is finding with the standalone Quest. The multiplayer Echo VR, meanwhile, now runs a seasonal content structure similar to POPULATION: ONE.

Facebook says BigBox VR will operate as an independent studio.

“BigBox VR has big plans for the future of POP: ONE and for other projects, but we’re not ready to share details at this time,” a blog post prepared by Facebook states. “POP: ONE will continue to be supported on all its current platforms.

May 26, 2021

Team Deathmatch Coming Soon to Population: One

BigBoxVR only launched Population: One – Season 2: The Frontier a couple of weeks ago offering players a new environment, weapons and other items, all wrapped up in a Wild West theme. This week the studio has begun teasing a new mode that fans have been expecting, Team Deathmatch.

In most online first-person shooters (FPS) Team Deathmatch tends to be a classic gameplay mode introduced from the very beginning. Population: One being a virtual reality (VR) battle royale is a little different, favouring multiple three squad teams instead. That gameplay is going to be turned upside down with the introduction of Team Deathmatch.

The mode will be introduced to public lobbies first with plans to bring it to private sessions later. Players will be split into two teams with the objective being the first to get to 30 kills. Unlike standard Population: One matches where you only have one life and death means spectating or heading back to the lobby, in Team Deathmatch you’ll continually return to the fight until the match is finished.

However, just like Population: One’s current and previous seasons/modes – like the Super Advanced War Mode – Team Deathmatch will only be available for a limited time. When that occurs and how long for BigBoxVR hasn’t confirmed, just that it is coming soon.

Oh and don’t forget, the VRFOCUS coupon code mentioned for the launch of season 2 is still valid, but not for long! The code works within the first 7 days for all new Population: One owners, allowing them to claim 750 Bureau Gold (worth $10) to use in the online store. The offer can only be redeemed until tomorrow, 27th May 2021.

Providing cross-platform action between Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Population: One has become one of the biggest VR shooters since its launch in October 2020. In that time the videogame has managed to surpass $10m in revenue, and that’s just from Oculus Quest. As BigBoxVR continues to support and roll out new content for Population: One, VRFocus will let you know.

May 13, 2021

Population: One’s Wild West Season 2 Arrives Today, Bureau Gold Code Inside

It’s finally time for Population: One fans to get their hands on BigBox VR’s next update for the popular battle royale shooter. As revealed last week, Season 2 will introduce a limited time Wild West element to Population: One, with a new environment, weapon and other features to expand upon the fast and fun gameplay.

Population: One – Season 2: The Frontier will be available for 10 weeks, with one portion of the map turned into a western frontier town. It’ll feature its own saloon, and dusty streets to fight in. Players will be able to take advantage of explosive barrels to take down opponents, breakable barrels with goodies inside, and plenty of buildings and rock formations to gain the high ground advantage.

Then there are the new items. First up are the Matadors, two small shotguns with 8 shell capacities and a very fast flick reload mechanic. Great for close-up combat, because they are dual wield you won’t have a free hand to climb anything; awesome firepower or environment flexibility, it’s your choice. Players will also find the new Harmonica very useful being able to play a catchy tune to recharge other squad members’ shields. Or there’s always the new Shield Shaker which needs to be shaken and charged for a full shield recharge.

BigBox VR isn’t stopping there either. The map now supports 24 players for even more carnage, there are new Titles, Sprays, and Calling Cards, plus the custom game beta is being rolled out. Players can create their own private rooms to host their own matches with a massive amount of gameplay customisation options at their finger tips, choosing which weapons can be used, the zone speed, and much more.

Oh yeah, one last teasing detail the studio has revealed; Population: One – Season 2 will see the introduction of a Deathmatch Mode. It isn’t saying anymore at the moment with further details to come.

Everything mentioned will be available as free content. Players can also purchase to optional Battle Pass for $4.99 USD that unlocks exclusive themed content and rewards such as new characters and new legendary gun skins.

While Population: One has garnered plenty of VR fans since its launch last year if you’re really new to the videogame then VRFocus has a special offer for you. Using coupon code: ‘VRFOCUS’ anyone that’s purchased Population: One within the last seven days can claim 750 Bureau Gold (worth $10!) to buy new skins and other items in the shop. The code is valid between 13th – 27th May 2021 (12 am PST). For help redeeming the code here’s BigBix VR’s guide.

Population: One – Season 2: The Frontier is available today for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. For continued updates to the battle royale title keep reading VRFocus.

May 6, 2021

Explore a new Frontier in Population: One – Season 2 Next Week

In the seven months since its launch BigBox VR’s Population: One has become one of the biggest multiplayer shooters available for virtual reality (VR) headsets. Apart from the base battle royale content, the studio has steadily released new content like its Super Advanced War Mode and the limited-run Season 1. Having previously teased Season 2 is on the way, today BigBox VR has confirmed the new season is due to arrive next week.

While Season 2 will introduce new kit for players to test out, the content rollout will feature two major additions, a new themed location, and a player expansion. Population: One – Season 2: The Frontier will provide a brand new western-themed map destination so teams can have their own Wild West shootouts. And those gunfights are going to get even crazier as BigBox VR has confirmed to VRFocus it’ll be expanding the number of players in one match from 18 up to 24.

In Season 1 Bigbox VR introduced melee weapons and as you can see in the new trailer for Season 2, the team will be dropping dual-wielding weapons with some rather stylish-looking, double barreled pistols called the Matadors. And as this is the new frontier it looks like players will be able to dress for the part as well.

BigBox VR hasn’t confirmed what’ll be free and what content will require some cash, but much like the previous season expect to find certain cosmetic items only available if you buy the Battle Pass. With the launch still a week away, more Population: One – Season 2 details are still likely to arrive, hopefully offering a better look at the new destination.

Supporting Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Population: One – Season 2: The Frontier is scheduled to launch on Thursday 13th May 2021 for players. Check out the new trailer below and for further updates on Population: One, keep reading VRFocus.

March 31, 2021

Population: One Gets ‘Private Rooms’ This Friday So You Can Setup Custom Games

Today BigBox VR revealed that battle royale VR shooter Population: One is getting ‘Private Rooms’ in a Beta form this Friday at 12PM PT for custom game lobbies.

Population: One—Private Rooms Beta

You can see in the image above what it will look like in-game. You’ll be able to select either ‘Create’ or ‘Join’ from a menu. When you click ‘Join’ you’ll be able to easily find Private Rooms that friends have setup or join a Private Room based on a specific room code.

When you join a Private Room, you can hangout in the lobby for as long as you want, select who is on a team with who, and compete with as few people as you’d like. You can even pick War Mode or the standard 3-person Squads mode.

To get more insight about the new feature, we spoke with Gabe Brown, Co-Founder and CTO at BigBox VR:

“Giving the players control over the game mode so they can play between squads and war mode and their own private room, but they can also play on the teams that they want is really important to us. So if they wanted to, they could be like, ‘Okay, it’s a my family versus your family,’ or, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to play in a squad with Bob and Christine so let’s go play a match with them.’ They have a lot of control. We made it really easy for people to create rooms. Just from the Matchmaking menu, you can select it and create a room. That person that creates that room becomes the room leader and they can share their room by giving out a room code. So it’d be like ABC 234 would be an example room code. That allows anybody with that room code to be able to join the server. They can tweet it out, they can put it on a Facebook group. [We] would love to see streamers put it on their stream so they can interact with their fans. There’s a number of uses there for people to coordinate esport tournaments. It’s really interesting because now people can get together whenever they want as part of that.

The best part too is we’ve kind of have this hybrid mode, it’s like you have that room code. But we also have some room privacy features that allow you to mark the room open or closed. If the room is open, it allows anyone that you’ve invited to the server. Like, let’s say you join my server and I have the room privacy set to open, that allows you to invite anyone on your friends list to join the server as well. And then anyone that’s on your friends list will see in private room on your friends list, and you can join directly from your friends list. So your friends list in the main menu also doubles as a private server browser. You can see all of your friends that have their room privacy set to open and you can join easily. It makes your friends list super easy to go find people who are in those private rooms and go join them. Also, if you just want to have a private moment with some friends or you’re just hanging out or whatever you want to do, you can also set the room to closed where only the room leader, the person who created that room can invite people and you can only join if you have that room code.

We’re really excited about that because it really just opens it up to for people who have a large friends list or people who just want to interact with their community or wants to coordinate their own tournaments. It’s endless possibilities for people to come together and play Population: ONE the way that they want.”

Exclusive Offer For NEW Players

You read that correctly. BigBox VR created a coupon code for UploadVR readers that are new players to Population: One. All you have to do is redeem the code ‘UPLOADVR’ on your account between right now and April 7 at 12AM PT and you’ll get 750 Bureau Gold in-game currency for free. That comes out to about $10 worth of currency, which is just enough to buy the Battle Pass and skip a level at no charge.

NOTE: BigBox VR has informed us that if you’re an existing player that has had the game installed for 1 week or longer, then this coupon code will not work. This is for new players only.

Also, this is not an affiliate code, we do not get any kickback from you using it. It’s purely just a gift from BigBox VR to reward our readers. Have fun!

Population: One is available now on Oculus Quest and PC VR headsets for $30 with cross-play. For more details, check out the official website. Keep your eyes peeled on the official website for a big Private Rooms FAQ once the feature launches later this week.

Correction: Due to a miscommunication a previous version of this story stated the referral code was for all players; the referral code is for new players only.

March 11, 2021

Population: One’s Super Advanced War Mode Begins 12th March

Fans of virtual reality (VR) battle royale Population: One, currently enjoying the start of its season one event have got more to look forward to tomorrow. Developer BigBoxVR has announced a new event called ‘Super Advanced War Mode’ which will offer a big change in the small team dynamic.

The Super Advanced War Mode builds on Population: One’s previous War Mode and Advanced War Modes, where players are grouped into teams of nine, whilst still sticking with the same ruleset. The main difference this time, it seems, is that the two teams will start from opposite ends of the map, giving plenty of scope for different strategies. Of course, the shrinking zone will still be in place so you can’t camp. This should lead to some intense firefights towards the end.

Super Advanced War Mode starts tomorrow, 12th March at 12 pm PT (8 pm GMT) running until 22nd March. Open to everyone, you can subscribe here to be notified once the event goes live.

Population: One’s Season One Uprising will continue alongside the new mode, where players can access new weapons like the high-powered Light Machine Gun (LMG), utilise knife’s and swords for the first time and even tag locations should they wish. They can also buy the Battle Pass unlocking 50 tiers of rewards – 13 tiers are freely available to players.

In addition to the new mode, BigBoxVR has also released the following updates:

Physics (PC VR only)

PC VR: Fixed issue where climbing or other movement could become jittery
PC VR: Fixed “random” movement speed fluctuation
This is an entirely different physics system on PC VR, please let us know if there are any bugs

Gameplay Balance

Both Sodas: Healing amount doubled (from 25 -> 50)
Both Sodas: Time to heal doubled
Both Sodas: Max in inventory slot decreased from 5 -> 3
AWP: Walk speed reduced to 80% max when AWP is in-hand
Melee: Knife and sword movement bonus increased from 10% -> 15%

Gameplay Fixes

Guns: Automatic weapons now start firing again after being stuck through a wall while the trigger is down
Waypoint Marker: Greatly increased ping distance and limited the loot ping distance
Compass: Show cardinal directions instead of numbers
Mutes: A mute will now cross mute (a muted player cannot hear the person that muted them)

General

Rewards: Impatient update ~ now “Continue” can be pressed to skip the reward/unlock animation
Store: Fixed discount price not showing correctly
Battle Menu: Fixed settings menu breaking if open while the match starts
Post Match: Fixed UI displaying behind the environment
Spectator: Setting height when in spectator mode no longer has a hole
Localization: Assorted bugfixes

Supporting Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Population: One is one of the few titles to have surpassed $10m in revenue just from Oculus Quest alone. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Population: One, reporting back with further updates.

February 25, 2021

Population: One Season 1 ‘Uprising’ Now Live With $5 Battle Pass

Population: One’s first official ‘Season’ of content, dubbed Uprising, is now live. It will span 10-weeks and includes not only free map updates and new weapons, but also a $5 Battle Pass with premium cosmetics. Check out our Population: One review for more on the game as a whole.

Population: One Season 1 – Uprising

Yesterday we reported on a handful of new details about the big season update, including the new weapons such as the knife, katana, and LMG, map changes, and so on. But now we have more concrete details about what’s new.

In addition to those new weapons, there’s also the Zone Grenade, which creates a zone similar to the one that closes in on the map but it does so in a localized area to try and push enemies out of buildings and into the open. Then the Energy Shield Soda will top up your shields on the go, like in Fortnite, as opposed to only finding shield power-ups as items laying around like before.

For the map, there’s a new Bureau Base in the new Summit area at the edge of the Foothills and later on this season the giant Tower at the center of the map will actually open up. Titles, sprays, and calling cards are all new social features that are getting introduced this season and at the end of the season there will be a big tournament in-game that brings together the top squads. You can see more specific patch notes right here.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly for big communities of friends or popular streamers, later this season Population: One is getting private servers so you can play matches of just friends or just viewers and start a round at any time. This will also be a great way to do custom, smaller matches too.

population one season one uprising infographic battle pass

Then there’s of course the Battle Pass. This is an optional premium tier available for $5 that will grant access to cosmetic rewards like new character skins, legendary weapon skins, calling cards, sprays, and new titles. You can see it all teased in the image above.

Let us know what you think and if you plan on diving into Season 1: Uprising in Population: One. You can get the game on PC VR via Steam and on Quest, with full crossplay, right now for $29.99. The update is live now across all platforms.

February 9, 2021

Population: One Season One Adds New Weapons, Map Changes

Population: One developers BigBox VR have confirmed details about the game’s upcoming Season One event, which begins sometime this month and will include new weapons, map updates and more.

The season, titled ‘Uprising’, will last 10 weeks and “sets the stage for a continuously updated battle royale game where the combat will never be the same.” BigBox says that the season will include”tons of free new content, new weapons, new map updates, and more!”

The announcement comes with a short teaser trailer, which you can watch above, and some more details on the aforementioned new weapons.

Season One will introduce a knife and katana as melee weapons, an addition that was teased a few weeks ago in a tweeted GIF. The other announced weapon is the high-powered light machine gun (LMG) which “provides a new support class weapon to suppress enemy fire so squadmates can flank for the win,” pictured below.

Those are all the details we have on new content for now, but expect more to come when the season starts sometime later this month. Early Access sign-ups for Season One began a few weeks ago, through the game’s Discord server.

Population: One launched in November last year, and in our review we crowned it the new king of VR battle royale shooters. More recently, the game launched its ‘Darkest Days’ event which introduced a night version of the map, along with new skins and a 9v9 mode. The event ended a few days ago, which might indicate that Season One is set to start soon.

Stay tuned for more news in the next few weeks.

February 9, 2021

Population: One’s 10-Week Season One Arrives in Feb

Three weeks ago BigBoxVR revealed that its Season One event was incoming for Population: One, seeking beta testers to trial the new content. Today, the studio has announced there’s not long to wait, with Season One set to launch this month with loads of new features which include getting into the giant central tower!

Like other battle royale videogames, the season will grant players access to plenty of new gameplay items such as weapons and map updates. These will include a high-powered Light Machine Gun (LMG), a support class weapon to suppress enemy fire. As VRFocus suspected in January, close-quarters combat is getting an upgrade with the introduction of melee weapons including the katana and knife.

Dubbed Uprising, Season One will be formed around a narrative where rebels called Seekers formed to fight the Bureau, the megacorporation that controls the near-future world of Population: One. As the season progresses the environment will change as the Seekers try to gain control, with the mysterious Tower accessible for the first time.

“With the launch of Season One later this month, both new and existing players will find themselves challenged in a new way,” said Gabe Brown, BigBox VR’s CTO and co-founder in a statement. “We’re incredibly excited to see how players will use the new environment, weapons, and features!”

Additionally, BigBoxVR wants to help foster and connect the Population: One community. It’ll introduce Seeker Credits which players can gift to one another to unlock exclusive items, then later in the season private servers will come online.

“The Season One update builds upon our Vertical Combat System to give players even more ways to play and create social connections, only possible in VR. We can’t wait to share more details soon on what’s coming in Season One,” said Chia Chin Lee, BigBox VR’s CEO and co-founder.

BigBoxVR hasn’t confirmed when in February Season One will become available but it’ll take place across 10-weeks. Population: One supports Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. The title is one of the coveted few to have surpassed $10m in revenue just from Oculus Quest alone. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.