Resolution Games, the VR developers and publisher behind Demeo, Blaston and the upcoming sports game Ultimechs, today revealed that 2021 has been a record-breaking year for the company in both revenue and game downloads. The studio also announced the acquisition of Stockholm-based indie Zenz VR, which is known for VR zombie shooter HordeZ.
Resolution Games says 2021 was its fifth consecutive year of profitability, something the company says has allowed it to reinvest into growth in development capabilities and personnel. Now the company says it employs 158 workers, with that number projected to surpass 200 by the end of the year.
Over the course of 2021, Resolution Games says it’s quadrupled growth in game revenues and tripled total game downloads across all platforms compared to 2020.
The studio has also recently expanded to the US with its Austin, Texas-based subsidiary, Resolution Games Inc., which is headed by president and co-founder, Paul Brady.
In a press statement, the studio says its acquisition of Zenz VR is “talent-focused,” as it doesn’t include Zenz VR’s existing and in-development IP.
The studio says the addition of “select members” of Zenz’s team have been absorbed into the company’s AR division. This includes Zenz founder Niklas Persson, who has a background as producer and designer on Battlefield 1942.
Resolution Games is a pioneer in the VR space, having led with titles such as Bait! (2016) and Wonderglade (2017) on Gear VR. More recently the company has focused on multiplayer games, with Blaston (2020) and Demeo (2021) being the most successful of the bunch. The company’s upcoming sports game, Ultimechs, is set to continue the studio’s focus on multiplayer games. The futuristic Rocket League-style game serves up 2v2 multiplayer matches that require you to rocket-punch a ball into your opposition’s goal.
Fresh off of raising its price for a busy 2022 roadmap, Blaston is launching a major update today.
The Blaston: Reloaded update includes many of the features developer Resolution Games previously teased. Headlining the update is the introducing of a Weapon Attachments system that helps players expand their arsenals. 30 new modifications are available to add to the 10 existing weapons, with more to come in future updates, and there’s a new weapon too.
Check out a trailer for the update below that gives you a first look at some of these features.
Blaston: Reloaded Update Released
As part of Reloaded, Resolution is introducing the Luma Bow, which sacrifices dual-wielding weapons for high damage and accuracy. Not only that but, from now until May 5, you’ll be able to grab a free skin for the bow, made in collaboration with another VR studio. Fast Travel Games is lending the design of its Cyber Bow from its first game, Apex Construct, to the title. You’ll also spot some Apex Construct posters in the trailer. Resolution says this is just the first collaboration for Blaston.
Also added today is a Street Brawl mode. This only lets users wield the bow and Nova weapons at a longer distance.
Rounding out the news, Resolution also reaffirmed its hopes to make Blaston a major player in the esports scene, confirming that future updates will focus on fine-tuning the game’s balance. The studio has also teamed up with VRML for an officially-sanctioned competition that kicks off in May.
Elsewhere, we’re still waiting to see the full reveal of Resolution’s next game, Ultimechs.
There are certain virtual reality (VR) titles that seem like an easy fit for pro esports events, with Resolution Games’ Blaston certainly being one of them. Today, the studio has announced the release of the Blaston: Reloaded adding new weapons, attachments and the videogame’s upcoming inclusion in the VR Master League.
Blaston: Reloaded gives you even more choice during combat by offering weapon customisation options prior to each match. Initially, there will be 30 unique modifications across 10 different weapons, providing the ability to speed up projectiles or curve them into your opponent. You’ll also want to make use of the new Luma Bow with its ‘Cyber Bow’ skin. The bow offers archer-like accuracy and spectacular damage at the cost of duel wielding while the skin is thanks to a collaboration with Fast Travel Games’ Apex Construct. More customisation options will arrive in future updates.
Then there’s the new seasonal game mode, Street Brawl. Rather than on elevated podiums, you’re now street level and further apart, armed only with a Cyber Bow and a modified Nova
“There’s always been a layer of strategy in Blaston specifically tied to the game’s weapon choices,” said Tommy Palm, founder and CEO of Resolution Games in a statement. “Being able to customize weapons is something our players have continually told us they’d like to see, letting them equip attachments that change the way they play. Today’s update answers that call while also positioning Blaston for professional esports competition, where weapon attachments will help to establish the unique play styles of Blaston‘s professional competitors, amping up the excitement for spectators.”
Lastly, there’s Blaston’s addition to the VR Master League. Resolution Games has partnered with the organisation to launch the first officially-sanctioned Blaston esports competition in May. If interested you can signup now with the season commencing on 16th May. The studio notes that “future updates will focus on ensuring fair and balanced play” to help grow Blaston’s new esports focus. To that end, a free Blaston Spectator app for PC will be available from 5th May.
For continued updates on all of Resolution Games’ VR titles, keep reading gmw3.
Every so often Humble Bundle rolls out an awesome new limited time offer and there’s one available right now for the next couple of weeks. Called the “VR Discovery” bundle, the deal combines seven videogames and one soundtrack for one ridiculously cheap price.
The games on offer aren’t some random bottom of the bin ones either, they actually showcase how varied VR titles can be, from comedic single-player adventures to co-op multiplayer and rhythm action games.
Love cooking with mates? Then try Resolution Games’ Cook-Out: A Sandwich Tale where up to four players have to serve hungry customers as fast as possible. Looking for a puzzle title that’s atmospheric with an engrossing storyline, you want Red Matter? It takes place in an alternate future on an abandoned base on Rhea, one of Saturn’s moons. When it comes to comedic Squanch Games’ Trover Saves the Universehas got you covered. Trover is a purple eye-hole monster trying to save the universe from a beaked lunatic named Glorkon who has kidnapped your dogs and put them in his eye sockets (yup no joke).
There’s more multiplayer mayhem to be found in Blaston, another Resolution Games title, this time a PvP shooter where two players duel it out in slow motion. While Panoptic is a local multiplayer game of cat and mouse, where the VR player is the Overseer trying to hunt down tiny beings controlled by a mate on PC. And then you’ve got Synth Riders, the rhythm action title that features tracks from bands like Muse.
Rounding out the VR Discovery bundle roster is Tower Tag and its accompanying soundtrack. Tower Tag is a sci-fi PvP shooter with 10 maps, 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 matches and Team Deathmatch, Elimination and Goal Tower gameplay modes.
So how much does this all cost? As a charitable endeavour, Humble Bundle runs a pay what you want scheme with a small starting price. The “VR Discovery” bundle with all that content starts at £9 GBP with buyers encouraged to top that up if they can, enabling more donations to be given to organisations like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund or GamesAid.
For all the latest Humble Bundle VR deals, keep reading gmw3.
Resolution Games is increasing the price of its multiplayer VR shooter, Blaston, ahead of its next big update.
The Quest and PC VR title will jump from $9.99 to $19.99 on January 17th, so you still have a few days to pick it up at the original price. In the video below, Resolution Games noted that the move was made to reflect the many updates Blaston has seen since launch in late 2020, including new modes, social VR features and user-made tournaments.
Blaston Updates Incoming
“We had the approach of launching something as early as we possibly could and developing it together with the community as much as possible,” Resolution CEO Tommy Palm told UploadVR in the interview below. “But at this point we feel it’s a full-fledged game with a lot of content, and it’s worth $19.99.”
He later added: “We always felt with Blaston had this potential to become something much bigger. You could really compete with other players and become quite good at it.”
In addition, there’s more Blaston to come. April will see the launch of the Blaston Reloaded update, which plans to revamp the core game with a weapon attachments system that will let players further customize their arsenal. There will also be new graphical enhancements for the PC VR version of the game and a new seasonal mode. Finally, there’s a new weapon set to be added in collaboration with another VR games studio.
Another update will follow in the summer.
Blaston joins a growing number of VR games that have increased their base price after months of free updates. Cloudhead Games started charging more for its rhythm-based shooter, Pistol Whip, in mid-2021 and Space Pirate Trainer also increased its base price after adding the fantastic local multiplayer mode in the DX update.
Using Quest’s passthrough feature with Resolution Games’ Blaston results in a pretty incredible experience.
Meta recently made the Passthrough API for Quest 2 available for everyone, moving away from an experimental build to a full release. Blaston is one of the first games to take full advantage of the technology and, in doing so, almost completely revolutionizes the game.
At first, I was skeptical — it’s a feature that I was worried might look fun but feel somewhat redundant at launch. However, for games like Blaston, it comes close to completely revolutionizing the game in a way I didn’t think possible. By letting you play in a reconstructed version of your surroundings, Blaston has completely eliminated concerns about your guardian or nearby objects. In turn, this creates a way more freeing, natural experience and, more importantly, it actually makes the game much more enjoyable to play.
I tried Blaston around release and my biggest problem was that I couldn’t really properly immerse myself. It’s a game that requires lots of quick movement and dodging and, ideally, a pretty large play area. I have a small area in my lounge room that’s suitable for most VR experiences — there’s stuff around me, but I have a nice (if small) square of empty space to place a guardian down and move around in.
However, for games like Blaston, it still feels cramped. The reality was that I had plenty of room to play, but I still felt squashed and constantly worried I would get to into it and accidentally send my hand into a wall or worse… my nearby TV.
Playing Blaston in passthrough mode, these problems were completely eliminated. I could play stress free, knowing exactly where everything was and without worry of any accidents. Yes, this is solving a problem that some people won’t have — if you have a giant house with lots of empty, spare space, this would never have been a problem for you. However, the reality is that most people won’t have a huge amount real estate for VR, especially people who only play casually. For those players, passthrough mode makes Blaston feel integrated into your space, instead of taking you out of it, and that’s absolutely crucial. I’m playing in the same space, but it feels like I now have so much more.
Blaston is not the only game to add support (and it certainly won’t be the last) — one of my Quest 2 favorites, Unplugged, also recently added “Your Place” as a venue option. This lets you shred air guitar in a environment that is basically just a variation on the black and white Quest 2 passthrough video feed, overlaid with big colour tones that match the gig, music and game’s lighting. It’s a great option, but it doesn’t solve a problem in the same way that Blaston does. It will surely be useful, if not fantastic, to use when playing Unplugged with a group of people, but that’s not exactly improving anything about the way you play the game. It’s just adding a niche cool feature.
With Blaston, playing in my living room actually let me enjoy the game in a way I couldn’t before. It’s also opened my eyes to the possibilities of the technology, not just on Quest but in the future as well, as we move towards the larger promise of true AR headsets.
Passthrough support is available in Blaston now for Quest 2 users. You can read more here.
Blaston’s new update lets you play the multiplayer bullet hell title whilst viewing the real world around you.
The Arctic Blast update for the game is rolling out now and adds a host of new features. On Quest, you can now experience the game using the Passthrough function, meaning the headset’s cameras are used to show the real world around you inside of the game’s virtual environments. The game will even outline items in a room in neon colors. Don’t expect this feature on PC VR devices right now, though.
Blaston Gets Passthrough Play
Not only is it a pretty cool effect but it’s great for those concerned about throwing their head into a nearby shelf when dodging incoming attacks.
Elsewhere, this update introduces a new playable character named Shoxx that features different facial expressions with a Daft Punk-style electronic headset, and there’s an Arctic Resort locations, too. You’ll also be able to wield an Ice Cannon weapon and there’s a new weapon skin. Check out a trailer for the game below.
Perhaps most importantly, Blaston now supports player-hosted tournaments, so you can set the quick 1v1 battles into brackets of eight players and compete for the top prize.
Arctic Blast isn’t the only update developer Resolution Games is planning for December – next week sees the launch of the third dungeon for co-op tabletop adventure, Demeo. The company’s also announced its first new project for 2022 in Ultimechs.
Will you be checking out Demo’s Arctic Blast update? Let us know in the comments below!
Blaston (2020) is getting an update today that will bring a few new things to the futuristic 1v1 dueling game from Resolution Games, including a new dueling mode, character, arena and a passthrough AR mode on Quest.
Called ‘Arctic Blast’, the free update launching today adds a new mode to the game that lets you compete using randomly assigned weapon loadouts. The twist? Loadouts are identical for each dueler, which eliminates any material advantage on either side and reduces gameplay to pure skill.
The artic-themed content drop doesn’t stop there though. Starting today you’ll be able to choose a new ‘Arctic Resort’ arena, and use a new ‘Tundra’ ice cannon weapon which interrupts an opponent’s attack and temporarily restricts their vision.
Image courtesy Resolution Games
The update also brings a new legendary skin, called ‘FrostSpyke’, which is for FrostByte snowball.
A new character named ‘Shoxx’ is also available, the game’s first emotive character that changes facial expression during wins, losses, hits and more.
Image courtesy Resolution Games
Additionally, now in the ‘Knockout!’ tournament room you’ll be able to host your own matches, which includes the ability to set up single elimination bracket tournaments of up to eight players.
Meta’s passthrough API lets developers update their games to include an augmented reality view, enabled by Quest’s tracking sensors. In the Artic Blast update, Blaston is getting passthrough AR.
Blaston requires you to physically move around within a set boundary as you shoot and avoid oncoming bullets, so the passthrough function makes a lot of sense since the action is primarily focused on your opponent.
Granted, Meta Quest has recently gotten an feature in software update v34 called Space Sense that alerts you when someone or something has come into your play area, but it’s still nice to have a fairly clear view of your surroundings so you can be sure you’re not dodging or ducking into unaware bystanders.
Blaston’s Arctic Blast update is available for free starting today to current owners on Meta Quest and SteamVR headsets.
It has been a whole year since Resolution Games released duelling shooter Blaston, pitting players against one another in slow-mo shootouts. To celebrate the anniversary, the studio has released a new update, is giving away some in-game coinage and even opening up the videogame for a free weekend of mayhem over on Steam.
First up is the new “Quick Draw” seasonal game mode that launches today and runs through until later this year. With a Wild West theme, the free update takes players out of the ranked arena and into the dusty terrain of Greatstone Valley for an old-fashioned showdown. As you might expect, this mode is all about being quick on the trigger as you’re only equipped with the new Deadringer gun.
As part of the update, you’ll also have the chance to participate in in-game event challenges that take place on weekends starting 8th October.
And there’s more! Resolution Games is giving away a “Fistful of Blasts”, a one-time free $5 USD worth of blasts to spend on cosmetics like avatar and weapon skins. All you need to do is log in between, 30th September at 10 am PST to 6th October at 10 am PST. That time frame also offers new players the chance to purchase Blaston for 30% off the regular $9.99 price as part of Steam’s weekend deal.
If you are new to Blaston you’ll also want to make use of the free Steam weekend where you can play Blaston until 4th October without paying a penny.
“This update to Blaston is a great testament to how far the game has evolved since it launched,” explained Tommy Palm, CEO and co-founder of Resolution Games. “The initial idea for Blaston was a western-style shootout, so being able to include a nod to that in the game while also appealing to a new and broader audience is really fun.”
VRFocus said in its review: “Blaston is another one of the great examples that can only be made in VR and a perfect fit for Oculus Quest. The fast and furious gameplay is instantaneous, grab a gun and shoot it, with the real enjoyment coming from dodging all over the place.”
For continued updates from Resolution Games, keep reading VRFocus.
A new seasonal game mode featuring wild west gunslinger gameplay is now available in Blaston. The new mode celebrates the game’s first birthday, alongside a free weekend promotion and discounted price on Steam for PC VR players.
The Quick Draw update will be one of the bigger ones since the Crackdown update, which added a single-player campaign a few months ago. By contrast, this update adds in a new multiplayer game mode that dials the action back a bit and focuses on a cowboy-themed showdown in a dusty desert terrain.
As you can see in the embedded trailer, you’ll be equipped with only one weapon, the Deadringer, with a special skin made especially for the game mode. The weapon will spawn in front of you, just like weapons normally do in Blaston, except in Quick Draw mode it’s all about who can grab and shoot the opponent fastest.
“The initial idea for Blaston was a western-style shootout,” said Resolution Games CEO and Co-Founder Tommy Palm in a prepared statement. “So being able to include a nod to that in the game while also appealing to a new and broader audience is really fun.”
In addition to the new mode, there will also be new in-game event challenges on weekends, running throughout the seasonal Quick Draw event and starting from October 8.
The free weekend promotion is available on Steam only, so you’ll need a SteamVR-supported headset to take part. For those on Oculus Quest, there’s no free weekend for the native Quest store version, but you will be able to try the title out on Steam through Oculus Link or Air Link if you have a VR-ready PC. The free weekend runs until 10am PT on Monday.
If you give Blaston a try and like what you find, you’ll also be able to take advantage of a limited ‘Weekend Deal’ on Steam, which sees the game reduced by 30% until October 6 at 10am PST. Plus, anyone that logs into Blaston during the sale period will receive $5 worth of blasts (Blaston’s in-game currency) for free, which you can use to purchase cosmetic, avatars and weapon skins.
The Blaston Quick Draw update is available now across all platforms, and the Blaston free weekend is available now on Steam for compatible VR headsets until October 4, 10am PST,
