In the chart above, Resolution Games is demonstrating the massive influx in sales relative to how sales have been going the last few years. The vertical axis of the chart is blank so we don’t know how much these games are making, but it still shows a clear and enormous influx of new sales for all of their games. And in the case of Bait!, a free-to-download fishing game with microtransactions, Resolution Games says it has been downloaded 4 million times across all platforms now.
Since most of the titles in Resolution Games’ catalogue aren’t newly released the biggest takeaway from a chart like this is simply that a lot of people bought the Oculus Quest 2.
“At Resolution Games, we are seeing our titles reach significant revenue milestones more quickly than ever before, and I can confidently say that current headsets are contributing to it,” says Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games. “The onus is now on the developers to continue to develop the type of content that more mainstream gamers are used to in order for VR to attract the broader audience that it deserves, which is what we strive for at Resolution Games.”
We’ve reached out to Resolution to try and get a number with regard to sales or revenue for their paid titles and we’ll update this story if we hear back.
In the chart above, Resolution Games is demonstrating the massive influx in sales relative to how sales have been going the last few years. The vertical axis of the chart is blank so we don’t know how much these games are making, but it still shows a clear and enormous influx of new sales for all of their games. And in the case of Bait!, a free-to-download fishing game with microtransactions, Resolution Games says it has been downloaded 4 million times across all platforms now.
Since most of the titles in Resolution Games’ catalogue aren’t newly released the biggest takeaway from a chart like this is simply that a lot of people bought the Oculus Quest 2.
“At Resolution Games, we are seeing our titles reach significant revenue milestones more quickly than ever before, and I can confidently say that current headsets are contributing to it,” says Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games. “The onus is now on the developers to continue to develop the type of content that more mainstream gamers are used to in order for VR to attract the broader audience that it deserves, which is what we strive for at Resolution Games.”
We’ve reached out to Resolution to try and get a number with regard to sales or revenue for their paid titles and we’ll update this story if we hear back.
Cook-Out developer Resolution Games joins us for the second day of UploadVR’s Winter Wrap-Up!
The Stockholm-based studio is today sharing updates on two of its titles as you can see in the video below. First up is Blaston, the team’s frantic 1v1 multiplayer shooter that debuted on Oculus Quest earlier this year. The game’s finally leaping from the standalone headset over to PC VR headsets via Steam. Blaston will be available on the platform today with official support for Rift, Index and Vive as well as cross-platform support.
In Blaston, two players go head-to-head in intense shootouts, firing slow-moving bullets at each other. The other player can return fire and also try to dodge those attacks. Included in today’s update, Resolution will be adding a new lobby area for players to meet and start matches, and you’ll even be able to jump into matches as a spectator, too.
Moving on there’s Demeo, the new tabletop-style turn-based RPG that the team announced just last week. Watch the video above for some exclusive concept art from the game, which is due out on VR headsets and PC in 2021. We’re really excited to see what comes of it.
We’ve got plenty more in store for the Winter Wrap-Up! Join us later today for the reveal of a new VR kaiju game and a first look at Arizona Sunshine’s new cooperative map. Then be back here tomorrow for the first development footage of Wraith: The Oblivion – Aftermath on Oculus Quest 2 and we’ve got updates from Sam & Max and Vertigo Games to come. Check out the full schedule below and make sure not to miss yesterday’s reveal of The Wizards: Dark Times on Oculus Quest.
Resolution Games released Blaston – a player vs player duelling shooter – for Oculus Quest back in October. At the time the studio did say it had plans to support more platforms, and today that time has come, adding PC VR support via Steam.
Now, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index players can go head-to-head with those on Oculus Quest. With each player on a raised platform, they have to grab various weapons which appear around them to kill their opponent. The difficulty being firing and dodging all the slow-motion projectiles.
“When we launched Blaston, we had high hopes that the community would come together with this game, but their skill, sportsmanship and dedication has greatly surpassed our wildest expectations,” said Mathieu Castelli, Resolution Games’ chief creative officer in a statement. “Players are spending hours in the game honing their skills – and endurance! -, learning new tricks to improve their strategy, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and really defining their play style as individuals.”
The announcement isn’t purely focused on additional devices support, with Resolution Games also rolling out its v1.5 update for Blaston. This includes a spectator mode where eight players to watch live friendly matches via a room code and the Ozo Lounge; open 24/7 for players to congregate.
“We are really looking forward to spectator mode in particular turning into a close-knit community where players can learn from the best by watching others who’ve worked so hard to master the skills needed to be among the top VR duelists in the highly competitive world of Blaston,” added Castelli.
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.”
As Resolution Games continues to improve its current crop of VR titles, the studio recently revealed work on another. This month saw the unveiling of Demeo, a turn-based role-playing game (RPG) due for release in 2021. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
In search of that festive feeling? Well we’ve got a little surprise for you – UploadVR’s Winter Wrap-Up kicks off next week!
We’ll be rounding out the year in style with the help of some of our most anticipated projects of 2021. Join us every day next week at 9am PT when we’ll be debuting exclusive content for new VR games and incoming updates for some of 2020’s best titles. Check out the full schedule below!
Get Festive With UploadVR’s Winter Wrap-Up!
Starting out on Monday we’ll have the very first footage of a new Quest 2 game. What is it? We’re keeping that under wraps for now – you’ll just have to tune in to find out! Moving on to Tuesday, the team at Resolution Games has updates on its 1v1 shooter, Blaston, as well as a sneak peek at the just-announced turn-based RPG, Demeo.
Wednesday brings seasons greetings from Fast Travel Games as the team talks five reasons to play its new game, Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife, complete with the first-ever Quest 2 development footage! Meanwhile, Vertigo Games takes over Thursday with new looks at two games it’s publishing in the new year – Traffic Jams and Unplugged.
Finally, on Friday, we’ll round out the week with a brand new look at Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual. We can’t wait to see what the team at Happy Giant has in store.
But that’s far from all! Across the week we’ll have plenty more content to share, including a chat with Atlas V about its upcoming slate of VR movies, a first look at Arizona Sunshine’s new horde map, and the reveal of an all-new VR kaiju game! Plus team Upload will be in the Download studio to talk over some of the year’s biggest topics and look forward to what’s coming in 2021. Don’t miss out on Friday, when we’ll reveal our full VR awards 2020 nominations!
So that’s next week sorted for you! UploadVR’s Winter Wrap-Up is coming in hot – don’t miss it.
Blaston, the latest VR title from Resolution Games, is a 1 vs. 1 multiplayer VR game that thinks completely outside the box and explores new and interesting mechanics that challenge the notion of what a ‘VR shooter’ can be.
I’ve spent nearly a decade now reporting on the VR industry and watching VR content grow from the earliest demo experiences for dev kit headsets to the shiniest big budget exclusive titles. And though there’s a growing number of games that truly feel ‘VR native’, the majority of VR content that we see today feels like it’s still trying to break free of the tropes of non-VR game design.
Quietly launched just last week on Quest (and coming soon to SteamVR), Blaston immediately stands out to me as a game that was designed with a properly blank canvas and developers that dodged preconceptions about how a shooting game could work in VR.
Blaston could be called a First Person Shooter—after all, it’s a 1v1 shooting game—but it’s really nothing like any you’ve played before. After playing the game for a few hours, the most succinct way I can describe the game is ‘PvP bullet hell shooter’. Here’s the gist.
Two opposing players stand on raised platforms. At the start of the match weapons begin to spawn at the edges of the platforms. Each weapon fires projectiles that differ greatly in speed & size, and guns have vastly different ammo counts & rates of fire.
Each player has a health bar and takes damage as they get hit by projectiles. To avoid them, players need to duck, weave, or block—without falling off the platform—all while returning fire.
It looks chaotic, but the slow movement of the projecticles and the differences in the weapons leave the door open to gameplay that’s deeper than just shooting. Not just in the way you dance around to dodge incoming fire, but also how you pick which weapons to bring with you into the game and how you use them together in the heat of battle.
Captured by Road to VR
There’s 22 different weapons in Blaston, each with their own bullet properties and spawn timers. Players choose six weapons for their loadout which spawn around them during the match. With creative weapons like laser grenades, guns with curving projecticles, and even deployable shields for blocking incoming fire, there’s tons of room for creative strategizing in offense & defense.
Some weapons are semi-auto and shoot large, slow bullets, others are full auto and shoot faster smaller bullets | Captured by Road to VR
In a nutshell, Blaston is about making your opponent move how you want them to. Once their movements are predictable, then you know where to shoot to score damage. But your opponent might have a loadout that foils your underlying strategy, forcing you to adapt in real time and encouraging you to tweak and refine your own loadout for the next match.
In this way, Blaston is almost like a bullet hell game where—instead of a computer shooting a bunch of bullets everywhere—an intelligent agent (the other player) is the one making the ‘map’ for you in real time. It’s a genius arrangement.
Though one is a shooter and the other a melee game, aspects of Blaston’s design reminds me a lot of the artfully designed Until You Fall. It’s no coincidence that both games take special care to control the pace of combat in a way that allows for deeper gameplay to emerge, engaging both your micro-skill (aiming, dodging, and blocking) and your macro-skill (pre-game planning and overarching strategy). Nor is it coincidence that the core gameplay of both are build around engaging bodily movement instead of heavy use of buttons and sticks.
What isn’t part of Blaston is an important lesson too. There’s no reloads. No stick locomotion. No ADS. No inventory. No giant map. No shields. Etc, etc.
None of those things are necessarily bad for VR, but the assumption that they should be in there (a holdover of non-VR game design) would have steered Blaston toward serving preconceptions instead of the reality of its gameplay.
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When it comes to VR game design, counterintuitively, one of the biggest challenges for developers seems to be stepping outside of the box of non-VR game design, to undo assumptions about what should be, and to explore new ideas that don’t neatly fit into established non-VR genres like ‘shooter’. With Blaston, developer Resolution Games has clearly demonstrated that capacity and paved new ground for all of us to consider.
Not ready to plonk down your first $100 on Quest 2 games? Thankfully there’s an impressive number of free games, experiences, apps, and social VR platforms to keep you playing before you’re paying.
We have however included App Lab games. If you want to see more, SideQuest’s search function is a great resource for finding free stuff and demos. Below you’ll find some of the top App Lab games in addition to those hosted on the official store.
Free Games
Population: One
Population: One is basically VR’s most successful battle royale, letting you climb, fly, shoot, and team-up with whoever dares. Once paid, the free-to-play game does feature microtransactions, but only for cosmetics, which is nice. It’s still a paid on game on Steam though, which makes sense considering developers BixBox VR were acquired by Meta. There is more than just battle royale though: you can play in the sandbox for custom maps and rules, team deathmatch with customizable loadouts, a 12v12 war mode, and more.
Once a paid game, this room-scale shooter is now free-to-play, letting you take on friends, family and foes in head-to-head 1v1 dueling. Refine your loadout and jump into the action as you scramble for weapons and send a volley of hellfire at your enemies, all the while Matrix dodging through this innovative bullet hell meets futuristic dueling game. Spend money on cosmetics, or don’t: it’s a massive slice of fun any which way.
There aren’t a ton of free-to-play shooters out there that promise multiplayer action, however Gun Raiders fits the bill with its multiple game modes that let you jetpack through the air, climbing from wall to wall, and shoot down the competition. There’s the same sort of microtransactions you see in bigger games, but it they’re all avatar skin stuff, so no pay-to-win here.
Hyper Dash is a multiplayer shooter that basically fills in where Echo Combat never could (never mind that Echo Combat was never on Quest, and is now entirely defunct on Oculus PC). Letting you quick dash, sprint, and rail grind around, Hyper Dash manages to serve up an impressive number of modes, including Payload, Domination, Control Point, (Team) Deathmatch, Capture The Flag, and Elimination. You can also take on both Quest and SteamVR users thanks to the inclusion of cross-play.
Ultimechs should look pretty familiar: it’s basically Rocket League, but instead of driving around in cars, you’re given rocket-powered fists to punch balls into the goal. Online multiplayer includes both 1v1 and 2v2 matches, offering up tons of opportunities to earn cosmetic gear that will let you outfit your battle mech into something unique. There are also now two paid battle passes too, offering up a ton of cosmetics to set you apart from the competition.
Battle Talent is one of those fighting sims that let you go ham on ragdoll baddies, which in this case are wily goblins and loads of skelingtons. This physics-based roguelite action game lets you climb, run and slide your way through levels as you slash, shoot, and wield magic against your foes.
Cards & Tankards is a pretty addictive social collectible card game, letting you collect and battle friends with over 180 cards. With cross-play against SteamVR headsets (also free on PC), you may consider hosting your regular game night playing more than a few rounds in the game’s characteristic medieval fantasy tavern.
Ever wanted to play Counter-Strike on Quest? Pavlov Shack offers up a pretty comparable experience, as you play in either deathmatch or co-op mode. It’s got all of the realistic gunplay and much of the fun of the paid PC VR title, but it’s still going strong with a free open beta on Quest.
Still in open beta, this 4v4 arena-scale shooter requires space and Quest 2 (or Quest Pro) owning buddies—both of which you may not have. Still, it makes for an incredible time that is basically the best version of laser tag you’ve ever played. You’ll need SideQuest to download this one since it disables Quest’s guardian system, but it’s well worth jumping through the hoops to get working if you have everything else.
This humble game of tag started out life on SideQuest and App Lab, offering up an infectious bit of gameplay that’s now available for free on the official Quest Store. You’ll be lumbering around a tree-lined arena using its unique grab-the-world locomotion style that lets you amble around like a great ape. Chase the other apes and infect them or climb for your life as the infected chase you. Pure and simple. Make sure you’re far from TVs, furniture, babies, and pets because you will punch something in the mad dash for sweet, low-poly freedom.
No real cash gambling here, but PokerStars VR not only let you go all-in on games of Texas Hold’em, but now a full casino’s worth of table games a machines that are sure to light up the dopamine starved pleasure centers of your brain. It’s all free play, so you won’t be risking real cash unless you buy in-game chips, which cannot be turned back into real money: it’s only to keep your bankroll flush for free play.
Gym Class – Basketball is the solution if you’re looking to shoot some hoops and dunk like you probably can’t on a physical court. Online multiplayer lets you go head-to-head for a pretty convincing game of b-ball thanks to the game’s physics-based and full-body kinematics.
This plucky roguelite dungeon crawler is still in beta (still!), but there’s a reason it’s become an App Lab favorite. Explore a vast dungeon to explore, housing plenty of baddies just asking for the steel of your sword, knives, and arrows. You’ll climb over deep pits, dodge lethal traps, and search for hidden treasures. Smash all the pots and crates you can before it officially launches on Quest sometime in the near future.
Would-be wizards, this is your time to shine. Explore a magical laboratory and take on the job of apprentice wizard. The lab is full of gadgets and magical stuff to mess around with; as one of the games that natively supports Quest’s hand tracking, you can put your controllers down and get experimenting with this little slice of the dark arts.
Since the recent Fishin’ Buddies update, this classic VR title has gotten a whole new lease on life as a multiplayer VR fishing game that lets you sit back and crack a cold one with the boys as you reel in the big’uns. The additional social areas also let you sit back between your fishing adventures to take part in casual mini-games.
Gods of Gravity is an arcade-style RTS game where you compete in an epic showdown of between celestial gods (2-8 players). Scoop up ships and fling them to capture a nearby planet, or open wormholes to teleport them across the solar system. Hold planets and moons to boost your production. Mine asteroids for the powerful resources within. And if you dare, capture the sun for the ultimate buff. Then send a massive fleet to conquer your enemy’s home planet. Last god standing wins.
Without a doubt one of the most fun, and most expansive VR titles out there… and it’s free. Sure, you can pay real cash for in-game tokens to buy spiffy clothes for your avatar, but that’s really up to you. Gads of mini-games await you in both first-party creations such as the ever so popular co-op Quests—that could be games in their own right—to user-created stuff that will keep your pocket book gathering dust. It’s social VR, so meet people and have a ball for zero dollarydoos. Fair warning: there’s a ton of kids.
If you’ve been anywhere near the Internet in the last few years, it’s likely you’ve already heard about VRChat, the user-generated social VR space filled with… well… everything you can imagine, re-pro games included like Among Us, Mario Kart, and even a version of Beat Saber. Fashion your own avatar or download the millions of user-generated avatars out there so you can embody SpongeBob, Kirito from Sword Art Online, or any one of the million anime girl avatars that you’re bound to see there.
Horizon Worlds is still taking baby steps, although recent efforts have brought more tools and user-generated content to the platform which has rounded out things to make it more competitive with Rec Room and VRChat. You may want to check in just to see the state of Meta’s first-party VR social platform—and then check right out again—but at the price of ‘free’, you may just find an environment or community you really gel with, which is the whole reason behind social VR in the first place.
Resolution Games has just launched its 12th videogame in the form of a duelling multiplayer called Blaston for Oculus Quest. And it just so happens that VRFocus has been given a few codes for some of our lucky readers to win.
Blaston is a PvP shooter where two players try to whittle each others health bar by landing a few choice hits. The only problem, all the projectiles move in slow motion. This gives both of you a chance to dodge the shots and reply with your own volley.
Taking place on duelling platforms inside a futuristic arena, gameplay is all about being both light on your feet and tactile in how you return fire. A shotgun will fire tiny pellets in a widespread whilst others can drop in mortars or giant glowing orbs. Each weapon is single-use, so once the ammo is spent throw it away and choose another.
Winning battles means you can level up and earn credits which can be spent outside of the arena in the shop. New levels will unlock additional guns to buy so you can change up your tactics, as well as giving you access to character customisations.
In its review, VRFocus said: 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.
So onto the competition. Today VRFocus is giving away 5 codes kindly donated by Resolution Games for Blaston on Oculus Quest. There are multiple ways to enter the giveaway with the standard prize draw entry rules applying: Follow us (or already be following us) on Twitter or alternatively, visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel to get an entry for each. Winners will receive a code for Blaston drawn randomly. The competition will be open until 11.59 pm BST on Monday 12th October 2020. The draw will be made shortly thereafter.
As an added bonus Resolution Games has a couple of Blaston merch boxes available. Two code winners will receive one each (only applicable for those in US or Europe). Best of luck.
Very few virtual reality (VR) developers can claim to have a dozen videogames in their catalogue, with even less being able to say that most are of high quality. Resolution Games is part of this niche bunch, having created casual, enjoyable titles like Acron: Attack of the Squirrelsand Cook-Out: A Sandwich Tale. And just like these two, the studio continues to focus on multiplayer VR gaming for its latest endeavour, PvP shooter Blaston.
Unlike those videogames mentioned which have a party, teamwork vibe to them Blaston is very different in that regard. Toe to toe with an opponent, this is more like a classic gladiator dual or sword fight; if they were in a futuristic neon arena filled with a variety of guns. Oh and to make the event even more dramatic all weapons fire is in slow-motion so get your best Neo impressions at the ready.
Dressed in suitably flamboyant garb that serves no purpose other than to display your current taste in cyberpunk fashion, matches are a simple two-round affair. All you have to do is deplete your opponent’s health bar twice to win. No easy task when you’re standing on a platform a meter or so wide and you’re getting peppered with an array of projectiles from small shotgun-style pellets to giant pink orbs of death.
As mentioned, Blaston isn’t about superhuman reflexes, bending and twisting like a ballerina around glowing buckshot because it’s all in slow-mo. While the projectiles come at you at a snail’s pace you’re free to move around however you wish. This process then creates a strategic dynamic between trying to avoid getting hit as well as returning fire in rapid succession, making for short intense battles which are thoroughly engaging.
All players start with six standard weapons covering the basics such as quickfire pistols, shields and shotguns. These all appear around your platform – not all at once – as each will have a specific recharge time. There are no reloads to worry about, holstering or any of the normal mechanics you’d expect as Blaston is all about energetic arcade action. All the weapons have a select amount of ammo and once they’re empty throw them away – or better still at your opponent as the weapon can still cause damage or remove incoming projectiles.
After a few bouts, its time to head to the shop as this is where Resolution Games begins adding some much-needed depth to the experience. Levelling up will begin to unlock new goodies with a massive amount of guns and character liveries to choose from. These can be purchased via the credits earnt from each match or you can drop actual money on ‘Blasts’ which can then be turned in credits if you so wish. Once a few guns are unlocked it’s then easier to mix up your strategy, a load of big guns may seem great but if they take ages to recharge then you could find yourself defenceless.
The developer has also managed to tackle the issue with finding opponents fairly well. There are two options before any fight, hit the ‘Dual’ button to dive right in online or setup/join a mate. The former is the main entry point into Blaston and will probably match you up with a bot if no human players are available. If someone suddenly does appear then you’ll be notified, instantly winning the bot match before heading into a proper fight. On the other hand, you can set up a match with a friend in a similar fashion to Resolution Games’ other multiplayer titles, create a room and you’ll be given a code for your mate to enter, simple.
It’s that simplicity which works so well in Blaston’s favour. Unlike Ironlightswhich also has a slow-mo fight feature as well as a stamina bar altering the pace, Blaston is all about getting stuck in and trying to do significant damage as quickly as possible. There are no frills or other fancy mechanics to contend with, making it easy to pick and play for anyone. Plus there’s little no need to worry about nausea, as it’s all body movement-based. See a shot coming towards you then step out the way – no leaping mind, that’s likely to cause some damage.
However, Blaston is very repetitive and feels even more so against the bots. They don’t seem to have a difficulty setting – unless it’s based on your experience level – so they became fairly easy to dispatch after a while. Like any multiplayer, hopefully, that changes in time as more people join in. There’s also only one arena at the moment, it would’ve been nice to add a bit more variety in that respect.
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. It’s like you’re in a sci-fi dodgeball tournament without the worry of a ball smacking you in the face. Plus the studio has managed to give it that wow factor with some really eye-popping aesthetics. If you’re looking for a deeply engrossing experience this isn’t it, Blaston is more suited to quick-fire gaming sessions.
id Software co-founder Tom Hall is joining VR-dedicated studio, Resolution Games.
The developer is joining Resolution as a Senior Creative Director. Resolution confirmed to Upload that Hall will be working at the studio full-time, though will be operating remotely in San Francisco; Resolution itself is based in Stockholm, Sweden. The team also confirmed that Hall will be working on “unannounced projects” at the studio.
Hall is an industry veteran, having helped found id alongside John Romero and John Carmack (who, obviously went on to do some VR work of his own) in 1991. Though he left the studio in the early stages of developing Doom, he later joined Duke Nukem developer 3D Realms and went on to co-found Ion Storm alongside Romero. That studio also developed titles like Deux Ex.
“These are still the early days of what will become a fascinating technology woven into our lives, and I can’t wait to see what bold, fun experiences we can make together,” Hall said in a prepared statement.
Resolution is best known for accessible VR games like Acron: Attack of the Squirrels and Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs. Currently the team is working on two announced projects, including Cook-Out: A Sandwich Tale. Last week at the Upload VR Showcase: Summer Edition we also revealed the first gameplay for Blaston, a VR dueling game in which players face off in 1 vs 1 matches. These types of experiences are very different to the games Hall worked on in his 30+ year career. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the developer’s work at Resolution Games, then.
