Disney Sells VR Game Developer FoxNext, Alien Game’s Fate Uncertain

The Walt Disney Company will sell FoxNext Games and Cold Iron Studios to Scopely, a games studio that produces mobile games for Android and iOS.

FoxNext is a developer and publisher of VR content that Disney acquired as part of its purchase of 21st Century Fox in 2019. The developer had already released a VR Planet of the Apes game and a Predator VR game is listed for release on Steam. Cold Iron Studios was previously developing a game based on the Alien franchise, which could have possibly supported VR.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, while the deal will see Scopely acquire both publisher FoxNext Games and developer Cold Iron Studio, it will not include the Disney IP portfolio of licensed games, which includes the Alien series, as part of the now Disney-owned Fox IP.

This leaves the fate of the unnamed Alien game very much up in the air. We heard nothing about the game since early 2018, when a section of the FoxNext website listed a VR Studio and thus led to possibility of VR support for the upcoming Alien title. The game was due to be Cold Iron Studio’s first, led by industry veterans who had worked across a bunch of franchises like Borderlands, Metroid, Bioshock and DOOM.

Despite the acquisition deal not including the licensed IP games, there is a chance that the IP could be licensed out to Scopely as part of a separate deal. That being said, Scopely has only developed for mobile platforms thus far, and so it might be strange to see them pivot into traditional games, and potentially VR, as part of the acquisition.

As it stands, Cold Iron’s website only contains an image of the Alien from the franchise in question, with a “We’re Hiring” banner linking to open FoxNext positions. It’s unclear how long the site has shown the Alien image, but it might be an indication that the game was still being worked on recently.

We have reached out to contacts at both Scopely and Disney for comment on the status of the Alien game, and will update the article if we receive a response.

The post Disney Sells VR Game Developer FoxNext, Alien Game’s Fate Uncertain appeared first on UploadVR.

July 15, 2018

Something For The Weekend: Sunny Day Deals On Steam

As the month of July continues once again is it time for the weekend and for VRFocus to bring you a number of deals on virtual reality (VR) titles. It’s time to look at Steam again to find all the latest and greatest deals on VR titles that are sure to offer hours of enjoyment. As always, be sure to check back every weekend for even more deals right here on VRFocus.

SUPERHOT VR

Time moves when you move in this intense first-person title that will see you facing off agaisnt countless engmies and using anything as a weapon. With no health bars and only one hit killing you and your enemies, how you handle each situation will be key to ensuring you survive. So grab a gold club, sword or even a bottle and maneuver through a hurricane of slow-motion bullets.

SUPERHOT VR is available now for £12.72 (GBP) down from the usual £18.99.

Guns n Stories: Bulletproof VR screenshot 2

Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR

“Mention wave shooters to a VR player and they’ll probably roll their eyes. Titles in this genre need to have something special about them to even be worthwhile. The Secret Locations Blasters of the Universe had it and Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR looks like it might as well. So long as MiroWin adds plenty of content during early access then Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR could very well be a hit.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham preview of Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR.

Guns’n’Stories: Bulletproof VR is currently available for £7.19 (GBP) down from £17.99.

No Clue VR

Sometimes the truth is right in front of you but things are not always what they seen. In No Clue VR it is all about spotting the difference between a number of scenes. With an imaginative storyline, characters and colourful graphics, this title will offer players a chance to enjoy a different pace of game that will surely offer hours of fun.

No Clue VR is available now on for £4.64 (GBP) down from £15.49.

RUSH

“Are you ready for the ultimate thrill ride? Take a dive into the adrenaline-pumping world of wingsuit flying with RUSH. Soar down mountainsides at breakneck speeds. Weave through canyons, dodge outcrops, and plummet down sheer drops as you race towards the finish line.”

RUSH is available now for £13.16 (GBP) on sale from the usual £15.49.

Crooked Waters

Looking for some multiplayer pirate fun in VR? Then Crooked Waters will be able to offer you just that. Just up with friends and build the ultimate pirate crew as you take to the seas in search of adventure. Featuring four-versus-four ship combat and a host of features to keep the experience fresh and fun, players will find plenty to enjoy within this title.

Crooked Waters is only £12.39 (GBP) down from £15.49.

Time Carnage

Time Carnage VR

“Time Carnage is well-made, and is a fine, competent example of its genre, with some excellent music and sound design, though it ultimately fails to stand out amidst many other similar titles that litter VR videogame libraries. Shooting dinosaurs is still lots of fun, though.” – Read VRFocus’ Staff Writer Rebecca Hills-Duty review of Time Carnage VR.

Time Carnage VR is available now for £8.99 (GBP) down from £14.99.

VR Slugger: The Toy Baseball Field

It’s time to grab your bat and take to the field in this fun filled baseball title that will have you swinging big and knocking it outof the park. Inspired by the Japanese board game Yakyuban, players will have to learn how to swing as they master the physics of the title to earn the highest score and become the master of the field.

VR Slugger: The Toy Baseball Field is currently £4.49 (GBP) down from £8.99.

Cold Iron – Quick Draw Western

“Wild West fast draw with a twist. Dance with the deadliest duelists in the world’s first virtual reality puzzle shooter. Cold Iron is created exclusively for VR.”

Cold Iron – Quick Draw Western is currently on sale for £7.14 (GBP) down from £10.99.

Deep Fear

Dive deep underwater and experience the thrill of exploring what is hidden under the waves. In Deep Fear players can jump into the water and explore shipwrecks, the lost city of Atlantis and deal with dangerous creatures that lurk below. Upgrade your character and become the best driver in the world as you dive, explore and survive.

Deep Fear is currently available for £0.45 (GBP) down from £0.72.

HoloLAB Champions

“As a normal piece of VR content HoloLAB Champions is short but sweet, offering an informative introduction into the world of chemistry. This isn’t the sort of title where you can go all mad scientist and create crazy concoctions – there’s Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality for that – but it’s not meant to be. As a teaching tool it’s quite easy to see how VR has a place within education.” – Read VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham review of HoloLAB Champions.

HoloLAB Champions is available for only £5.75 (GBP) right now on sale from £7.19.

That is all for this week but remember that VRFocus gathers all the best sales and deals every week, so check back next weekend at the same time to discover more.

January 31, 2018

Quick Draw Shooter Cold Iron Out Now for VR Headsets

Ever fancied being in a one on one shootout like those found in classic western movies, just without the risk of death? Well today indie developer Catch & Release has launched a videogame that’ll let you do just that, in Cold Iron for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Cold Iron

Just like any duel Cold Iron is about speed and accuracy when going up against the range of opponents available. You’ll have to make split-second decisions when fighting against notorious outlaws, sorcerers, and unstoppable killing machines.

This is easier said than done so the studio has added in some visual cues to let you know how successful (or unsuccessful) each shot is. Miss and lose the round and you’ll see a white ‘X’ appear indicating where you missed so you can correct your aim. Likewise, a perfect shot will make a green circle appear on the results screen, with headshots usually winning unless the character isn’t human. For those proper sharpshooters out there a bullseye will score you the most points, ensuring dominance on those leaderboards.

Cold Iron is purely single-player so it’s all about learning the enemies unique mechanics to beat them. Early opponents will be easy to dispatch with a well place bullet, but later on you’ll need to keep an eye for unusual colours, sounds, and patterns to win the challenge.

Cold Iron

Catch & Release has also seen fit to and a somewhat magical storyline to the title, with you playing a gunslinger whose looking for the outlaws that rode into town and killed your father. It just so happens that your dad owned a demonic pistol and with it you can take revenge on the criminals and possibly learn at little more about this mysterious weapon.

Cold Iron can be purchased from the Oculus Store for £13.49 GBP instead of £14.99, via Steam for £13.94 (down from £15.49) or on PlayStation Store for £15.99. For any further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

January 5, 2018

‘Cold Iron’ is a Puzzle-based Shooter Coming to PSVR, Vive & Rift January 30th

Virtual reality is a great medium for shooters. The problem is, because it’s so natural to virtually transform motion controllers into pistols, the genre is pretty crowded with low-effort wave shooters at the moment. Enter Cold Iron, a western-themed shooter from indie studio Catch & Release that hopes to make a name for itself in the newly coined ‘puzzle shooter’ subgenre.

According to studio co-founder Matthew Taylor, Cold Iron isn’t your bog standard wave-based shooter. “There are no waves of copied-and-pasted enemies: every duel is different, every challenge is unique, and every moment will leave your heart pounding and your palms sweating.”

The closest thing that comes to a ‘puzzle shooter’ in my not-so-recent memory is Police Trainer light gun arcade series from the late ’90s and early ’00s, so it’s hard to say what’s in store. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough though, as it’s slated to arrive on PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive on January 30th.

Here’s a quick look at some of the features Catch & Release published on the game’s Steam page.

FEATURES:
● Puzzle Shooter: The most lethal challenge in VR–speed, accuracy, and cunning combine for a heart-pounding adventure.
● Action Packed: Split-second showdowns against notorious outlaws, sorcerers, and unstoppable killing machines.
● The Weird West: Forge a dark pact with Cold Iron to avenge your father’s murder.
● All The World’s A Stage: A complete narrative experience told in bite-sized VR chunks, Cold Iron is a story rich with gripping voice acting and thought-provoking characters.
● Into Another Dimension: Explore new worlds filled with lightning-fast gunfighters and long-forgotten beasts.
● The Future Is Here: Cold Iron is a new genre for a new medium. Experience it exclusively in virtual reality.

The post ‘Cold Iron’ is a Puzzle-based Shooter Coming to PSVR, Vive & Rift January 30th appeared first on Road to VR.

January 5, 2018January 30, 2018

Cold Iron für PSVR und PC-Brillen: Weird West erschienen [Update]

[Update] Pünktlich wie versprochen ist Cold Iron heute für PSVR und PC-Brillen erschienen: Der VR-Titel mischt Motive aus dem Wilden Westen mit Fantasy und soll mit Wave Shootern den Boden aufwischen. Der Entwickler Catch & Release verspricht, den „ersten Puzzle-Shooter“ veröffentlicht zu haben. Ein Launch-Trailer zum Titel darf nicht fehlen. Cold Iron kostet im PlayStation Store 20 Euro, auf Steam mit 10 Prozent Rabatt bis zum 5. Februar 18 Euro. Das Spiel unterstützt an PC-Brillen offiziell die HTC Vive sowie Oculus Rift.

Originalmeldung vom 5. Januar 2018:

Man stelle sich Punch-Out!! vor, verheirate den Box-Klassiker mit Stranger Things und verbringe die Flitterwochen in Westworld: So machen die Entwickler von Cold Iron Appetit auf ihren Puzzle Shooter. Denn nicht nur der Umgang mit der Waffe will geübt sein, auch Köpfchen ist gefragt, um die vielfältigen Gegner zu erledigen. Dabei versprechen Catch & Release, dass Cold Iron zu Null Prozent einen Wave Shooter enthält.

Cold Iron VR

Cold Iron: Wild West trifft Fantasy und Science Fiction

Cold Iron nimmt sich zwar des Western-Genres an, mixt aber die bleihaltige Action mit Science Fiction und Fantasy. So duelliert man sich nicht nur mit den üblichen bösen Outlaws, sondern auch gegen Fantasy-Wesen und nahezu unzerstörbaren Killer-Maschinen. Neben Treffsicherheit verlangt das Spiel eine überlegte Vorgehensweise, um die Schwachpunkte der Gegner herauszufinden, weshalb die Entwickler von einem Puzzle-Shooter sprechen.

Cold Iron VR

Die Action ist in eine Handlung eingebettet, die durch ein Voice Over kontinuierlich weitererzählt wird. Im Kern geht es darum, den Tod des Vaters zu rächen, der von Outlaws umgebracht wurde. Dazu schnappt man sich seine dämonische Waffe Cold Iron und beginnt den Rachefeldzug zu Pferde. Der Entwickler legte dabei viel Wert auf die Story, die in kleinen VR-Häppchen erzählt wird. Als Inspiration nennen Catch & Release beispielsweise Der dunkle Turm von Stephen King.

Der Trailer stimmt zwar schon ganz gut auf den VR-Titel ein, verrät aber nicht allzu viel. Man galoppiert durch die Gegend, trifft eines der Fantasy-Wesen, und erreicht am Ende einen Saloon. Mit ihrer Beschreibung legen die Entwickler jedenfalls die Messlatte ziemlich hoch. Ob der VR-Titel die Erwartungen erfüllen kann, bleibt deshalb abzuwarten. Cold Iron soll am 30. Januar für PlayStation VR (PSVR), Oculus Rift und HTC Vive erscheinen.

Cold Iron VR

Der Beitrag Cold Iron für PSVR und PC-Brillen: Weird West erschienen [Update] zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

January 4, 2018

Be Quick on the Draw When Cold Iron Arrives This Month

It’s time to settle into the new year and start enjoying a new raft of virtual reality (VR) videogames. While all eyes will be on CES 2018 next week looking for the next big VR reveal, for something consumers can purchase a little sooner then how about first-person shooter (FPS) Cold Iron by indie developer Catch & Release, which is due for release at the end of the month.

Cold Iron

With VR headsets inundated with FPS titles and wave shooters Catch & Release has gone for a slightly different route with Cold Iron, reimagining a staple part of any wild west film, the duel. Described as a ‘VR puzzle shooter’ by the studio, the videogame is all about speed, accuracy, and cunning to defeat your opponent and walk away.

Why are you dueling you may ask? Well some outlaws have ridden into town and killed your father. It just so happens that your dad owned a demonic pistol so with it you can take revenge on the criminals and possibly learn at little more about this mysterious weapon.

“We’ve been avid VR gamers since the Oculus DK1. After Star Billions, we knew that we wanted our next game to be a VR exclusive. We pitched and prototyped dozens of ideas until we landed on the seed that became Cold Iron: “Imagine Clint Eastwood staring down a tank on a dusty western street. What kind of deal with the devil would it take to even those odds?” the studio said in a statement. “Right away, we knew that we had found the story we wanted to tell. Following nearly a dozen complete story rewrites, three re-imaginings of the core gameplay, and some fantastic advice from industry veterans, Cold Iron emerged as the rare VR game that makes players forget the controller and HMD as they step into new worlds.”

Cold Iron

To ensure gameplay doesn’t become repetitive Cold Iron is set to feature a wide variety of enemies, from your usual wild west outlaws to sorcerers and long-forgotten beasts.

Cold Iron is scheduled for launch on 30th January 2018, supporting PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift with Touch. It’s due to retail for $25 USD, and for any further information from Catch & Release, keep reading VRFocus.

January 3, 2018

Cold Iron Is A Genre-Mixing VR FPS That Redefines The Wild West

Based on the name and opening moments of its announcement trailer alone, Cold Iron at first looked like a by-the-numbers western shooter. It’s got a gravelly-voiced narrator, slow-trotting horse, and clearly western-inspired title. But it’s actually much more than just that.

Described as a “puzzle shooter” by developers Catch & Release, Cold Iron aims to offer a wide variety of gameplay mechanics to match all of its varied environments. In the trailer’s brief minute of footage we see everything from fantastical tree creatures, deserted western landscapes, and even modern metro cities. It’s all very mysterious.

Since amalgamations of other ideas is all the rage nowadays, the game’s main website reads:

“If you enjoy the boss rush gameplay of Cuphead, the white-knuckled western aesthetic of Red Dead Redemption, the tight gunplay of Arizona Sunshine and Raw Data, and the magic and mystery of The Dark Tower, then it’s time to meet Cold Iron.”

We don’t know very much about Cold Iron, but it’s looking like something that’s at least worth keeping an eye on.

Either way, Cold Iron is currently slated for a January 30th, 2018 release on PSVR, Rift, and Vive. Let us know what you think of the game’s vague announcement trailer down in the comments below!

Tagged with: Cold Iron