Virtual reality (VR) developer CyberDream launched its battle royale title Virtual Battlegrounds earlier this year, offering PC VR headset owners a taste of a genre still sweeping the videogame industry. Today, the studio has launched ‘Season 2’, a major update adding a new area, weather system, weapons and more.
CyberDream has added a location called the Warehouse District which it says: “is the largest area of the map to date.” Players will be able to run and gun through shipping containers, hide in warehouses and zipline across the battlefield. To make deadly use of the map’s more confined areas players will have to locate the new pump shotgun with bullet spray, pumpable rounds, and loadable shells.
Giving the environment an even more realistic feel, there’s a new weather system adding five variations. Alongside the original Virtual Battlegrounds look, when a match begins either overcast, thunderstorm, moonlight, sunny day or red sun will be randomly chosen.
Being the massive 24 player battle royale it is, Virtual Battlegrounds‘ lobby system needed some work and that’s exactly what the studio has done. It has now been reworked so players should find it easier to find others and jump into a match. Additionally, the Kill Room has been improved so players can join the red or blue side rather than being forced to wait inside.
The last part of the season 2 update is for the shooting range. Previously a single-player element for a bit of practice, now it’s a multiplayer gun range. “By default Virtual Battlegrounds is always multiplayer now outside of private games and your private room. As soon as you step into the gun range expect to test your skills against friends or strangers!” says CyberDream in a statement.
Currently, in Steam Early Access, Virtual Battlegrounds supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets (plus Oculus Quest via the Link cable). As CyberDream continues to add more gameplay modes, weapons and features during Early Access, VRFocuswill keep you updated.
After getting delayed around a full year, plus a massive overhaul, battle royale VR shooter Virtual Battlegrounds is now finally out in Steam Early Access for $19.99, plus a 15% launch discount.
Virtual Battlegrounds is a VR battle royale first-person shooter that drops players into a large map full of loot, weapons, buildings, vehicles, and more and tasks you with battling it out to be the last person (or team) standing in the middle of an ever-shrinking circle. There are up to 24 people per match. Stylistically it looks very similar to Stand Out and seems to be going for a very heavy PUBG vibe, as noted when the game was first revealed.
One of the main things that Virtual Battlegrounds really hangs its hat on is the physicality of its gameplay. Everything like the guns and ammo magazines appear to be actual physics objects, you can climb structures and objects in the environment to get a better vantage point for fire fights, and even use your arms to physically swim.
Back in 2018 we visited the CyberDream studio to film a short video about their vision for the game, so even though the footage is all outdated, the ideas and philosophy from the interview still carries through. We haven’t played the live version of the game yet, but something like this is going to live and die entirely by how large the playerbase is. So far it’s having a strong showing for launch day, debuting as the #2 best-selling VR-only game on all of Steam, just behind Half-Life: Alyx and just ahead of Beat Saber.
Let us know what you think of the game down in the comments below and keep an eye out for our impressions soon!
Virtual reality (VR) battle royale Virtual Battlegrounds has seen a number of delays since its first Early Access launch was scheduled for March 2019. Recently its was scheduled to arrive on 8th April but after developer CyberDream held an open beta ahead of the launch the team realised this date was no longer possible due to remote working. Now it looks like Virtual Battlegrounds will (should) be arriving tomorrow via Steam Early Access.
With battle royale first-person shooters (FPS) one of the hottest genres at the moment thanks to Fortnite and most recently Call of Duty: Warzone, Virtual Battlegrounds hopes to capitalise on this trend by offering a military simulator style experience set on an explorable island.
Designed to provide players with a dynamic yet immersive environment to wage war in, in Virtual Battlegrounds you can slide into cover, zipline across the map, blind fire around corners, dual wield weapons, engage in melee combat and climb anything and everything.
“The design of the game evolved to answer questions regarding how to bring those who are new to VR up to speed if already fans of first-person shooters and Battle Royale, and then again to acclimate fans of VR who are new to VR FPS. The solution was an expansion of five training sandboxes which walk people through VR and tactical VR fps gaming, fit for everyone putting on a VR headset,” said CyberDream in a statement.
So there’s the main Battle Royale mode which then has solo, squad and custom private lobby options to choose from. Helping get players up to speed on the various mechanics are singleplayer and co-op training modes such as a basic basketball court, firing ranges, shoot-house training, PvE bot modes, PvPvE Battle training for squad modes and a multiplayer CQC arena.
Compatible with SteamVR headsets: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality (plus Oculus Quest via the LInk cable), Virtual Battlegrounds is slated to arrive via Steam Early Access on 15th April, retailing for $20 USD. Early Access is estimated to take up to 12 months, with CyberDream adding more game modes, weapons and features in that time. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Just over a year ago, VRFocus reported on indie developer CyberDream and its battle royale title Virtual Battlegrounds, expected to arrive that spring. That didn’t happen, seeing a number of delays in the process. Having started the project back in 2017 – first shown to the public in July 2018 – the team has announced that it’s ready to launch Virtual Battlegrounds via Steam Early Access in a weeks time.
Aiming to bring PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ (PUBG) style of gameplay into virtual reality (VR), Virtual Battlegrounds wants to offer players as much flexibility as possible when traversing the battlefield. There will be options available for locomotion, aiming, freelook and interactions, enabling players to climb anything for the perfect vantage point, blind fire corners, dual wield weapons, opt for close-quarters melee combat, slide into cover and zipline across the map if they so wish.
Virtual Battlegrounds will feature six singleplayer and co-op training modes focused on strengthening players skillsets, while the main Battle Royale modes have solo, squad and custom private lobby options. The training modes include a basic basketball court, firing ranges, shoot-house training, PvE bot modes, PvPvE Battle training for squad modes and a multiplayer CQC arena.
The main event will support up to 24 players across a 4sq KM map filled with environmental features to utilise. All the weapons will be realistic and physics-based – which includes the ballistics – plus players will be able to use attachments to improve their loadouts. This realism stretches to locomotion as well, so players will need to get those arms moving.
One of the big reasons videogames like Fortnite have done so well is thanks to user-generated content, streaming on platforms like Twitch. So CyberDream has ensured that Virtual Battlegrounds players can do something similar, offering LIV support for anyone wanting to stream/record their gameplay.
Virtual Battlegrounds is scheduled to arrive on Steam Early Access on 8th April, supporting Oculus Rift, Valve Index, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality. The studio has also confirmed Virtual Battlegrounds will work on Oculus Quest using an Oculus Link connection.
Check out the new launch trailer below and for further updates on Virtual Battlegrounds, keep reading VRFocus.
Bored and uninspired by your current job? Dissatisfied with the promotional prospects of your present position? Having to deal with bosses that couldn’t manage their way out of a wet paper bag? Apart from therapy, how about considering a change in job first with some of these awesome vacancies.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
Suffice it to say that Virtual Battlegrounds certainly has some competition. You can see the tone and level of gameplay they’re aiming for in the launch trailer here:
As of now the main thing that sets Virtual Battlegrounds apart is its focus on offering a wide range of gameplay mechanics from climbing, ziplining, swimming, jumping, crouching, sliding, and more. The map is also quite large with full-body IK and spatial voice chat.
One particular element that I’m pretty excited about is the attachments system so you can actually add things like scopes, silencers, and other modifications, which has always been a staple of PUBG compared to lots of other other non-VR battle royale shooters and has since found its way into recent titles like Apex Legends.
Battle Royale titles like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds may be milking the cash currently from PC and console players but there are other developers looking to bring this gameplay design to virtual reality (VR). VRFocus has previously discussed BigBox VR’s Population: ONE, due for release this year. Arriving much sooner is CyberDreams tactical shooter Virtual Battlegrounds, scheduled to arrive via Steam Early Access next month.
With Virtual Battlegrounds, CyberDream aims to combine both the awesome parts of VR with the best bits of Battle Royale, with a massive island to explore with plenty of unique settings, lots of guns, and plenty of immersive gameplay.
“With Virtual Battlegrounds I really wanted to create something different, ” said Creative Director Sean Pinnock. “I’ve spent a long time watching the VR games market grow and honestly I’ve wanted more out of the games that have become front runners in the market. They’ve been mostly smaller confined experiences like wave shooters and rhythm games. While they do execute something simple well, they don’t provide the experience that for myself VR is all about. I want to lose myself entirely to a new world. That’s what Virtual Battlegrounds aims to do. Our goal from the start has been to create the ultimate experience in this genre. Compete in a large 2 square kilometre map with a host of physical locomotion options. Squad up, play against other players or bots. Drive around with vehicles or swim, jump, and zipline to your destination.”
One of the big features in Virtual Battlegounds that helps it make use of VR’s immersive features is the physical locomotion. Players will need to use their arms, legs and body to move and make use of the environment. “Personally, I don’t want to be sitting down idly while having an epic experience in VR,” Pinnock continues. “Instead, I want to be fully immersed in the world I’m in. I want to reach out and grab things, use my body to move and avoid things, crouch, jump and maybe even lay down. This has been a major driving factor for all of our design decisions throughout development. In Virtual Battlegrounds you will use your arms and body to climb, swim, zipline, sprint, skydive, prone and even jump. This creates for a much more physical and immersive experience.”
Alongside the important movement controls, Virtual Battlegounds will feature Sniper Rifles, SMG’s, Assault Rifles, Pistols, and Heavy Weapons, with an assortment of scopes, silencers, laser points, sight modifiers to choose from. Additional features will include a Hub Area with Twitch Stream, shooting range and jukebox, basketball, plus Squad and Solo modes.
Virtual Battlegounds is scheduled to launch for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets on 15th March, with the early access period expected to take between 6-12 months. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Editor’s Note: This was originally published on August 2nd but has been republished on August 10th to coincide with the Open Alpha period. More details here.
Original: When a game vanishes off the face of the Earth for over six months after an initial reveal, it’s usually a bad sign. But in the case of Virtual Battlegrounds, an upcoming VR battle royale game from developer Cyberdream, they were just working hard on their game for eight months. A lot has happened in that time.
The last time we covered Virtual Battlegrounds, the idea of a VR battle royale game was still unique. Stand Out existed already, but it was in its infancy and there wasn’t even a peep about Rec Royale or Do or Die VR yet. Now, the VR landscape is very different and it’s going to be tough for the small indie developer to still make a splash with their ambitious take on the genre.
This article will be focused mostly on my own hands-on impressions. If you want to see footage of the game and hear what the developer has to say, you can watch our feature video above.
The Difference Makers
If Cyberdream wants Virtual Battlegrounds to be successful, it has some stiff competition. On the one hand there are all of the existing battle royale games outside of VR that have made significant names for themselves, primarily being PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Fortnite, as well as others like Realm Royale and H1Z1. These titles are where the genre got started and where it’s been popularized. Just simply making a VR version of that concept isn’t really enough. People expect more than copy-paste developers.
Then on the other hand we’ve already got a few VR battle royale games on the market. There’s Rec Royale, a game mode in the free-to-play social VR platform, Rec Room, that’s got a ton of players across PSVR, Rift, and Vive, and we’ve got Stand Out: VR Battle Royale, arguably the first VR battle royale game to make a splash. There are others, but those are the main two.
After playing an in-development build of Virtual Battlegrounds while visiting Cyberdreams’ Orlanda, FL studio, clearly the most significant two ways they plan to differentiate themselves are: 1) map size/scope, and 2) physicality of gameplay.
The map itself in Virtual Battlegrounds is a massive 4km x 4km playspace with several landmarks, cities, villages, and a variety of terrain features and elevation. For those paying attention, that’s actually the same size as PUBG’s third, smaller map. But in VR, it feels enormous.
Standing on the loading ramp at the back of the helicopter as it flies over the map the sheer sense of scale really sets in. In a game of Stand Out or Rec Royale you can easily get to pretty much any corner of the map when you jump out no problem, but depending on your spawn point, you may not see entire sections of Virtual Battlegrounds for a while. The map is just simply huge.
Right now they’ve got the game optimized for 24 players at a time, with some bots, but are aiming to up that number to about 32 players at a time for launch. Including bots to pad out the experience and keep the action rolling is a good idea, especially considering how tough it is to maintain a strong playerbase in VR titles.
Getting Physical
From what I’ve seen, the most surprising and impactful feature that Virtual Battlegrounds has is its climbing system. I haven’t seen anything like this in any other shooter or battle royale game — VR or otherwise.
If you’ve ever played Climbey, The Climb, or Robinson: The Journey then you’ll have a pretty good idea of how the climbing mechanics work in Virtual Battlegrounds, but everything is pushed to the absolute limit. Buildings, trees, mountains, walls, rocks, skyscrapers — it doesn’t matter.
Basically, you can climb just about anything and everything in the game.
Similar to how the building mechanics make Fortnite a fundamentally different game than PUBG, the climbing system in Virtual Battlegrounds is a literal game changer. Instead of walking around a mountain you can go over it. Instead of looking for a door to take cover in a building you can hang from the wall, dangle from the ceiling, or jump in through a window. You can scale anything and everything that you can touch and it’s an exhilarating sense of freedom.
During my demo I approached every situation differently than I would have in another battle royale game. When I come across a building, I’m not just checking my corners in the hallways inside, but scouring the ceiling and listening for footsteps on the roof as well. It makes the whole landscape viable and forces you to be aware of your entire 360-degree surroundings at all times, a bit like Echo Combat.
That sense of physicality is also represented in other areas of the game as well. Similar to Skyrim VR, you have to actually move your arms to swim in Virtual Battlegrounds. When you jump out of the helicopter at the start of the match, you can stretch your arms in front of you to dive down or spread them at your side to slow your speed.
If you swing your arms downward like you’re lunging then you can jump in place. Driving vehicles requires two hands and careful steering. All of the weapons have to be physically manipulated with your hands like you’re actually holding them.
You’ve even got a backpack to store your excess gear that doesn’t fit in your primary weapon holsters and gear belt. That’s a lot of attention to detail.
Focusing On VR Esports
ESL Esports Promo Image
There’s been no greater time to be an esports professional in the history of video games than right now. The first Overwatch League season just recently ended and saw the game broadcast, live, on ESPN and in bars around the world. Contestants are winning thousands of dollars playing games like Overwatch, Dota 2, League of Legends, PUBG, Fortnite, and more.
And now with the second season of the VR League well underway, contestants are doing the same thing with VR games — but they’re doing so in a much more physical way. As impressive as professional Starcraft 2 players are, they’re still just sitting at a desk behind a keyboard. When you compete in a VR game like Echo Arena, Onward, or The Unspoken, you’re actually up and moving in a real, visceral competition. I strongly believe VR and esports have a long, bright future together.
Virtual Battlegrounds wants to tap into that. Onward is having success in the esports scene for a VR shooter, but not many others are yet. The battle royale formula lends itself perfectly to an esports setting, so Cyberdream is hoping to position their upcoming title as a veritable contender.
One way that they’re hoping to do that is by hosting a large esports tournament to celebrate the impending launch of Virtual Battlegrounds later this year. The event will likely be in September in Orlando, FL, and it will include cash prizes. Keep tabs on the company website for more details on that as they become available.
The Battle For The Best VR Battle Royale
Right now Virtual Battlegrounds has a steep hill to climb. Comparisons to PUBG are unavoidable, especially given the name and logo font, as are direct references to the likes of Stand Out and Rec Royale. But if Cyberdream can double down on what sets them apart (larger map, slower-paced matches, and physicality) then they’ve got a shot at making something notable here.
On paper, Virtual Battlegrounds sounds amazing. However, the build I played is not representative of the end vision Cyberdream has for the game. There were some hiccups and framerate drops, lots of quirky (but often hilarious) bugs, it was hard to tell if an enemy player was taking damage, the map isn’t populated with enough vehicles or buildings yet, and some features, like weapon customization and attachments, aren’t in the game yet.
But what is there currently and working — the climbing, the core gun handling, skydiving, swimming, etc — all feels really good and responsive. If the performance issues can get figured out and the rest of the features are included, I have no doubt that there will be an audience ready and waiting to dive into the harsh, post-apocalyptic locale of Virtual Battlegrounds.
Virtual Battlegrounds does not currently have a definitive release date, but Cyberdream is planning for it to be on Steam Early Access before the end of the year following a September 2018 Esports launch event (details will be posted on the company website). You can sign up for the upcoming brief Open Alpha period (from Friday, August 10th at 3PM PT until Saturday, August 11th at 9PM PT) by visiting the official website here.
Cyberdream and its publisher, Spiral Summit Games, paid for travel and lodging for us to visit their studio and provide this coverage. You can read more about our policy on this in our Code of Ethics.
Editor’s Note: Since publication, some screenshots have been changed/updated.
