Drop Dead Dual Strike – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 19, 2022

Drop Dead Dev Becomes Soul Assembly, Focuses Efforts on VR & Metaverse

Virtual reality (VR) shooters Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister and Drop Dead: Dual Strike Edition were the work of UK-based developer Pixel Toys, in an announcement today the XR team has been spun out to form Soul Assembly. This new studio will focus on VR and the metaverse, revealing that two projects are in the works.

Soul Assembly Team — The Soul Assembly team. Image credit: Soul Assembly

Soul Assembly will be led by ex Codemasters and Jagex veteran David Solari, joined by David Osbourn (Codemasters and Activision) and Tony Williams (Codemasters and Take-Two Interactive) in executive positions. They’ll be focusing their efforts solely on VR has the industry continues to maintain momentum.

“With over 30 talented developers and two fantastic games we are thrilled to be one of the leading developers of VR and the metaverse,” said Solari in a statement. “Building on that momentum we have 2 further ambitious and exciting projects in development which we plan to launch before the end of the year.”

No further details were given as to what these projects could be but on the Soul Assembly website, there is a single spooky image of a house with “coming soon” across it. That image is titled “zombie cabin” which tends to suggest Soul Assembly is keeping with its undead heritage for another zombie-filled shooter.

The “Zombie Cabin”. Image credit: Soul Assembly

As Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister and Drop Dead: Dual Strike Edition are both action-heavy VR experiences there’s a good chance this teased project may take a similar route. A 2022 launch window also means there shouldn’t be too long to wait to find out more.

Soul Assembly is also looking to grow its team with several job vacancies on its website. As details regarding the 2 new virtual reality projects surface, gmw3 will continue to keep you updated.

August 6, 2021

New Multiplayer Horde Mode Coming To Drop Dead: Dual Strike

Developers Pixel Toys announced a new multiplayer mode is coming to Drop Dead: Dual Strike on Oculus Quest and Rift.

Everyone knows that there’s no better combo than zombies and horde mode, so that’s exactly what we’re getting. This new mode, available now, adds multiplayer horde action to Pixel Toys’ zombie shooter, which was a launch title for Oculus Quest in 2019.

Here’s some details of the new mode, supplied by Pixel Toys

Deadly Defense is a new game mode where players work together to defend a deployed repeater from the zombie horde. The rules are simple: Defend the repeater for as long as possible and avoid being killed in the process! If players are able to surpass wave 30 the repeater will successfully locate the infamous Dr Monday’s secret lair and thus complete their mission!

As you can see in the screenshot embedded a bit further up, defending that repeater through 30 waves sounds like it will be no easy task.

Drop Dead first launched as an arcade shooter for Rift and Gear VR headsets in 2017, before being overhauled and revamped for Oculus Quest and re-released as Drop Dead: Dual Strike, a co-op zombie shooter launch title for the Quest with Rift crossplay support as well.

Years later, zombies are still quite the staple for the VR industry, with loads of emerging games still trying to capitalize on the 2010s zombie craze. Similar to Drop Dead, popular undead shooter The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is getting a big update next month as well. The long-awaited Aftershocks update will add new end-game content with new missions, threats and story elements. There will be remixed maps and some new traps as well, with the new content being just “a small bite” of upcoming planned content for the game.

The Deadly Defense update for Drop Dead: Dual Strike is available now for Oculus Quest and Rift.

August 5, 2021

Deadly Defense Horde Mode now Available for Drop Dead: Dual Strike

Zombie videogames and horde modes seem to go hand in hand with each other, which Pixel Toy’s series Drop Dead knows all too well. Today, the studio has announced an expansion to Drop Dead: Dual Strike‘s horde mode offerings with Deadly Defense, challenging players with more undead delights.

In Deadly Defense all players have to do is defend a deployed repeater from all those zombie hordes. Just like any horde mode, you need to survive as long as possible with the added bonus should you reach round 30, the repeater will successfully locate the infamous Dr Monday’s secret lair and thus complete their mission.

Becoming a popular zombie shooter for Oculus Quest since its release in 2019, Drop Dead: Dual Strike Edition offers a more colourful, comic-style take on zombie-slaying but is no less intense for it. Just like the other horde modes, Deadly Defense supports co-op multiplayer and of course, the dual-wielding Dual Strike is known for.

Pixel Toys actually began the VR Drop Dead series in 2016 with a far more basic Gear VR edition, followed by an Oculus Rift version in 2017. It wasn’t until the launch of Drop Dead: Dual Strike Edition that the series got its major interactive makeover, allowing players to pick and choose their arsenal; whether they fancied a classic two shotgun combination or throwing in a melee weapon for fun.

While Pixel Toys is still supporting its comedic zombie shooter, most recently the studio is better known for affiliation with the Warhammer franchise. Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister arrived in 2020 for Oculus Quest putting players in the shoes of Sister Ophelia, part of the Sisters of Battle. And just like Drop Dead: Dual Strike Edition, Pixel Toys added a horde mode to Battle Sister, fighting waves of demons, cultists, Chaos Space Marines and more.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Pixel Toys, reporting back with further updates.

April 8, 2020

Drop Dead Developer Pixel Toys Hiring for a ‘big License FPS VR Title’

In the current climate now might not seem like the ideal time to start job hunting but there are still plenty of jobs out there, with some industries able to carry on regardless while others have to close in the lockdown. For the most part, videogame developers can work remotely and still need new staff for current projects, like British studio Pixel Toys which is looking for staff to work on a new VR first-person shooter (FPS).

Job listings can be a good way of finding out what a studio might have planned before any official announcements are made. Pixel Toys – best known in VR circles for its zombie shooter Drop Dead Dual Strike – is currently looking for a Lead Designer (VR) to help: ‘guide development of our big license FPS VR title,’ notes the listing.

Applicants need to be: ‘Well versed in all areas of AAA game design’, so this does sound like Pixel Toys’ biggest VR project to date. A little more info is revealed via the Executive Producer job listing which is looking for someone with experience within the VR shooter space. It goes onto say: “This is a fantastic opportunity to work on a cutting edge VR shooter game, closely partnering both with a major first party and a much sought after IP holder.”

At the moment there are no further details regarding which IP Pixel Toys is developing for but an educated guess may lean towards the Warhammer franchise. Having previously created Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm War – with Freeblade also including an augmented reality (AR) feature – the chance of running around as a Space Marine in VR would be an enticing prospect.

The Drop Dead series began in 2016 on Gear VR followed by a launch on Oculus Rift in 2017. With the release of Oculus Quest, last year Pixel Toys updated the experience as Drop Dead Dual Strike for both of the headsets. The update added dual-wielding, melee weapons as well as cross-play and cross-buy support.

As the job listings are very new don’t expect any more news just yet. VRFocus will let you know when further announcements are made.

May 20, 2019

Drop Dead Dual Strike Brings the Zombie Apocalypse to Oculus Quest

The launch of Oculus Quest is only a day away with (hopefully) lots of excited customers looking forward to receiving their headsets. With plenty of videogames and apps set to be available from day one, one of those is Pixel Toys’ new Drop Dead Dual Strike. Confirmed back in April, the studio has recently released details regarding the update to the franchise.

The original Drop Dead arrived for Samsung Gear VR in 2016, followed by Oculus Rift in 2017. For the launch on Oculus Quest the series is getting a major update with Pixel Toys adding dual wielding for the first time. Not only that but players will now have the use of melee weapons to slaughter the undead, with baseball bats, scythes, axes and pitchforks all on offer – they can even bat back projectiles.

Making use of that wireless freedom, Drop Dead Dual Strike will now allow players to dodge incoming attacks, ducking below spitter slime and dodging to the side of rocket attacks. And to increase the content further, there’s a new Horde mode map. Alongside the original horde mode arena, the new The Ultimate Showdown will be even tougher, suitable for solo or co-op gameplay.

The story remains unchanged, with the synopsis explaining: “Set amidst a zombie apocalypse, you’re the last agent alive able to stop Dr Monday and save the world! Slay zombie hordes using an arsenal of Z-shredding weapons, high-tech visor and sackful of insane gadgets. Team up with former CIA operative Billy-Bob and his daughter Celia-Jane as you delve deep into the true madness of Dr Monday’s nefarious schemes for world domination!”

While the release of Drop Dead Dual Strike is timed for the launch of Oculus Quest, if you already own Drop Dead for Oculus Rift then you’ll get all these new additions as a free update. Plus, there’s cross-play support between both headsets and cross-buy support as well – so no need to buy it twice.

Drop Dead Dual Strike will retail for $19.99 USD when it arrives tomorrow. Check out the new trailer below, and for any further updates from Pixel Toys regarding new content, keep reading VRFocus.