eve valkyrie – Page 2 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

October 22, 2018

CCP Games: ‘We Expected VR To Be Two To Three Times As Big As It Was’

EVE: Valkyrie developer CCP Games has again spoken out about its withdrawal from the VR market.

CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson recently told Destructoid that the company had anticipated far bigger sales for headsets, saying: “we expected VR to be two to three times as big as it was, period.”

He continued, noting that CCP couldn’t “can’t build a business” on the current install base, but that might change in the future. “If it does take off, and I mean if, we’ll re-assess,” he said. “The important thing is we need to see the metrics for active users of VR. A lot of people bought headsets just to try it out. How many of those people are active? We found that in terms of our data, a lot of users weren’t.”

We still don’t know how many units headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have moved, though we do know Sony’s PSVR recently passed three million sold. Pétursson’s comment about active users is an interesting one, though.

CCP was one of VR’s earliest and biggest supporters. EVE: Valkyrie, for example, was one of the first major games to enter development for VR, releasing alongside the Oculus Rift in 2016, and was considered a poster child for the platform. Games like Gunjack, Gunjack 2 and Sparc all followed. Almost a year ago to the day, however, the studio announced it was pulling out of VR, closing down its Atlanta-bassed studio and selling off the Valkyrie developers in Newcastle, UK to Sumo Digital.

Pétursson did also add that CCP has “no regrets” about working in VR and that he remains a “long-term believer” in the platform, but don’t expect CCP to play a big part in helping it get there anymore.

Tagged with: ccp games, EVE Valkyrie

The post CCP Games: ‘We Expected VR To Be Two To Three Times As Big As It Was’ appeared first on UploadVR.

April 15, 2018

Even Though CCP Games Quit VR, CEO Is Still A ‘Big Believer’ In VR

It was last year that CCP Games announced that they would be shuttering their development efforts on virtual reality (VR) titles and shutting down two studios in the process. At the recent Fanfest 2018 event, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson talked about the events last year and why they are no longer making VR titles.

Photo Credit: Brynjar Snaer, CCP Games

It was during the fanfest that Pétursson took to the stage and talk to fans about the state of CCP Games, addressing the elephant in the room of the companies four available VR videogames. He assured that they would continue to get support for the time being and, speaking afterward in an interview with PCGamer, talked further about the companies stance on VR.

“I’m a big believer in the future of VR still, nothing really changes that,” Pétursson explains. “It’s just going to take a longer time to get off the ground in terms of install base. We were always estimating the journey to be quite slow, but it’s just going to take longer than makes sense for us to continue for now.”

EVE: Valkyrie Screenshot

This is, regardless of the companies enthusiasm, what lead to the decision to end development of VR titles and close the two studios as mentioned above. Even though VR headsets continue to sell globally and become more widely adopted, Pétursson explained that that still is not enough to see a ideal user base.

“The install base is not at a level that a company our size, and the type of games that we want to make, can be done based solely on consumer revenue. It can be done, but you have to be a [top-selling] game every time. It’s extremely risky right now to do any game of size and scale.”

Pétursson goes on to mentioned that the gap in the market is being filled by a number of indie developers though who are picking up the place of the big-budget developers that are not developing VR titles. “Where you can have success that makes sense is at the indie level. A small team can definitely have a break in VR. But we’re just not an indie [company], I mean, we’re an independent company, but we have hundreds of people.” Pétursson explains.

Though CCP Games continue to have great success with their massively multiplayer online (MMO) EVE Online, the company is sticking to its guns on the topic of VR for the foreseeable future. All is not lost though as Sumo Digital acquired the EVE: Valkyrie developer CCP Games Newcastle at the start of this year which may see a future for the title and/or VR titles based on CCP Games titles. For now though, no details have come to light.

VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on CCP Games and their VR titles.

February 16, 2018

Space Has Never Been Cheaper with EVE: Valkyrie Free Weekend

For those people who have an Oculus Rift and have not yet given EVE Online spin-off EVE: Valkyrie a try, the perfect opportunity awaits with the EVE: Valkyrie free weekend.

EVE: Valkyrie introduced its latest update, titled Warzone, in September 2017, allowing users to play with or without a virtual reality (VR) headset. Cross-platform play allows VR and non-VR players to play together.

For those who want to try out multiplayer, there are five multiplayer modes available, Team Deathmatch, Control, Carrier Assault and the latest game mode, Extraction.

The most recent content update, launched in December, introduced Custom Matches, a long-awaited feature that means players don’t need to wait for a specific game mode to become available, as players can create their own matches through the EVE: Valkyrie dedicated servers. Users can also choose specific options for things such as map rotation or game mode.

Users can take the opportunity during the free weekend to check out the new modular progression system, which gives users more control over how they wish to progress and upgrade their ships. Players can also collect Reward Capsules for access to their own spaceship hanger, which comes with a range of personalisation option for both your pilot and your spacecraft.

If you need a break from the fast-paced action, then players can engage Spectator Mode, which allows them to watch the action from a variety of angles by either picking from one of several fixed viewing positions, or flying around the battlefield as a third-person camera.

EVE Valkyrie Screenshot

For dedicated sci-fi fans, they can look forward to being guided through their journey as a space pilot by the voice of actress Katee Sackoff, who played Starbuck in the Battlestar Galactica reboot series and who stars as the leader of the Valkyrie.

The EVE: Valkyrie free weekend lasts from 6pm GMT on 15th February until 8am GMT on 19th February, 2018. The title is also currently available with a discount, dropping the price to £13.49 (GBP) from the usual price of £22.99.

For further news on the latest VR deals and offers, keep watching VRFocus.

February 16, 2018

Play Space Dogfighter ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ on Rift for Free This Weekend

EVE: Valkyrie (2016), the space dogfighter originally developed by CCP Games, just opened up its free weekend, which gives anyone with an Oculus Rift an all-access pass to play for the next few days.

The free weekend is already in effect, and will continue until February 19th at 12:00 AM PST (local time here).

The game, which recently passed hands to Sumo Digital due to CCP shelving its VR-producing branches back in October last year, has been an early VR stalwart since we first saw it in 2014 when it carried the moniker EVE-VR. The game has since seen a number of substantial updates which saw several maps and game mode types added, and eventually resulted in the refocusing of the game’s ships to be more in line with first-person shooters, offering several distinct classes to anyone regardless of playtime or in-game achievement.

CCP Studio Behind ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ Acquired by Sumo Digital

Sumo Digital, an independent game studio based in Sheffield, UK, announced they’ve taken on CCP Games’ Newcastle studio, the branch primarily involved in the production of EVE: Valkyrie (2016).

When CCP announced they were shutting down their VR game-producing studios, the fate of EVE: Valkyrie and Sparc (2017) were less than certain. At the time, CCP said that while the Atlanta-based studio behind Sparc would be dissolved, the development team at the Newcastle studio would remain intact despite an impending acquisition, and that work on the game’s Winter Update would continue even in the midst of the move.

The Winter Update, which included a new map and the ability to create custom matches, followed the larger Warzone Update which extended support to non-VR players on PS4 and PC.

In an official announcement, Sumo says they’ve taken on 34 CCP staff members who will remain in New Castle with Owen O’Brien as Studio Director. O’Brien joined CCP in 2013 as executive producer of the fledgling Valkyrie, coming from EA’s DICE studio in Stockholm.

”Sumo Digital is a great home for the team in Newcastle,” said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. “As we say goodbye to our former colleagues we know that they will do great things there, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”

Paul Porter, Managing Director of Sumo Digital said, “As we continue to expand this was a great opportunity to bring an experienced, talented and tight-knit team on board.”

Sumo is most recently known for their puzzle platform game Snake Pass (2017), and has worked on a number of sequels to big franchises such as Forza, Little Big Planet, Crackdown, and Sonic.

The post CCP Studio Behind ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ Acquired by Sumo Digital appeared first on Road to VR.

January 2, 2018

Sumo Digital heuert EVE-Valkyrie-Entwickler an

Ende Oktober letzten Jahres gab das isländische Entwickler-Studio CCP Games bekannt, nicht weiter für die virtuelle Realität entwickeln zu wollen und die entsprechenden Studios zu schließen. Darunter auch CCP Games Newport, das für die Entwicklung des VR-Urgesteins EVE: Valkyrie zuständig war. Nun zeichnet sich ein Hoffnungsschimmer ab, denn Sumo Digital bietet 34 Entwicklern eine neue Heimat.

EVE-Valkyrie-Entwickler wechseln zu Summe Digital

Sumo Digital besitzt ingesamt vier Studios, drei in England und eines in Indien. Insgesamt 34 Mitarbeiter von CCP Games in Newcastle bietet das Studio nun laut GamesIndustriy.biz.reports eine neue Heimat. Dabei müssen die neuen Kollegen nicht mal die Stadt wechseln, sondern bleiben in Newcastle. Der Schritt von Sumo Digital könnte darauf hinweisen, dass es Pläne für VR in der Tasche hat. Bisher sind allerdings keine bekannt geworden.

Sumo Digital ist vor allem für das klassische Adventure Baphomets Fluch bekannt, entwickelte aber auch den Top-Titel Little Big Planet 3 für die PlayStation 4. Das Studio weist tief in die Videospielgeschichte zurück, die Gründer waren leitende Angestellte von Gremlin Interactive, das Spiele für klassische Homecomputer wie Commodore 64 und ZX Spectrum entwickelt hatte. Derzeit befinden sich bei Sumo Digital die Titel Crackdown 3 und Dead Island 2 in der Entwicklung. Himalr Pétursson, CEO von CCP, ist sich sicher, dass die ehemaligen Kollegen große Dinge tun werden. Paul Porter von Sumo Digital freut sich, solche erfahrenen und talentierten Entwickler jetzt mit an Bord zu haben. Weitere Details zu der Mitarbeiter-Übernahme sind nicht bekannt.

EVE: Valkyrie gehört zu den ersten kommerziellen VR-Titeln der aktuellen Generation überhaupt, bereits im August 2014 konnten wir eine frühe Version für ein Oculus-Entwickler-Kit anspielen. Versionen für die großen PC-Brillen sowie PSVR folgten mit Cross-Plattform-Unterstützung. Seit Ende September letzten Jahres können auch PlayStation-4– und PC-Spieler ohne VR-Headset mitmischen und mit dem Warzone-Update spannende Gefechte gegeneinander bestreiten. Derzeit ist Eve: Valkyrie VR mit 50 Prozent Rabatt für 15 Euro im PlayStation Store und auf Steam erhältlich. Mit Updates können Käufer allerdings nicht mehr rechnen.

(Quelle: GamesIndustriy.biz.reports)

Der Beitrag Sumo Digital heuert EVE-Valkyrie-Entwickler an zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

January 2, 2018

EVE: Valkyrie Developer CCP Games Newcastle Acquired By Sumo Digital

Two months after CCP Games scaled back its VR efforts, the developer’s Newcastle-based team has found a new home.

CCP Games Newcastle, best known for its flagship multiplayer VR title, EVE: Valkyrie, has been acquired by Sumo Digital for an undisclosed sum, GamesIndustry.biz reports. A total of 34 staff are transferring over to Sumo in the deal (it’s unclear how large the current team size is), and they’ll remain in Newcastle. They become the fourth branch of Sumo Digital, with two other teams based in the UK and another in India.

Sumo Digital has a long history of working with major publishers on everything from smartphone ports of popular titles to even creating sequels to some of the biggest series in the industry such as LittleBigPlanet 3 and the upcoming Crackdown 3. Recently, the developer released its very own title, Snake Pass. It’s not yet known if Sumo plans to develop VR content with its new team, though we’ve reached out to ask the company. The team might not be able to work on Valkyrie anymore, but it’s still hugely experienced within the VR industry.

CCP Games Newcastle could be considered one of if not the first VR-focused developers in the world. Valkyrie, which puts players in the cockpit of ships first seen in CCP’s ever-popular EVE Online MMO, was first revealed in 2013, nearly three years before the launch of the Oculus Rift headset it released on. Since launch in March 2016, the game has seen numerous expansion updates and arrived on both the HTC Vive and PlayStation VR (PSVR) with cross-play support. In its most recent update, the game added support for traditional displays, too. We’ve also reached out to CCP’s main branch to ask what the future of Valkyrie looks like.

CCP announced it was pulling out of VR back in October, closing down its Atlanta-based studio that developed the recently-released Sparc.

Tagged with: ccp games, EVE Valkyrie

December 12, 2017

‘EVE: Valkyrie’ Winter Update Adds Custom Matches, Spectator Mode & New Map

CCP may have shuttered their VR game-producing branches, but EVE: Valkyrie (2016), the studio’s multiplayer arcade dogfighter set in the EVE universe, lives on with the addition of support for traditional monitors. Launched today across all platforms including PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive comes the Winter Update which includes custom matches, spectator mode, a new map, and support for TrackIR and Tobii for non-VR players.

One of the most important parts of the update is invariably the ability to make your own custom matches. Now you’ll be able to host your own matches on EVE: Valkyrie’s dedicated servers where you can set up lobbies with passcodes, create private invites, and cycle through maps and several game modes. Make every ship ridiculously overpowered, underpowered, use only certain weapons—it’s up to you.

CCP says Spectator Mode lets you either observe a match in progress from fixed hotspots scattered throughout the map, or fly around at will in a third-person ship-anchored POV, although we haven’t confirmed if the last one is capable in VR considering how nauseating it sounds.

Entwickler von Eve: Valkyrie – VR braucht keine Killer-App

Die Diskussion taucht immer wieder auf: Fehlt die Killer-App, um VR zum Durchbruch im Massenmarkt zu verhelfen? Der Chef-Entwickler des Spiels Eve: Valkyrie sagt ganz klar Nein. Erst vor rund zwei Wochen verkündete CCP Games, die Studios für Virtual Reality zu schließen und die Entwicklung von VR-Spielen zu stoppen.

Andrew Willans: Killer-App ist unnötig für den Massenmarkt

Im Rahmen eines Vortrags auf der letzten Develop:VR-Konferenz in London äußerte sich Andrew Willans zur Zukunft von VR. Der Chefentwickler von Eve: Valkyrie glaubt nicht, dass VR eine Killer-App benötige, um den Durchbruch zu schaffen. Zum Hintergrund: Das Team hat das Spiel aus der Eve-Reihe komplett für Virtual Reality neu entworfen. Als solches wäre es etwas völlig Neues für das Medium geworden. Auch jetzt, da man Eve: Valkyrie auf 2D-Monitoren spielen könne, bliebe die Erfahrung mit VR-Headset dem zweidimensionalen Erlebnis ganz klar überlegen. Für manche Anwender wäre das Spiel allein Grund genug gewesen, in die teure VR-Hardware zu investieren. Aber eben nicht für jeden.

Andrew Willans hält es für möglich, dass es vielleicht niemals eine VR-Software geben würde, die für alle Menschen ein Must Have darstellt. Und sie wäre gar nicht nötig, denn die Technologie selbst überzeuge. Willians vergleicht das mit Xbox Live von Microsoft, das seiner Meinung nach Online-Gaming in den Massenmarkt gebracht und damit einen Meilenstein gesetzt hätte. Zwar gab es für Xbox Live einige tolle Titel wie Rainbow Six und Ghost Recon, aber es war die Technologie an sich, welche die Spieler überzeugt hätte. Das gleiche soll für VR gelten. Man benötige einfach nicht die eine Killer-App, die Hardware und die große Bandbreite an neuen und bahnbrechenden Erfahrungen, die sie ermöglicht, würden schon reichen.

Zur Schließung der VR-Studios von CCP Games und die Auswirkungen auf die Szene hat Chris einen ausführlichen Kommentar geschrieben. Darin wirft er auch einen Blick voraus und schreibt, warum er weiterhin an die Zukunft der virtuellen Realität glaubt.

(Quelle: VR Focus)

Der Beitrag Entwickler von Eve: Valkyrie – VR braucht keine Killer-App zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

November 14, 2017

EVE: Valkyrie Dev: ‘VR doesn’t need a killer app’

In the two years leading up to the consumer launch of virtual reality (VR) hardware, CCP Games’ EVE: Valkyrie was often positioned as the poster child for modern VR. Even this wasn’t enough to consider the title that all-important ‘killer app’ however, but moreover the title’s lead game designer doesn’t believe VR needs one.

As a videogame designed from the ground-up for VR, EVE: Valkyrie represented something new for the medium. Even now that the videogame has been made playable without a head-mounted display (HMD) it remains undeniably better when with one. An intense space-based dogfighting simulation, EVE: Valkyrie was for many the only reason needed to invest in the expensive VR hardware. But that wasn’t for everybody, and Andrew Willans, lead game designer on EVE: Valkyrie, suggests that there may never be an application that defines ‘must have’ for everybody.

Speaking at Develop:VR, Willans stated: “One of the things I hear most is, ‘When are you going to do Call of Duty in VR?’.

“We’re over a year into our journey with VR and that killer app is still waiting to appear. I think maybe we don’t actually need one.”

Willans explained by referencing landmark moments in videogame design, citing Super Mario 64 as a turn into 3D videogames and Xbox Live as the initiator of online capabilities both for gameplay and distribution.

“I would argue that Xbox Live was the next landmark moment. It was the dawn of mass market, consumer-friendly online gaming. Did it have a killer app? I don’t think so. I mean it had some great games like Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, but it was the technology itself that showcased what was possible to players. It was a showcase of the future.”

VR Headset Price Wars Willans believes the same is true of VR. It’s not necessarily one single application that will inspire the flood of mass market adoption, but rather the hardware being positioned as welcoming to that audience and the range of experiences available with the technology appropriately represented as new and groundbreaking.

Meanwhile however, CCP Games has recently announced the end of much of its VR production, including putting up for sale Willans’ own CCP Games Newcastle studio. What the future holds for EVE: Valkyrie is unclear at present, but when speaking to VRFocus Willans remained confident about the title’s long-term prospects.

VRFocus will of course continue to keep you updated with all the latest from CCP Games and the future of EVE: Valkyrie.