GDC 2019 – Page 6 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

March 7, 2019

Vertigo Games Turns Skyworld Into Cross-Platform Multiplayer Card Game

Vertigo Games released its mix of real-time and turn-based strategy experience Skyworld back in 2017, offering a mashup of several genres. Today, the company in collaboration with Vive Studios have announced a new title in the franchise, a multiplayer card-battler called Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl.

Skyworld - Lost Worlds

Designed to be a highly competitive cross-platform experience, Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl will allow players to unlock, collect and upgrade dozens of cards to build powerful decks. This being virtual reality (VR) they’ll be able to see their cards come alive as they cast spells and summon forces to wipe their opponents off the map. As a multiplayer focused title, players can go it alone or join a clan, taking on opponents from around the globe in regular online tournaments to rank on the global leaderboards.

“We set out to deliver a consistent, uncompromising cross-platform experience across PC VR and standalone VR hardware with Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl and it’s exciting to see how far we’ve been able to push the devices; from drawing massive numbers of units on screen to delivering awesome combat effects,” said Trevor Blom, Lead Tech at Vertigo Studios in a statement.

Having partnered with Vive Studios, Vertigo Games will be debuting Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019, offering attendees a cross-platform multiplayer hands-on demo on HTC Vive Pro and the HTC Vive Focus in the VR Play Area.

“Vertigo Games and Vive Studios have delivered on the VR industry’s desire for a gripping multiplayer game where players can battle friends regardless of their different VR hardware,” said Joel Breton, Vice President, Vive Studios. “We are very excited to be partnering with Vertigo Games to bring Skyworld Kingdom Brawl to the entire VR community.”

The studios are celebrating today’s announcement by launching the original Skyworld on Viveport Subscription today. As for the official launch of Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, that will take place on 2nd April 2019, supporting HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pro, HTC Vive Focus, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. An HTC Vive Focus Plus version is scheduled for later this year. For any further updates on Skyworld: Kingdom Brawl, keep reading VRFocus.

February 28, 2019

Angry Birds VR Dev Resolution Games Confirms Work on Several Oculus Quest Titles

The next couple of months should be fairly exciting for virtual reality (VR) fans, with the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 only a few weeks away, and then F8 2019 the month after with possible Oculus Quest launch details. Resolution Games has been involved in both the VR and augmented reality (AR) industries for some time now, having seen great success with fishing title Bait! It’s most recent videogame was Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs in collaboration with Rovio Entertainment. Now the studio has revealed a few new plans.

bait vr screenshot2

Resolution Games will be attending GDC 2019 to announce information regarding several new titles the studio is working on for Oculus Quest. It’s not discussing any further details at this time but the likelihood of a few ports is definitely high.

Titles such as Moss, Robo Recall and The Climb have already been confirmed for the launch of the standalone headset, and Bait! for example, would make for an excellent Oculus Quest experience, being able to fish wherever you chose. Having originally debuted on Samsung Gear VR before coming to Oculus Rift why should Oculus Quest miss out.

And the same goes for Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs. It’s not too graphically intensive, plus the new 6DoF controllers are perfectly suited to flinging all those birds at those unsuspecting green pigs. VRFocus would certainly like to see that happen, giving the videogame a solid 4-star review, saying: “While there aren’t really any major surprises when it comes to content and gameplay the adaption to VR has worked superbly well, with the studios retaining the high production values they’re known for. Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is Angry Birds just in VR, and that’s no bad thing, equally fun and frustrating as it ever was.”

Angry Birds VR

GDC 2019 should be a big event for Oculus Quest as it’s most likely the last one before the standalone headset launches. A new title from Face Your Fears developer Turtle Rock Studios will be on display, and hopefully so will Sanzaru Games’ latest Asgard’s Wrath. VRFocus will be at GDC 2019 to bring you all the latest news and announcements.

February 12, 2019

GDC 2019: Left-4-Dead-Entwickler stellen VR-Adventure im Stil von “Zelda” vor

Die GDC 2019 steht bevor, um uns die neusten Trends und Innovationen der VR-Industrie zu präsentieren. So verspricht Nate Mitchell nicht nur einige Überraschungen, sondern spricht von einem vielversprechenden Jahr für die gesamte VR-Technologie. Neben Oculus Quest und anderen Hardware-Neuheiten steht allerdings ebenso die Software im Mittelpunkt der Veranstaltung. In diesem Sinne teast uns der Co-Gründer von Oculus einen interessanten VR-Titel von Entwicklerstudio Turtle Rock Studios (bekannt für Left 4 Dead) an, denn das VR-Adventure soll an die frühen Zelda-Teile erinnern.

GDC 2019 – Turtle Rock Studios arbeiten an neuem VR-Adventure im Stil von “The Legend of Zelda”

Die Welt von The Legend of Zelda einmal immersiv in VR erleben und mit Link ein virtuelles Hyrule erkunden. Ein Wunsch, den viele Fans der Zelda-Reihe in ihrem Herzen hegen. Ob wir jemals in den Genuss einer VR-Adaption von Zelda kommen, steht offen, aber ein Ersatz dafür könnte uns schon bald zur kommenden GDC 2019 erwarten. Dort soll Entwicklerstudio Turtle Rock Studios nämlich ein neues VR-Adventure im Stil der ikonischen Videospielserie präsentieren.

Dies verkündet Nate Mitchell in einem Post auf dem offiziellen Oculus-Blog. Dort schreibt er über seine Erfahrungen mit den kommenden VR-Titeln, welche auf der Game Devoloper Conference im März vorgeführt werden. Der VR-Titel versetzt ihn nach eigenen Angaben nämlich in eine nostalgische Gefühlslage und weist starke Parallelen zu den ersten Zelda-Teilen auf:

“Ich habe etwas Zeit mit den Spielen verbracht, die wir auf die GDC und PAX East bringen werden. Dazu zählt die neueste Veröffentlichung von Turtle Rock Studios. Es erinnert an meine Kindheit, als ich Zelda damals gespielt habe. Dabei überkam mich ein Gefühl von Ehrfurcht und Wunder, wie man es nur in einem derart gigantischen Abenteuer erleben kann.”

Weitere Informationen zum kommenden VR-Abenteuer wurden bisher noch nicht veröffentlicht. Ebenso unbekannt ist, ob das Spiel für Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest oder beide Plattformen erscheinen soll.

Das Entwicklerstudio konnte neben Left 4 Dead bereits zahlreiche Erfahrungen in der Entwicklung von VR-Titeln sammeln. So veröffentlichen die Devs bereits unter anderem die VR-Erfahrungen Face Your Fears und Blade Runner: Replicant Pursuit. Der Nachfolger der Gruselerfahrung soll übrigens für die Oculus Quest erscheinen.

Die GDC 2019 findet vom 18. bis 23. März 2019 in San Francisco statt.

(Quellen: Oculus Blog | Upload VR)

Der Beitrag GDC 2019: Left-4-Dead-Entwickler stellen VR-Adventure im Stil von “Zelda” vor zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

February 11, 2019

Demo Oculus Quest at GDC 2019, Oculus to Return to E3

Oculus is planning quite the bumper year if the next few tech events are anything to go by. Today, the Facebook-owned company announced that upcoming standalone headset Oculus Quest would be on demonstration at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 and PAX East, as well as confirming a return to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year.

Oculus Quest doesn’t have an official release date just yet, simply a ‘Spring 2019’ window – VRFocus expects the announcement will happen during F8 2019, just like Oculus Go the year before. In the run-up to launch Oculus is building that anticipation for the headset by taking it to GDC 2019 in San Francisco next month and PAX East in Boston shortly after.

While no specific videogames have been mentioned for either event, expect some surprises in-store. In a blog post, Oculus’ Head of VR, Nate Mitchell teased a new title from Face Your Fears developer Turtle Rock Studios, saying: “With Oculus Quest and much more on the horizon, expect more of that same magic we all felt in the beginning. I’ve been getting some time in with the games we’re bringing to GDC and PAX East, like the latest from Turtle Rock Studios. It reminds me of playing Zelda back when I was a kid—that sense of awe and wonder and larger-than-life adventure.”

As for E3 2019, this marks a serious return for Oculus – which hasn’t had a booth there since 2016. The company has confirmed that newly announced Asgard’s Wrath by Sanzaru Games and Oculus Studios will be playable there. More detailed specifics have yet to be released.

Asgard's Wrath

Oculus being at E3 2019 will be a massive boost for VR at the event. As VRFocus has previously discussed, there was going to be a massive VR hole left thanks to the departure of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) for the first time in the event’s history. With the launch of Oculus Quest likely to have occurred by the time of E3 2019 in June, the company will have three head-mounted displays (HMDs) to demo and available at retail. Hopefully, it’ll have an impressive stand to match.

As Oculus release further details, VRFocus will keep you updated.

February 4, 2019

Get Voting for the 2019 Game Developers Choice Awards Audience Award

Last month the 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC) announced that its annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) would be taking place, with five virtual reality (VR) titles chosen for the ‘Best VR/AR Game’. While that particular category winner is selected by judges, you the public also get your say in the Audience Award. Online voting has now begun, with some of the best VR titles going up against some of the best console and PC videogames.

Tetris Effect

There are 22 videogames up for nomination in the GDCA, with the five VR titles being Tetris Effect, Moss, Budget Cuts, Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Beat Saber.

Additionally, there are the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF Awards) which take place at the same time. Alas, when it comes to VR content the IGF Awards don’t have a lot to offer, with Polyarc’s Moss the only VR candidate.

To place your vote for the 19th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Audience Award simply follow this link to the official GDCA form or here for the IGF Awards. There’s plenty of time with voting set to close next week on 11th February 2019. The winners will be announced live during the ceremonies on Wednesday, 20th March 2019 as part of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, livestreamed on the official GDC Twitch channel.

Budget Cuts - Combat

Last month GDC released its annual Game Industry Report, which survey’s nearly 4,000 developers from across the globe, revealing some highly interesting stats when it came to VR development and how popular certain headsets are.

This will be the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards and will be hosted once again by Tim Schafer, LucasArts industry veteran and founder of Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts 2). Just like any major event featuring VR or AR tech, VRFocus will be at GDC 2019 to bring you all the very latest news and announcements relating to the XR industry as they happen.

January 25, 2019

GDC’s Annual Game Industry Report Reveals HTC Vive is Still Most Popular

The annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 is set to take place in March and as in previous years, the event has released its traditional State of the Game Industry Survey, having surveyed nearly 4,000 developers. The report has once again brought up some interesting stats regarding virtual reality (VR), highlighting HTC Vive as the most popular among developers still.

GDC State of the Industry 2019 image1

Out of the respondents to the survey, 52 percent said they had never been involved with developing VR or augmented reality (AR) videogames. So the rest of the results came from the other 48 percent, with 33 percent of them currently developing for HTC Vive. Overall, however, 51 percent of VR developers were working on content for Oculus headsets, split 30 percent for Oculus Rift and 21 percent for upcoming standalone device Oculus Quest, which is due to launch this Spring.

When it comes to PlayStation VR on the other hand, only 13 percent said they were working on titles for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) headset. Which is slightly surprising considering PlayStation VR seems to have the biggest consumer base.

When the game industry professionals were asked about which headsets most interested them the stats stayed relatively similar for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest, with PlayStation VR, Magic Leap and Microsoft’s HoloLens all seeing spikes.

As for the future of immersive content development, it looks as though most of the pros think AR will be the more dominant tech in the next five years. A massive 34 percent went for AR whilst only 19 percent of respondents chose VR. 20 percent of those surveyed thought both VR and AR would be equally popular in five years.

GDC 2019 takes place in San Francisco, California from 18th – 22nd March. Also held at the same time is the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC) dedicated to the immersive tech industry. Alongside VR demonstrations there will be plenty of sessions taking place, for example, Amata K.K.’s Lead Animator Atsuko Fukuyama – currently working on Last Labyrinth – will be holding a talk titled “Animating Memorable Characters that Communicate Without Words.”

For further GDC 2019 updates ahead of the event, keep reading VRFocus.

January 25, 2019

GDC 2019 Umfrage: Vive bleibt die beliebteste VR-Brille für Entwickler; AR soll VR langfristig ablösen

Die GDC 2019 (Game Developers Conference) findet vom 18. bis 22. März 2019 statt und öffnet erneut Tür und Tor für Spieleentwickler, Interessierte und Ikonen der Gaming-Industrie. Zur Vorbereitung auf die Großveranstaltung versendeten die Veranstalter bereits im Vorfeld eine Umfrage an ihre Besucher, um Informationen und Meinungen über diesjährige Trends und Entwicklungen zu erhalten. Im VR-Bereich hält sich die HTC Vive als beliebteste VR-Brille für Entwickler, während das Gesamtinteresse an der Entwicklung von VR-Titeln weiterhin beständig hoch bleibt. Langfristig sehen die meisten Devs allerdings die AR-Technologie als zukunftsweisender als die Virtual Reality.

GDC 2019 Umfrage – Trends und Prognosen bei Spieleentwicklern

Die alljährliche GDC 2019 steht bevor und damit ebenso die dazugehörige Umfrage bei Spieleentwicklern, welche uns ein interessantes Meinungsbild über die Spielebranche vermittelt. Auch dieses Jahr konnten partizipierende Devs ihre Meinung über die Gaming-Industrie kundtun und dadurch bevorstehende Trends und langfristige Zukunftsprognosen in diversen Kategorien abgeben.

Hier sind die wichtigsten Informationen über den AR- und VR-Spielemarkt aus der Umfrage “State of Game Industry 2019”:

Auf die Frage hin, für welche Plattform die Devs derzeit am meisten Interesse hegen, um neue Spiele zu entwickeln, nannten insgesamt 27 % der Befragten VR-Brillen als Hauptinteressenfeld. Insgesamt 20 % würden am liebsten etwas für AR-Brillen entwickeln.

“Which platform(s) most interest you as a developer right now?”

Im Gesamtüberblick aller Befragten haben 48 % der Entwickler bereits an AR- und/oder VR-Projekten gearbeitet. Innerhalb dieser Zielgruppe wurde die Frage gestellt, für welche Plattform sie derzeit neue Titel entwickeln. Darin wird deutlich, dass 33 % aller Spiele-Devs derzeit an Projekten für die HTC Vive arbeiten. Insgesamt 30 % aller Befragten entwickeln VR-Titel für die Oculus Rift und 21 % für die kommende Oculus Quest. Damit behält sich die Vive derzeit den Status als beliebteste VR-Brille für Entwickler.

GDC-2019-Survey

Ein Meinungsbild, das auch für zukünftige Projekte beständig bleibt. So möchten 36 % der Entwickler der HTC Vive treu bleiben, während 28 % für die Oculus Rift entwickeln möchten. Über 20 % erreichten allerdings ebenso PlayStation VR (PSVR), Oculus Quest und Magic Leap:

GDC-2019-Survey

Doch welche Technologie setzt sich langfristig durch? Hier haben die Befragten einen klaren Favorit, denn jeder dritte Entwickler sieht die Augmented Reality als zukunftsweisende Technologie. So behaupten 34 % der SpieleDevs, dass die AR in fünf Jahren wichtiger als die VR sein wird. Nur 19 % halten die Virtual Reality für das relevantere Zukunftsmedium:

GDC-2019-Survey

Wir sind gespannt, wie sich der AR- und VR-Spielemarkt zukünftig entwickelt, und blicken mit großem Interesse auf die anstehende GDC 2019 in San Francisco.

(Quelle: GDC State of Game Industry 2019)

Der Beitrag GDC 2019 Umfrage: Vive bleibt die beliebteste VR-Brille für Entwickler; AR soll VR langfristig ablösen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

January 6, 2019

Tetris Effect, Moss, Beat Saber and More up for Game Developers Choice Awards

While CES 2019 this week tends to focus more on the hardware side of things when it comes virtual reality (VR), for gamers and videogame developers the first big show of the year is the 2019 Game Developers Conference in March. As per usual the event will host the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), honouring titles across the breadth of the industry. All the nominees have now been announced, with several VR titles managing to find their way out of the dedicated VR/AR category.

Moss SCREENSHOT 15

To be honest there aren’t really any surprises when it comes to those VR titles who have made the nomination grade as you can see below.

BEST VR/AR GAME

Budget Cuts (Neat Corporation)
Beat Saber (Beat Games)
Tetris Effect (Monstars and Resonair / Enhance)
Moss (Polyarc)
Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Honorable Mentions: Jurassic World Alive (Ludia), In Death (Sólfar Studios), Tendar (Tender Claws), Firewall Zero Hour (First Contact Entertainment / Sony Interactive Entertainment), Deracine (FromSoftware / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Beat Saber POP/Stars

What’s far more promising for the industry as a whole is the inclusion of several titles in other categories, showcasing the reach VR experiences are starting to have. For example, Polyarc’s Moss also features in the Best Debut category with an honourable mention in the Innovation Award category. Tetris Effect shows up in Best Audio, Innovation Award, Best Visual Art (honourable mention) and Game of the Year (honourable mention.

Others worth noting are:

Beat Saber (Best Games) – Best Audio (honourable mention), Best Debut (honourable mention)
Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment) – Best Design (honourable mention), Innovation Award (honourable mention)

This will be the 19th annual Game Developers Choice Awards and will be hosted once again by Tim Schafer, LucasArts industry veteran and founder of Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts 2). The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 20th March, 2019 at 6:30pm at the San Francisco Moscone Center, and held in conjunction with the Independent Games Festival Awards (IGF).

Just like CES 2019, VRFocus will be at GDC 2019 to bring you all the very latest news and announcements relating to VR and AR as they happen.