Category: nDreams

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Sony & nDreams to Bring Ghostbusters to Meta Quest 2

The Ghostbusters franchise has already dipped its toe in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) gaming thanks to projects like Ghostbusters: Dimensions and Ghostbusters World. To close out the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase yesterday Mark Zuckerberg made a surprise announcement, a Ghostbusters VR videogame is coming to Meta Quest 2.

Ghostbusters VR

A collaborative effort between nDreams, Ghost Corps and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR), Ghostbusters VR (working title) will be a four-player cooperative adventure. Rather than taking place in its traditional New York location, the VR experience will be set in San Francisco from where you’ll run a new Ghostbusters HQ.

With the iconic proton pack slung on your back you and your friends – or played solo – will be able to track, shot, and trap all manner of ghoulish spectres. All in the name of protecting the city, you’ll also have to solve a compelling and original mystery during the campaign.

“With SPVR, we’ve found the perfect teammates to help bring a boundary-pushing multiplayer game to virtual reality,” says Tomas Gillo, Chief Development Officer, nDreams in a statement. “In addition, our close collaboration with the creators of the Ghostbusters franchise at Ghost Corps, combined with our extensive experience creating rich, tactile and immersive VR will blow gamers and Ghostbusters fans away.”

Ghostbusters VR

“If you’re looking to create a big, engaging multiplayer VR game that has to be experienced to be believed, who you gonna call? nDreams,” says Jake Zim, Senior Vice President, Virtual Reality, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Virtual reality on Quest 2 truly allows us to live out our dream of being a Ghostbuster. The world, the ghosts and the iconic tools and equipment deliver the ultimate VR adventure. And most importantly, busting ghosts with your friends is fun!”

Exclusive to Meta Quest 2 by the sound of it, nDreams hasn’t said when Ghostbusters VR might be arriving. The VR studio does have two other projects arriving a lot faster, with Fracked and Little Cities both scheduled for release next month. For continued updates on Ghostbusters VR, keep reading gmw3.

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Co-op ‘Ghostbusters VR’ Game Revealed from Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Developer nDreams

Today at the very end of the Quest Gaming Showcase, Meta announced an upcoming Ghostbusters VR game in development by Sony Pictures Virtual Reality & nDreams, built for four-player co-op.

Can’t say we saw that one coming. At the end of the Quest Gaming Showcase, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg briefly appeared to introduce the world premiere of Ghostbusters VR, an upcoming Quest 2 game built around four player co-op.

Developed by veteran VR studio nDreams and set in San Francisco, CA, Sony Pictures Virtual Reality says players can expect to “solve a deep mystery across a new chapter in the Ghostbusters universe. Track, blast, and trap ghosts in gripping encounters by wielding iconic equipment. Go it alone, or as a team with up to three friends in co-op, in an extensive and engrossing campaign. Continue the Ghostbusters’ legacy, protect the city from fiendish ghosts, and experience all the humor and frights from the beloved franchise.”

nDreams is well known in the VR space as the studio behind titles like Phantom: Covert Ops and Fracked. The studio also just raised a hefty $35 million investment to further expand its VR development and publishing operations.

“With SPVR, we’ve found the perfect teammates to help bring a boundary-pushing multiplayer game to virtual reality,” says Tomas Gillo, Chief Development Officer, nDreams. “In addition, our close collaboration with the creators of the Ghostbusters franchise at Ghost Corps, combined with our extensive experience creating rich, tactile and immersive VR will blow gamers and Ghostbusters fans away.”

Ghostbusters VR is said to be a working title for the time being, and while no specific release date has been announced, Meta said that everything shown at the Quest Gaming Showcase is expected to launch in the next 12 months, presumably including Ghostbusters VR.

The post Co-op ‘Ghostbusters VR’ Game Revealed from Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Developer nDreams appeared first on Road to VR.

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nDreams To Publish VR Manga Adventure, Sushi Ben

The next title to be published by Fracked and Phantom developer nDreams will be gorgeous-looking manga adventure, Sushi Ben VR.

Developed by Big Brane Studios, Sushi Ben VR (which is a working title for now) tasks players with convincing locals to visit their favorite sushi restaurant. To do this, you’ll need to take on a variety of tasks, and your choices on how to interact with NPCs may change the game’s narrative. It boasts a striking animated art style that utilizes 3D manga panels to tell the story. We featured a first look at the game at last summer’s Upload VR Showcase.

Much of the game was even inspired by developer Kane Tyler’s time working at a sushi bar.

nDreams and Big Brane expect to deliver more news on the game “in the coming months” but, previously, the latter noted it was aiming for a release on PC VR and Quest headsets. You can even try a very early demo of the game over on Itch.io but you’ll need an Oculus headset running on PC.

This is nDreams’ second publishing deal after setting up the new arm of its business (although it’s already published other VR games like Bloody Zombies). Its first title, Little Cities, is due to be released on Quest headsets next week. Elsewhere the studio also recently raised another round of investment, at the same time confirming that it’s working on new projects for the upcoming PSVR 2 headset. Earlier this week the team also announced that its VR shooter, Fracked, is coming to PC VR next month.

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Sushi Ben VR Will be the Second Title from nDreams’ Publishing Arm

Next week will see nDreams publish its first third-party title in the form of Little Cities by Purple Yonder. Today though, the studio has revealed what’s next for its new publishing arm, a culinary adventure from Big Brane Studios currently under the working title of Sushi Ben VR.

Sushi Ben VR

With an anime-inspired art style Sushi Ben VR is all about saving your favourite sushi restaurant by convincing locals to come and eat there. That doesn’t mean slicing and dicing up some amazing sushi from the sound of it, you need to “help townspeople out of predicaments in order to earn their trust.”

Sushi Ben VR utilises 3D manga panels to tell its story with the game loosely based on a colleague of Kane Tyler, Head of Big Brane Studios, who used to work at a similar establishment.

“When we started looking for publishers nDreams was the first one we wanted to send our pitch deck to and, after speaking to just about every other VR publisher, nDreams wound up being the publisher we connected with the most!” said Tyler in a statement. “I’m thrilled to have nDreams’ support and I can’t wait to share more about the game in the coming months.” 

Sushi Ben VR

“When we first met Kane and the Big Brane team, we knew we had to work with them,” said David Corless, VP of Publishing at nDreams. “Sushi Ben VR is a captivating narrative adventure, and the imaginative use of Japanese-inspired narrative devices works brilliantly in VR. We’re excited to work with Big Brane to bring Sushi Ben to the world.” 

Sushi Ben VR doesn’t have a release date just yet, simply that it’s “coming to all major VR headsets” at some point. Check out the previously released trailer below and when gmw3 has further info we’ll let you know.

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Action-Packed Fracked Ziplines Onto PC VR This May

Last summer nDreams launched its most action-packed virtual reality (VR) title to date, the PlayStation VR exclusive Fracked. Well, today the studio has revealed Fracked will soon no longer be exclusive to one platform, with a PC VR launch date now scheduled for next month.

FRACKED

Fracked takes place in a remote mountain facility where you become the unlikely hero who stands between the Earth and an army of gun-wielding, interdimensional enemies. Stealth is not a requirement here, guns, speed and bravado are all you need, progressing from one horde of enemies to the next; causing a few explosions along the way.

With its bold art direction, Fracked’s gameplay is just the same, encouraging you to utilise the environment however you please. Use the grabbable cover system to your advantage and flank enemies, climb towers for a better vantage point or use the numerous zip lines to quickly reposition yourself on the battlefield. And then there are the skiing sections.

Our PlayStation VR review of Fracked gmw3 said: “nDreams is well versed in making highly polished VR titles and Fracked is no different. The art style is gorgeous, adding a comic book blend to the action playing out. And there are some wonderful ideas and mechanics employed.”

FRACKED

“It’s been fantastic to see the love that Fracked has received from players and critics alike since it’s PlayStation VR launch last year,” said David Corless, VP of Publishing at nDreams in a statement. “We’re excited to give new audiences the chance to experience the thrill of Fracked’s high-octane action as they fight to save the world!”

Fracked is set to arrive for SteamVR and Viveport compatible headsets Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index (Meta Quest 2 is supported via Cable/Air Link) on 5th May 2022. It’ll also hit the Oculus Rift store not long afterwards. For continued updates on Fracked and nDreams, keep reading gmw3.

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Little Cities Is More Than A Little Delightful (So Far)

Little Cities is currently the underdog in the VR city builder scene, but there’s plenty of reasons to root for it. Here’s our full hands-on.

If Cities: VR is an industrious, monolithic metropolis, then Little Cities must be the grassroots community center located out in the suburbs. The former is a busy, bustling ode to the urban jungle, its cogs ever whirring on as you micromanage systems down to the slightest details. Little Cities, meanwhile, is a city builder in which a ukulele happily strums along in the background as you watch hot air balloons peacefully orbit your island. It’s quiet and unassuming, gently encouraging you to establish an efficient, welcoming paradise at your own pace.

Little Cities might be the underdog in this scene, but there’s power in this approach.

The opening hours of Purple Yonder’s VR debut hit this home. Little Cities starts off at a breezy pace as it introduces logical concepts and a fantastic control scheme. You drag roads out onto your given island from your starting port, and get to work on zoning by grabbing a point on the map and then dragging your cursor just as you would a mouse. Residential zones are, obviously, vital for housing a steadily growing population, whereas industrial districts are needed to get the economy up and running. Place one too close to the other, though, and you’ll have citizens complaining about the noise. Commerical districts can act as a buffer, providing some income but also keeping the population happy.

Carefully planning out which zones go where is crucial to early success in the game, as is building out basic resources like wind farms and water towers without upsetting the locals. Expand in the right ways and the island will level up, unlocking new buildings and services, opening up new sections of the map and providing cash bonuses.

And, well, that’s pretty much all there is to it at first. This latest preview build let me try a new island with a volcano sitting right in the middle (the perfect place for a fresh start, right?). Naturally, there are Sim City-style disasters when the thing erupts and spits molten ash onto neighboring towns, highlighting the importance of populating a city with fire stations. But it also provides opportunities; thermal vents located across the island enable new types of buildings and more efficient power supplies. That said, the city was never brought to its knees by the looming threat of the volcano (again, in the early hours of the level).

But, for the purposes of the demo at least, the game’s easy-going charm is a real strength. There’s something deeply cathartic about watching your towns spring to life and seeing an economy flourish without having to delve into the nitty-gritty, and it’s never anything less than a delight to take a moment to scale down into a scene and watch cars and trucks busy themselves about town as birds nestle on rooftops and a sea breeze sweeps the coastline. I also can’t quite stress just how fond I am of the game’s soundtrack which, even just a few hours in, would bring a smile to my face when my favorite tracks returned.

But I’ll definitely be looking to see how Little Cities evolves out of that welcoming introduction in its later levels. An hour or two into the Volcano level and I was approaching higher ranks with relative ease. Occasional restructuring aside — which included rebuilding roads to fit more cell towers and relocating housing zones to keep people away from them — I was left keen for the game to challenge me in more demanding ways. Granted that won’t be what everyone wants out of this idyllic take on urbanization, but I’m hoping things get trickier on at least one of the six islands the game’s set to offer.

For now, though, I’m left very encouraged by Little Cities and what it offers in the face of impending competition. The game breaks ground on Quest 1 and 2 on April 21 for $19.99/£14.99. We’ll see you at the ribbon-cutting.

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Preview Little Cities – Raising the Roof Even Further

Way back in October last year gmw3 got its first glimpse of Little Cities, a city-building title for Meta Quest. The first virtual reality (VR) product from indie team Purple Yonder – who themselves are the first studio to be published by nDreams’ new third-party publishing arm – Little Cities was quite the welcome treat, scaling back all the heavy lifting these types of management sims can burden you with for a far more streamlined experience. So why the second preview you may wonder? Well, as Little Cities nears launch we’ve been given access to a whole new island to build on, a sand-filled desert with new buildings and environmental issues to deal with.

Little Cities - Desert

Rather than a huge expanse of land to build your bustling metropolis on, Little Cities sticks to its namesake by offering far more compact areas of land. Designed like archipelagos, these island retreats can range from a large singular island that gradually unlocks as your level increases or made up of several smaller isles that require connecting.

Testing out the new Desert location, it was the latter, a relatively large – for Little Cities at any rate – piece of landmass with some rocky terrain, cacti, and sandstorms. Those sandstorms are the main feature as you can’t simply drop a load of homes, schools, police stations and a solar farm into the middle of a dust bowl. Nope, you need trees and plenty of them.

I noticed during the first demo that Little Cities seemed a bit devoid of plant life, I couldn’t make a park or any sort of outside play space. So bizarrely, sandstorms are what introduce trees (and only trees) into the mix, placing them just like roads creating sun-kissed boulevards lined with tropical plants. It adds some much-needed greenery whilst adding that extra bit of town planning, do I go for more commercial property or add a little foliage. Fail to include enough and residents start to get angry and nobody wants that.

Little Cities - Desert

Trees weren’t the only new addition to this desert region. The Oasis Dome, Yurt Village, Research Institute, Concert Hall and Observatory are all new buildings, each with their own particular bonuses. The Yurt Village for example improves residential happiness whilst the Research Institute improves industrial income. All need to be placed in reasonably close proximity to their respective zones.

Little Cities has also seen further additions to the management information and ability to immerse yourself in and navigate the environment. The watch handles everything from building demands to resident happiness and now includes both water and electricity indicators so it is easy to see when they get low. The ability to zoom into your tiny city also works – it didn’t previously. Not particularly useful during the construction phase, once that city is built and thriving getting down to (almost) street level is highly satisfying, seeing emergency services whizzing around as a building catches on fire, planes coming into land or just the dinky cars going about their daily lives.

Few of these Sim City style videogames have made it into VR which is maybe why Little Cities has been a joy to play. All the gameplay mechanics are very easy to pick up with the whole experience so laid back and casual it could almost be meditative. That does raise the question as to whether Little Cities could be too overly streamlined, so those looking for a more hardcore building simulator may find the title light on options. For now, though, I’ve enjoyed my time with Little Cities ahead of its launch on 21st April, priced at $19.99 USD/£14.99 GBP, which seems like a good price.

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Build a Sprawling Metropolis With Little Cities This April

As you may be aware, nDreams (Fracked, Phantom: Covert Ops) launched a publishing arm for third-party developers in 2021. The first studio to be accepted was Purple Yonder with its relaxing city builder Little Cities. Today, the teams have announced that Little Cities is now due to launch next month.

Little Cities

As the name suggests, Little Cities is all about building your own mini-metropolis, filled with homes, shops, factories, hospitals, police stations, power plants and much more; everything a bustling city needs. Rather than giving you one massive stretch of green land to build upon, Little Cities has each of its levels built around an archipelago, giving you a variety of environmental components to build around.

The first area revealed was a fairly flat set of islands with a couple of hills to showcase how terrain can affect mechanics like WiFi. Today’s announcement has unveiled several more themed locations including a desert island and one with a giant volcano in the middle. Each with its own hazards, the desert features sandstorms that can be held back by planting trees. Whilst the volcano – as you’ve probably guessed – brings the risk of eruptions. The upside is that geothermal vents can power cities.

New islands also mean new buildings. Why not add a nice thermal spa and water park to your volcanic island city, or an aquarium and a stadium on those tropical islands. And these are just the islands Purple Yonder has teased, yet to reveal how many variations Little Cities has to offer.

Little Cities

City building might sound like a stressful endeavour, trying to earn money to expand and build new areas all whilst keeping the residents happy but Little Cities is very much a calm and relaxing experience. You can read gmw3’s initial preview which said: “For such an early demo ahead of a Spring 2022 launch for Oculus Quest, Little Cities was a pleasing delight.”

Purple Yonder and nDreams will release Little Cities exclusively for Meta Quest 1 & 2 on 21st April 2022. Take a look at the new trailer below and for further updates, keep reading gmw3.

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nDreams’ Growth Continues With new $35m Investment

British virtual reality (VR) specialist nDreams has been rapidly expanding its business of late, announcing two new studios; nDreams Studio Elevation and Studio Orbital. To continue that pace, today, nDreams has revealed a new $35 million USD investment from the Aonic Group.

Fracked

nDreams will be using the investment to produce more in-house VR titles, a catalogue that includes the recent Fracked and 2020’s Phantom: Covert Ops. It’ll also expand those internal studios as well its publishing operation that’ll publish indie team Purple Yonder’s Little Cities this year.

“This investment is a pivotal moment for nDreams, and I’m delighted to have the support of Aonic, who share the same ambitious vision for the company that we do,” says Patrick O’Luanaigh, co-founder and CEO, nDreams in a statement. “As VR continues its trajectory towards becoming a truly mass-market technology, this is the rocket fuel needed to accelerate our rapid growth and take advantage of the many opportunities that continue to come our way.”

“The nDreams team continue to impress with how far they are pushing VR,” says Paul Schempp from Aonic. “Seeing their plans and visions for the future blew us away, and we are excited to join them on their incredible journey.” Aonic Group joins founding investor, Mercia Asset Management, as minority investors in nDreams.

Phantom: Covert Ops

In addition to developing its own VR videogames, the two new internal studios and the publishing arm, nDreams also set up an academy in 2021; designed to provide a talent pipeline for those currently learning about game development who are looking for employment opportunities.

Currently consisting of 130 people with plans to grow to 175 by the end of 2022, nDreams says it has “its strongest line-up of future projects already in development” which includes titles for PlayStation VR2. When details of those arrive gmw3 will let you know.

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nDreams Announces $35M Investment, Working On PSVR 2 Titles

Fracked and Phantom developer nDreams announced today an investment of $35 million that will help the grow the studio on all fronts, while also confirming work on unannounced titles for PSVR 2.

The investment comes from Aonic Group. In a prepared statement, nDreams co-founder and CEO Patrick O’Luanaigh called the investment a “pivotal moment” for the company that will help “accelerate our rapid growth and take advantage of the many opportunities that continue to come our way.”

The press release from nDreams announcing the investment also confirmed that the studio has a line-up of projects already in development, “including next-gen games for the PlayStation VR2.”

nDreams has seen several funding rounds since it moved into VR development roughly 10 years ago now, and released several high profile titles in recent years including last summer’s PSVR exclusive shooter, Fracked.

Initially, just one studio, in the last year the company opened two additional studios producing VR content. The second studio, opened in July 2021, is called nDreams Orbital and is dedicated to making “live games for VR.” The third, opened a few months later in January, is called nDreams Studio Elevation and is focused on producing new IPs and AAA VR experiences.

Just over a year ago, nDreams also set up a $2 million publishing fund to help develop, market and publish external VR titles from other developers. The first release under this fund will be Little Cities in Spring.

nDreams says the $35M investment will be used to help create more ambitious VR experiences and grow its three internal studios, while also allowing them to expand their new publishing initiative.

While the studio has been around since 2006, it first took the dive into VR in 2013. You can read more about nDreams’ journey in our exclusive and in-depth profile featuring Chief Development Officer Tom Gillo here.