The founders of the game development studio behind one of VR’s pioneering platforming titles Lucky’s Tale announced a significant reduction in staff size this week.
Lucky’s Tale was one of the first projects publicly demonstrated on early Oculus VR headsets. Playful Corp, which became Playful Studios, embarked on a series of experiments with early Oculus hardware and ended up centering around a third-person platforming title.
A fox named Lucky became the main protagonist with the player essentially looking over his shoulder in VR as a kind of guardian while guiding him through colorful levels that looked great on early VR headsets. The game proved a well-loved gaming genre worked in VR and debuted as a free title delivered to buyers of the Oculus Rift headset when it first shipped in 2016. A sequel of sorts called Super Lucky’s Tale debuted later for traditional game systems including Xbox One and most recently the Nintendo Switch.
The studio also showed Star Child for PSVR headsets in 2017 (which was also said to offer a non-VR mode as well) and they had an experimental room-scale multiplayer playground called “Wonderland” which tested out various VR-specific game mechanics. In late 2018, it looked like Star Child was cancelled when people who pre-ordered the game received a message from the PlayStation Store stating “the publisher has notified us that the game is cancelled.” Co-founder Paul Bettner told us at the time the game was “definitely not” cancelled while saying the notification was triggered because they changed the internal launch date for the game.
I tried contacting co-founders Paul Bettner and Katy Drake Bettner this week for clarification on the game’s status after they released a statement saying Playful would “significantly reduce our full-time staff” and “evolve its approach to the development and production of our current and future projects. The studio will be pivoting to a more streamlined production model based on distributed game development and dynamic, project-based teams.”
I’ll update this post if they respond but, given the earlier notifications around the game and long period of silence surrounding it, we aren’t hopeful Star Child will see the light of day.
Sometimes, things don’t go to plan. Well, in the case of VR games it often feels like things don’t go to plan. But for all of the excellent games we’ve enjoyed in 2019 thus far, there are still a few that have somehow eluded us.
So here’s 7 missing VR games we’re still eagerly awaiting news on. Let’s hope we get some good news on them soon!
Star Child
Not many developers can call themselves true VR OGs, but Playful Corp is certainly one. Lucky’s Tale was one of the first games announced to be published by Oculus itself. You’d assume this was the start of a beautiful relationship for Playful and VR but its next VR title, Star Child, is a troubled story.
We first saw the game announced for PSVR at E3 2017. It was a sort of 2.5D platformer. It looked pretty promising but, well, we haven’t really seen it since. The E3 demo was eventually released for others to play and Playful has assured us on multiple occasions that it’s still in development. At this point, though, we’re once again wondering if it will ever come out.
Blunt Force
There was a time when Blunt Force looked like one of the most visually-impressive VR games on the horizon. That’s still the case, but games like Medal of Honor VR now threaten to steal any thunder the project might once have held.
This is a promising-looking WW2 shooter. You travel the globe to take part in cinematic shootouts. But developer Monad Rock hasn’t tweeted about it since May 2018 (though still posts about its other VR game, Summer Funland from time to time). A Steam listing still says it’s coming this year but, frankly, we won’t believe anything until the game is actually out at this point.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades
This one hurts us. At E3 last year Todd Howard took the stage to proudly introduce The Elder Scrolls: Blades, a mobile spin-off of the beloved franchise that captured a slice of its RPG antics for smartphones. In the same talk, Howard said mobile players would be able to go online and battle against their friends… in VR. An image suggested the game would be playable on an HTC Vive.
Over six months on from launch on Android and iOS, though, and there’s no such feature in sight. It could well be that the game still comes to headsets (it’s meant to be coming to Switch and PS4 this year). We wouldn’t expect to see it for some time yet, though. Of all the missing VR games, this is one of our most wanted.
Dreams
So, yes, Dreams isn’t technically MIA. In fact it’s technically out, just in a limited Early Access branch. But the game’s promised PSVR support is nowhere to be seen, and we’re wondering if it will ever happen… at least on this headset.
Dreams lets you make your own games and share them online. The idea for PSVR players is that they’ll get to make their own virtual worlds to explore. That instantly makes it one of the most exciting VR titles on the horizon. We suspect, however, that this late in the game developer Media Molecule might be waiting until the launch of PS5 and/or PSVR2 to implement VR support into the platform.
Bebylon Battle Royale
We feel live we’ve been waiting for Bebylon Battle Royale as long as we’ve been alive. Developer Kite and Lightning earned our trust and patience with its excellent free VR experiences back in the Oculus development kit days, but at this point our confidence is a little shaken. In fact, we’re coming up on the fourth anniversary of the game’s announcement.
Kite & Lightning is still active on social media and prominently features the game in various posts, so we’re still optimistic about the game’s chances. Bebylon promises an utterly surreal bit of VR mayhem set on a planet where Bebys (basically babies that never physically age) battle it out. Who wouldn’t want to give that a try?
The Climb On Quest
When Oculus Quest was first announced Crytek’s The Climb was one of the first games Facebook confirmed was coming to the device. Developer Crytek later confirmed that it would be the full game making its way over. In June, we heard that release information was coming ‘soon’.
Well, soon has come and gone in our opinion. The company’s continued silence on the subject suggests to us that The Climb is taking a bit longer than expected on Quest. That’s not surprising given that the game remains one of the most visually rich VR experiences out there. It’s still possible that it makes a 2019 release date, but we won’t hold our breath.
Valve’s Flagship VR Game
Let’s end on the big one. Back in May we were introduced to the Valve Index. The company’s impressive new PC VR headset is now among us. At its reveal event, however, the company promised that a “flagship Valve game” would be releasing for the device this year. Well, it’s nearly November and… no sign of it.
Repeated attempts to reach out to Valve to clarify if the game’s still coming this year have been unsuccessful. It’s very, very possible that the company is planning some sort of surprise drop within the coming weeks. It’s just as possible, though, that this one might slip beyond the realms of 2019. Fingers crossed that’s not the case.
Are there any missing VR games you’re still waiting on? Let us know in the comments below!
Die Feiertage sind vorbei und in diesem Sinne wünschen wir euch ein frohes neues Jahr 2019. Um die Ereignisse zwischen Weihnachten und Silvester zusammenzufassen, erwartet euch nun ein kurzer Überblick über die Geschehnisse der letzten Woche.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch – Interaktiver Film bei Netflix gestartet
Auf Netflix wurde am 28. Dezember der neue interaktive Film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch veröffentlicht, welcher euch ins Jahr 1984 an die Seite eines jungen Programmierers mit tragischer Vergangenheit stellt. Mit der Entwicklung des Computerspiels Bandersnatch möchte er eine dunkle Fantasy-Story in die neuen Medien umwandeln und sieht sich währenddessen zahlreichen wundersamen und problematischen Geschehnissen ausgesetzt. Der Clou: Ihr bestimmt, wie die Handlung fortgesetzt wird. So werdet ihr während des Zuschauens mit verschiedenen Optionen konfrontiert, die von der Auswahl der Morgenzerealien bis hin zur Entscheidung über Leben und Tod reichen.
Image courtesy: Netflix
Insgesamt zwölf verschiedene Enden sind möglich, wobei noch weitere Enden integriert sein sollen. Mit seinen zahlreichen Abzweigungen, verschiedenen Storysträngen und dem Rücksprung zu Ereignissen durchbricht der Film geschickt die Metaebene und lässt euch sogar zum Teil der Story werden, indem ihr mit euren Entscheidungen mit dem Protagonisten interagieren könnt.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch ist auf Netflix verfügbar.
Jason Rubin – Oculus-Manager in neuer Position
Jason Rubin ist ab sofort nicht mehr als alleinig für Oculus zuständig. Der ehemalige Spieleentwickler (unter anderem bekannt für Crash Bandicoot) und Leiter der Spieleentwicklung von Oculus betreut zukünftig im Mutterkonzern Facebook die Entwicklung von AR- und VR-Inhalten, Partnerschaften des Konzerns sowie die Videoplattform Portal.
Nach Palmer Luckey und Brendan Iribe verlässt somit ein weiteres Oculus-Mitglied der frühen Tage das Unternehmen, wenn auch durch einen hauseigenen Wechsel.
Star Child – Entwicklerstudio Playful arbeitet weiterhin an kommenden PSVR-Titel
Der CEO von Playful, Paul Bettner, ruf per Twitter zu Geduld auf und verkündete gleichzeitig, dass die Entwicklung des Projekts Star Child weiterhin fortgesetzt wird.
Playful is still hard at work on Star Child! Our internal projected launch date changed, triggering a cancellation of pre-orders on PSN, but rest assured the game's development is alive and well. We can't wait to share more soon!
Das Veröffentlichungsdatum wurde geändert, sodass ein möglicher Release 2019 vermutet wird. Das Team arbeitet weiterhin am exklusiven Side-Scroller für die PlayStation VR (PSVR). Entwicklerstudio Playful ist bekannt für Lucky’s Tale für Oculus Rift.
Dark Eclipse – Neues Update für PSVR-Moba veröffentlicht
Über die Weihnachtsfeiertage erhielt das kostenlose VR-MOBA Dark Eclipse ein großes Update. Mit dem Patch 2.02 wurden drei neue Helden ins Spiel integriert sowie exklusiver Winter-Content. Die neuen Helden sind der Leader Owen, Support-Dominator Sosei und Assassin-Dominatoo Jysook. Zusätzlich wurden neue Weihnachts-Skins für Veronika, Wuntasto und Jysook integriert.
Beat Saber – Neuer Song POP/STARS durch Kooperation mit Riot Games
Eine Kooperation zwischen Beat Games und Riot Games (bekannt für League of Legends) brachte den K-Pop-Hit POP/STARS von K/DA in den VR-Rhythmustitel Beat Saber.
So beschreibt Jaroslav Beck, CEO von Beat Games, die unerwartete Zusammenarbeit enthusiastisch:
“Als wir “POP/STARS” zum ersten Mal hörten, wussten wir sofort, dass das Lied ein Hit in Beat Saber sein wird. Das Lied ist pulsierend und das Video einfach episch – es passt perfekt zu unserem Spiel. Wir freuen uns, dass die Spieler mit Beat Saber die Chance bekommen, “POP/STARS” auf ganze neue Art zu erleben und dabei im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes jeden Beat spüren.
This year was awesome for VR gaming, but 2019 is looking even brighter with a slew of highly polished titles coming to PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Here we take a look at 15 tantalizing VR titles confirmed for release in 2019.
Don’t miss the ‘To Be Announced’ section below either, which features eight high-profile games that don’t have release dates yet, but will hopefully come out in 2019 too.
Population: One is an upcoming battle royale shooter from the studio behind VR indie hit Smashbox Arena (2016). Population: One is offering a ton of fun mechanics such as the ability to climb anything, build forts, fly, and shoot the ever-living crap out of everyone with a variety of scrounged weapons as you battle for that tasty chicken dinner.
Studio description: The Tempest shattered your android body. Now you must journey through an ever-changing cloudscape to augment yourself and save your friends. Explore an expansive world with complete freedom—bound up cliffs, glide across chasms, and fly through the slipstream with velocity. Detonate explosives, harness electricity, and wield makeshift weapons to overcome titanium sentries and monolithic guardians. Play single-player, or explore forgotten ruins together.
Studio description: You are elite Special Forces soldier Ryan Marks, on a desperate mission to save his family from a ruthless criminal overlord. Grab your PS Move motion controllers and blast anyone in your way as you go face to face with enemies, uncover secrets and experience the thrill of the chase in a high-octane action narrative inspired by PlayStation VR Worlds’ ‘The London Heist’ experience.
Studio description: Jack and Liv are back in Lone Echo II. Return to the rings of Saturn in this highly-anticipated sequel, to unravel the mysteries of Lone Echo and journey deeper into space – past the very boundaries of time itself.
Studio description: Deliver cargo or smuggle alien lifeforms on your rickety ship all across the galaxy! In Failspace the pressure is always on you and your crew. Fix those leaks, pull those levers and crank those handles to maximum in short but increasingly difficult cargo missions.
Studio description: Overcome impossible odds and survive certain death scenarios in the undercover spy thriller that VR has been waiting for. It’s a zero-sum world where facing danger head-on is a requirement, and success favors those who embrace it. In this exciting Oculus exclusive, the enemy will stop at nothing to gain an advantage. To defeat them, you and your team of elite operatives must use every advanced weapon, cutting-edge technology, and deceptive tactic in your arsenal.
Studio description: Bend and twist reality in A Fisherman’s Tale, the mind-bending VR puzzle adventure game in which being turned upside down and inside out is not merely a play on words.
The free multiplayer Typhon Hunter update to Prey: Mooncrash is already out for console and PC, but support for all major VR platforms is coming next year. Like PropHunt in Gary’s Mod, one player is assigned as the hunter (Morgan Yu) while the others try to hide out and evade detection as typhons, the game’s alien race of mimics that can turn into everyday objects like mugs, chairs—practically anything you can think of.
ACE COMBAT 7 is unfortunately not entirely playable in VR, as the game’s campaign is focused on PS4 users, although Bandai Namco has created a handful of missions developed specifically for the PSVR that the studio says will provide “several hours of VR gameplay.”
Studio description: Wonderful. Your dogs have been dognapped by a beaked lunatic who stuffed them into his eye holes and is using their life essence to destroy the universe. Does that make any sense? You’ve partnered with Trover, a little purple eye hole monster to save them. Find power babies and plug them into his eye holes so that he can absorb their power, track down Glorkon, and save your dogs (and the Universe).
We don’t know much about gameplay mechanics yet, but it’s possible the Magic Leap One release of Angry Birds: FPS – First Person Slingshotmay hold some answers. Resolution Games was also involved in its making, a title that does away with the standard side-scrolling gameplay for a more immersive first-person experience of physically shooting a slingshot at the 3D piggy fort.
Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Titanfall and Call of Duty, has partnered with Oculus to develop what they call “a major VR release.” There’s not much on the books about the game yet, including the title or specific release date, but it promises battlefield realism that will give you a chance to “experience life closer to what a soldier would experience in real combat.”
Studio description: First you JOBBED, now you VACATION. Visit Vacation Island and experience RECREATION, optimal RELAXATION, and classic human past times like SUNBURN. Vacation Island offers all this and more so that you can discover the lost art of TIME OFF.
Studio description: A visceral, jetpack-fueled VR Arcade Shooter where you fly through deadly Orbital Arenas in hostile space, facing off in extreme battles. You are now part of the elite Tribes of gun-slinging Spacers who battle it out in treacherous 2v2 and 1v1 battles.
Studio description: ZED is the story of an aging artist, lost in regret, and the haze of dementia. Inside the dreamscape of this creative mind come undone, players reassemble the artist’s fragmented memories into a final, lasting legacy: a loving final gift to his unborn granddaughter.
Eagre Games is a new studio led by original Myst (1993) artist Chuck Carter. Zed will be the first game published by Cyan Ventures, Cyan’s newly formed publishing arm.
To Be Announced
3 Games from Valve
Image courtesy Valve
Platform: Rift, Vive (unannounced)
Developer: Valve
Valve is still famously mum on its three games originally confirmed back in February 2017, and yes, we’re still waiting on all of them. [Insert tired Half-Life 3 joke here].
Valve has produced The Lab (2016) and plenty of content for the SteamVR Home that all really demonstrate just how uniquely qualified they are to produce full-length VR games. Fingers crosses we hear something definitive this year.
Originally teased at PSX 2015 with a slated release for an October 2016, High Wire Games’ has slipped into what looks to be a 2019 release. In Golem, you play as an adventurous kid who has been seriously injured. You are stuck at home in your bed, dreaming of exploring the outside world. The minds behind the game are ex-Bungie staffers, including Halo composer Marty O’Donnell.
Playful Corp, the minds behind Rift launch title Lucky’s Tale (2016), had a bit of a scare recently when pre-orders for their upcoming side-scrolling platformer Star Child were mysteriously cancelled. Never fear, Star Child is still in production, although the release date is unknown at this time.
From the makers of Myst (1993) and Obduction (2016) comes another VR puzzler, this time promising more steampunk goodness. It’s still heavily under wraps, but Cyan calls it a “resplendent, magical, journey — a monumental voyage through four diverse and curious realms, working in concert with an ever-present, clockwork companion, and the support and instruction of a long-dead, ethereal mentor.”
Borderlands 2 VR is already available on PSVR, but it’s more than likely that the loot-em and shoot-em action game is headed to PC VR headsets too. According to a new promo video, Sony is confirming that Borderlands 2 VR is a timed exclusive, giving it at very least a five month minimum on the PSVR platform; a hypothetical PC VR launch date could come as early as May 14th, 2019.
The minds behind early successes Senza Peso (2014) and Insurgent (2015) have been busy developing their first full-fledged VR game. Called Bebylon Battle Royale, the VR melee party brawler puts ridiculously dressed infants into kart-based Smash Bros-style combat.
The studio previously targeted an early 2018 release, although now it seems it’s heading towards 2019.
The mysterious side-scrolling game Star Child is “definitely not” cancelled, according to Playful CEO Paul Bettner.
The statement comes after some PlayStation 4 owners on Thursday who had pre-ordered the game received a message from the PlayStation Store stating “the publisher has notified us that the game is cancelled.” A tweet posted to the official Star Child Twitter account on Friday provided a status update to the game saying that the “internal projected launch date changed, triggering a cancellation of pre-orders on PSN.”
Playful is still hard at work on Star Child! Our internal projected launch date changed, triggering a cancellation of pre-orders on PSN, but rest assured the game’s development is alive and well. We can’t wait to share more soon!
Playful is the company behind Lucky’s Tale — a groundbreaking VR platformer which debuted with the Oculus Rift in 2016. They built sequel Super Lucky’s Tale as a more traditional flat-screen platformer for the Xbox One and then showed Star Child for PlayStation VR. The game is also planned to work outside VR headsets as well, but details are still sparse and we noted that Kynan Pearson, the game’s original director, lists on Twitter and LinkedIn that he left Playful at some point this year. Bettner told UploadVR the game has a new leader and “we owe the world an update.”
“How our players experience the story of Star Child is so important to us, which is why we’re being so thoughtful about what we say and how we say it,” Bettner told UploadVR. “We’re not quite ready to share more yet, but we’ll make it worthwhile when we do.”
With mostly prior confirmed PSVR titles presenting at E3 2018, we expected Sony to dedicate a few moments during its E3 2018 keynote to highlight the platform’s upcoming VR games, of course with the understanding that high-profile PS4 titles would mostly overshadow VR titles. Well, that’s a bit of an understatement.
After all was said and done, the only PSVR title to get time on the big stage was the PSVR-compatible title Trover Saves the Universe, a platformer from Justin Roiland’s Squanch Games that supports both PSVR and PS4. As one of the most tepidly-received games to debut at Sony’s patently declamatory presentation (which was first held in church-like venue to show off The Last of Us Part II, and then in a secondary auditorium to show the company’s other big-budget games), the level of evangelization of the platform and its upcoming VR games was lacking to say the least; it was a decisive emphasis on blockbusters over less crucial titles, and therefore PSVR in general.
Image courtesy Squanch Games
Not even Beat Saber, the impressively successful VR indie title that’s done over two million dollars in revenue—practically unheard of for an indie game that hasn’t seen funding support from one of the big VR players—got time on the big stage. At-home viewers were treated to only a few seconds of the game during the intermission while actual attendees of the PlayStation E3 keynote moved from one auditorium to another.
Instead, Sony quietly put out a PSVR highlights reel shortly after the presentation ended, which wasn’t shown during the E3 keynote. Games shown in the video below (in chronological order) include: Trover Saves the Universe, Tetris Effect, Moss, Ghost Giant, Beat Saber, Firewall Zero Hour, DOOM VFR, Creed: Rise to Glory, Evasion, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, The Persistence, Star Child, Skyrim VR, Jupiter & Mars, AstroBot: Rescue Mission, Vacation Simulator, and Superhot VR—many of which were previously known or even launched last year.
Sony has more games coming to PSVR (that much is certain), and there’s also a number of new games being shown at E3 2018 for the platform too. Although unlike Oculus or HTC, Sony’s gaming lifeblood is still inexorably tied to its traditional console titles, and as the PS4 console inevitably starts what PlayStation Chief Tsuyoshi Kodera calls the “final phase of its life cycle,” consolidating that investment where it counts the most—in its big budget console exclusives—makes it clear where the company’s priorities lie.
For comparison, last year’s E3 PlayStation presentation featured six PSVR games presented on stage: Skyrim VR, The Inpatient, Starchild, Monsters of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV, Bravo Team, and Moss, all of which amounted to seven minutes of stage time. It wouldn’t have been hard to sandwich six or seven extra minutes into this year’s presentation, but obviously Sony thought differently for whatever reason. Maybe more and better is coming. Maybe now just wasn’t the time to trumpet its VR platform.
We’ve had the chance to try out many of the newly debuted titles (including Trover Saves the Universe), and it’s clear these games are either commensurate, or above last year’s games in quality, which means really only one thing: Sony has decided to publicly care less about PSVR for now. While good games worth your time are still coming to the platform, the company just didn’t feel like PSVR deserved the limelight this go around—not a guarantee that they’ve given up on PSVR, but noteworthy just the same.
For a VR headset selling at the all-time low of $200 during its ‘Days of Play’ sale, the company really ought to care what new players think though. As the headset becomes more and more affordable, Sony needs to reassure the world even more so that PSVR isn’t a stagnant platform, lest it fall entirely off the radar at the most important gaming expo on the planet. In the end, it’s all a bit of shame, as important and extremely fun titles like Sony Japan Studio’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission finally dial into what makes the platform great, but are completely overshadowed by what the higher-ups most likely considers the safest investments for now.
Playful Corp, the studio behind the Rift launch title Lucky’s Tale (2016), teased recently that they’ll be debuting an “all new look” at their upcoming PlayStation VR platformer Star Child at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
First announced at Paris Games Week last year, the studio has shown the same beginning level in its public demos, which takes you through some of the early puzzles and only a brief taste of the story.
“VR will have a big presence at Tribeca 2018, including an all new look at Playful’s Star Child,” the studio tweeted recently, hinting at a new demo.
According to the studio’s description of the game, Star Child follows the journey of a woman named Spectra and her companion on an important mission to an alien planet. After becoming stranded, they uncover a hostile, overwhelming force that threatens to destroy everything. At a pivotal, startling moment, Spectra gains the ability to gradually take control of the world around her and fight back.
We have feet on the ground at this year’s Tribeca to bring you all things virtual and augmented. Check back soon, as the film festival has already begun, and continues to April 29th.
The PlayStation 4’s virtual reality (VR) platform has entered its second year of consumer availability, and with it has brought some [link to best of 2017]fantastic PlayStation VR titles throughout 2017[/link]. However, it’s time to look ahead at some of the highlights coming in 2018.The release schedule for the PlayStation VR has never looked better, with an assortment of indie and AAA videogames coming over the next six months. Both digital-only and retail packages will lead the way to further consumer adoption, and below you’ll find some of the biggest and best titles heading to PlayStation VR in 2018.
Moss – Polyarc Games
Polyarc Games’ Moss was announced at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, in June, and has since soared to the top of many PlayStation VR players’ ‘most wanted’ lists. The incidental detail in the animation of heroine Quill is nothing short of amazing, and the pacing between action and logic puzzle solving – at least in the early preview build of Moss – is almost pitch-perfect.
Moss is set for release on 27th February 2018, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Blood & Truth – Sony London Studios
Blood & Truth is considered by many to be the evolution of The London Heist, which featured on PlayStation VR launch compilation, PlayStation VR Worlds. Developed by Sony London Studios, Blood & Truth places the player into the heart of London’s organised crime syndicate on a mission for revenge. There have been some misgivings about the nature of the player’s movement and the voiceover seen in the preview build of Blood & Truth, but hope remains high that Sony London Studios will deliver the deep mafia experience many PlayStation VR owners are hoping for.
Blood & Truth will launch at an unannounced date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
The Inpatient – Supermassive Games
UK studio Supermassive Games have two announced titles coming to PlayStation VR in 2018, and while Bravo Team just missed out on making it into this feature, The Inpatient is arguably a more unique and involving experience. Continuing the trend of fleshing-out the hugely popular Until Dawn universe, The Inpatient takes place in the Sanitarium featured in the original PlayStation 4 exclusive and tasks the player with facing some odd goings on as they attempt to keep a grip on their sanity.
The Inpatient is set for release on 24th January 2018, exclusively on PlayStation VR.
Golem – Highwire Games
Having originally been announced back in 2016, Golem disappeared off the radar for some time. Re-emerging at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) Paris Games Week press conference, Highwire Games’ VR debut shot right back to the top of the PlayStation VR’s most anticipated list. An adventure that gives the player the opportunity to explore the ruins of the Endless City, engaging in melee combat as they wield a sword and swing it as though it were a real blade; learning how to thrust, block and parry.
One for fans of the series or the videogames industry as a whole, Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is a commentary on the rivalry between videogame consoles and the hardware manufacturers behind them. While Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is in fact an ‘enhanced’ remake of Megadimension Neptunia VII, the most significant difference is the fact that players will be able to get face-to-face with several characters from the series for the first time.
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is set to launch on 13th April 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Megalith – Disruptive Games
One of the most recently announced PlayStation VR titles, along with Blood & TruthDisruptive Games revealed Megalith at SIE’s Paris Games Week press conference. Megalith sees the player taking the role of a titan in a world with a bleak, stylised aesthetic. On a quest to become a powerful god, players will explore and destroy as they utilise powerful weapons to take out their foes.
Megalith is set to launch at a currently unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Star Child – Playful Corp.
Playful Corp.’s VR debut came in the form of the Oculus Rift exclusive Lucky’s Tale, a critically acclaimed platform videogame featuring a cute bouncing fox that eventually made the leap to Xbox One. This time around, Star Child presents a neon drenched science-fiction adventure for PlayStation VR. Star Child is a homage to classic side-scrolling platformers of yesteryear with the player running and jump through a world that encourages you to lean in and explore its depths with the new immersion afforded by VR technology. In a similar fashion to Paw Print Games’ Bloody Zombies, the action may be limited to a 2D plane but the player’s viewpoint is not, allowing for secrets to be discovered through observation.
Star Child is currently set to launch at an unspecified date in 2018, exclusively for PlayStation VR.
Quar: Infernal Machines – Steel Wool Studios
Aside from League of War: VR Arena and No Heroes Allowed! VR, PlayStation VR is somewhat lacking in strategy videogames. Steel Wool Studios will soon change that fact with Quar: Infernal Machines, a HTC Vive launch title that remains one of the most compelling strategy titles on the format. Players will engage in combat as they attempt to take control of the land with a variety of oddball creatures and weaponry.
Quar: Infernal Machines originally launched on HTC Vive under the guise of Quar: Battle for Gate 18, and will launch on PlayStation VR in March 2018.
The American Dream – Samurai Punk
Originally expected to launch in 2017, Samurai Punk’s The American Dream is the antithesis of the current trend for wave shooters in VR. Acting as a tongue-in-cheek examination of American gun culture – or potentially a commentary on it, should the tone be pitched correctly – The American Dream has the player using firearms to conduct even the most mundane activities. What’s better than opening a beer can with a gun? Nothing. That’s what.
The American Dream was originally intended to launch in 2017 and is currently expected to launch early in 2018 on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars – Konami Digital Entertainment
The announcement that Konami were preparing a return to the Zone of the Enders franchise came as somewhat of a shock, especially as they were developing VR compatibility as part of the package. Of course, it makes perfect sense; there are few action videogames that lend themselves to VR as well as piloting giant mechs. And while Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars looks set to be a compelling rendition of the franchise, little has yet been revealed of exactly how the videogame will play in VR.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars is set to launch at an unspecified date in spring 2018, for PlayStation 4, Steam and PlayStation VR.
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Honourable Mention: Fallout 4 VR – Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout 4 VR is the ‘one that got away’. Bethesda Game Studios had a trio of VR launches over the holiday season, and while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR and DOOM VFR both graced the PlayStation VR, Fallout 4 VR currently remains a HTC Vive exclusive. The suggestion is that Fallout 4 VR will eventually come to the PlayStation VR in time, but Bethesda Game Studios has offered no official word on when that might be. Fingers crossed PlayStation VR gamers don’t have to wait too long to experience the wasteland of the Commonwealth first-hand.
Without any major VR hardware releases on the radar for this year, 2018 is shaping up to be a time for content to shine. We’ve rounded up a list of 20-something VR games launching in 2018 that we’re excited about, covering all three major VR systems: PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
Ace Combat 7
Platform: PSVR (2018)
While Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat 7 is advertising “exclusive VR features” instead of straight VR support (meaning the campaign isn’t playable in VR), we’re still excited to strap into either Osean or Erusean jets as the two fictional superpowers duke it out in the skies. Who knows, maybe it’ll be wildly awesome?
ARK Park is a multiplayer adventure game based on the world of ARK:Survival Evolved (2017). While it may have been delayed by the China-based Snail Games from the previously slated late 2017 release, the mix of dinosaur-themed factual and fictional elements has certainly tickled our curiosity. Also: you can ride a dinosaur.
The world needs more fighting babies. To provide this insatiable need for post-natal, pre-toddler carnage, the immensely capable VR studio Kite & Lightning are developing a VR melee party brawler that puts ridiculously dressed infants into kart-based Smash Bros-style combat. We haven’t had a hands-on yet, but the studio has promised a 2018 release, so we’re sure to get one soon enough.
Brass Tactics
Platform: Rift (February 28, 2018)
This VR multiplayer/singleplayer real-time strategy game comes from Hidden Path Entertainment, the minds behind Defense Grid 2: Enhanced VR Edition (2016) and Age of Empires II: HD Edition (2013).Who hasn’t dreamt about bringing their favorite tabletop game to life, and ordering armies of miniature soldiers to ultimate victory?
This online 2-player co-op strategic shooter will force you to take cover as you make your way across a war-torn fictional Eastern European city. While you won’t get the free-wheeling locomotion options like many shooters, instead giving you a sort of ‘on-rails’ point-to-point automatic movement, the strength and amount of enemies will make you think twice before selecting a cover position for fear or getting shot to bits by a machine gun-welding baddies.
Budget Cuts
Platform: Rift, Vive (2018)
Already offering a wildly successful demo the ninja assassin-style Budget Cuts puts heavy emphasis on stealth combat. Set to release sometime in 2018, indie studio Neat Corporation surely picked up some important pointers when they were invited to collaborate with Valve last year—the results of which we can’t wait to see. Seriously. Play the demo now if you haven’t already.
Echo Combat
Platform: Rift (2018)
As if Ready at Dawn’s singleplayer adventure Lone Echo (2017) and free multiplayer sports game Echo Arena (2017) weren’t cool enough, the studio is also bringing out a combat-focused, zero-G game in 2018. Demos aren’t in the wild yet, but if it’s coming from the studio that produced Road to VR’s Best Rift Game of 2017, we’ll be mashing F5 on Oculus’ blog in anticipation of seeing and hearing more.
Firewall: Zero Hours VR
Platform: PSVR (2018)
Revealed at PSX 2017 recently, Firewall Zero Hour is a team-based, tactical multiplayer FPS coming exclusively to PSVR this year. The game is said to support both DualShock and PS Aim, although the developers haven’t made mention of PS Move controllers yet. Either way, this attack/defend shooter looks to fuse VR with some classic assault-style games like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.
Golem
Platform: PSVR (2018)
Originally teased at PSX 2015 with a slated release for an October 2016, High Wire Games’Golem is finally coming to PSVR. In Golem, you play as an adventurous kid who has been seriously injured. You are stuck at home in your bed, dreaming of exploring the outside world. The minds behind the game are ex-Bungie staffers, including Halo composer Marty O’Donnell.
Although it’s been a while since we played, and things have surely changed, check out 6 minutes of gameplay here.
Marvel Powers United VR
Platform: Rift (2018)
Created by Oculus and Sanzaru Games (behind titles like VR Sports Challenge and Ripcoil), there’s plenty of ways to battle in this Marvel-themed arena brawler. Turn into the Hulk, Rocket Raccoon, Captain Marvel, Deadpool, and many more as you battle enemies in online multiplayer arena battles that let you wield real super powers.
From Disruptive Games comes a multiplayer action-packed hero shooter that transforms you into a titan, letting you use your massive size and firepower to compete with others in a quest to become a god. The game is said to come with free locomotion, destructible environments, and put heavy emphasis on strategic gameplay.
Moss
Platform: PSVR (February 2018)
A charming third-person action-adventure puzzle game from Polyarc, Moss gives you control of the small but fierce mouse named Quill. With a tiny sword in hand, you vanquish pint-sized enemies as you solve large puzzles. There’s a free demo available already on the second PSVR demo disc, so there’s no reason not to fall in love with little Quill already.
The result of a successful Kickstarter in 2015, Pixel Ripped has been in development well before consumer headsets released. Heavy on nostalgia, the game tosses you into the world of 1989 as Nicola. Going ‘one level deeper’ into the virtual world, you incarnate a heroine named Dot who is on a quest to return the magical rock that contains the soul of Dot’s world, Adventureland, which has been stolen by the Cyblin Master. Cyblin has other plans though as he tries to break into the Nicola’s ‘real’ world.
Space Junkies
Platform: Rift, Vive (Spring 2018)
From Ubisoft Montpelier, Space Junkies is an upcoming zero-G multiplayer shooter that puts straight into team-based or deathmatch-style combat. Yes, there are light sabers, but the focus is ultimately on the game’s impressive assortment of guns. Visuals are really polished, and from what we’ve played, so is the overall deathmatch concept.
Sprint Vector is a racing game that has integrated a unique locomotion arm-swinging locomotion style that moves you forward through a Mario Kart-style race course. Hailing from Raw Data developer Survios, we had a lot of fun in trying out the fast-paced, nausea-free racer.
From Playful Corp comes another third-person platformer, albeit less boisterous and family-oriented than the studio’s last VR game, Lucky’s Tale (2016). With some puzzles thrown in for good measure, you guide a mysterious traveler on her way through a subterranean landscape. She soon discovers advanced alien technology, is stalked by an ominous beast lurking in the shadows, and finally has a very close encounter with a giant being of unknown origin.
The Inpatient
Platform: PSVR (2018)
Originally expected for Q4 2017 release, Supermassive Games standalone prequel to Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (2016) has been delayed until 2018. When we first demoed the psychological horror game, the level of realism was remarkable thanks to some very well-tuned facial motion capture. We can’t wait to see more soon.
From Ubisoft Montreal and Elijah Wood’s studio Spectrevision, Transference is a physiological thriller that blends movie and reality in what promises to be a disquieting experience. Popping into the memories of people suffering from PTSD and reliving their nightmare-fuel pasts sounds pretty disquieting to me.
Vacation Simulator
Platform: PSVR, Rift & Vive (2018)
Announced at this year’s Game Awards, Owlchemy Labs’ Vacation Simulator is following in the footsteps of its breakout multi-platform success Job Simulator (2016). While it’s unsure if the tongue-in-check simulator style will find the same level of launch day success its spiritual predecessor, we’ll be there ready to play to see if it tickles our collective funny bones.
Windlands 2
Windlands (2016), the high-flying exploration game from Psytec Games, is getting a sequel this year that’s looking to alter its predecessor’s formula with the addition of co-op adventuring as well as combat. Combat has altered the zen-like nature of the game somewhat, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Multiplayer adventuring is a net positive though, so we can’t wait to see what Windlands 2 will serve up.
While Valve is still mum on its three games originally confirmed back in February 2017, Dan O’Brien, Vive general manager for the Americas, revealed to The Rolling Stone that Valve was still “very committed” to the promise of delivering its three VR games. Valve has produced The Lab (2016) and plenty of content for the SteamVR Home space. We’re itching to see any game with the level of fit and finish we see in both productions.
Blood And Truth
Platform: PSVR (TBA)
Sony’s London Studio first released Blood and Truth’s spiritual predecessor with the first PSVR demo disk; London Heist. The demo’s Guy Ritchie-style Cockney crime theme is an awesome backdrop to the demo’s shooting sequences, so the thought of having a full game where you’re essentially an action hero looking for revenge, well, it sounds pretty badass.
Yesterday we brought you news of the second PlayStation VR Demo Disc which would be available for PlayStation VR users as of today. At the time we weren’t sure what exactly we would get by way of videogame titles baring an announcement from developers Polyarc confirming that virtual reality (VR) action platformer Moss would be amongst the titles on offer. (Much to the delight of the VRFocus team.)
The listings for PlayStation VR sampler has now been revealed and includes titles from across the genre spectrum. The full list of titles joining Moss can be found below.
Battlezone by Rebellion
A regular on VRFocus’ lists relating to the bestVR videogame experiences out there, the tank-based shooter takes the series classic roots and updates them for the virtual stage. Battlezone gained a 5-star review on VRFocus, where it was described as “intense and addictive”.
Dino Frontier by Uber Entertainment.
Cowboys meet Jurassic Park by way of Sim City, Dino Frontier lets you capture and tame dinosaurs in the Wild West to help build and manage a virtual town.
EVE: Valkyrie by CCP Games
CCP Games might be packing up the big top as far as their involvement in VR is concerned but that doesn’t stop EVE: Valkyire continuing to be one of the best VR experiences out there, and now VR and non-VR players can enjoy dogfighting in spaceships together.
Fantastic Contraption by Radial Games
Another title commonly amongst those VRFocus recommends: “Easy to begin with, Fantastic Contraption lets you get accustomed to the intricacies of what does what before throwing the real challenges at you. And there’s a lot, the title features 50 levels to get your head around.”
Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs
A multi-award winning videogame, Job Simulator was so good Google brought developers Owlchemy Labs into the company. The title continues to get development and content as well, with the recently revealed ‘Infinite Overtime’ update.
Raw Data by Survios
A highly popular virtual reality (VR) shooter, Raw Data sees players equipped with both firearms and a katana, and have the simple object of taking out the enemies before they themselves are overcome.
Rez Infinite by Enhance Games
Another PlayStation VR title that received a full five stars in its review, Rez Infinite is the spiritual successor to the original Rez, which first appeared on SEGA’s Dreamcast console.
StarBlood Arena by Whitemoon Dreams
The only title on the listing specifically requiring additional downloading, a demo of Starblood Arena was initially made available back in August. Starblood Arena allows the player to take control of one of nine available ships, each with its unique pilot, features and weapon loadout. Allowing would-be players the combination that suits their preferred style of play.
Star Child by GameTrust
One of a crop of PlayStation VR titles to receive a share of the spotlight recently during Sony’s press event at Paris Games Week, which included the reveal of a brand new trailer. Star Child is takes place on an alien world full of fantastical Martian creatures and creations in a homage to platformers of the 90s while also being something entirely new.
The Persistence by Firesprite
Originally revealed back in March this year, The Persistance comes from the developers behind The Playroom VR. Awaking from cryosleep, it’s up the players to kill the undead and take back control of the ship before it plunges into a nearby black hole.
Thumper by Drool
The self-described “rhythm violence” videogame was announced in March last year and by the time it hit the show floor at 2016’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) it had already made an impact. Drool said in their announcement that Thumper was “unlike anything you’ve seen, played or heard – a cocktail of kinetic action and aggressive acoustics. It’s the kind of game that inhales you, spits you out and leaves you yearning for more.” And they certainly aren’t exaggerating.
Tiny Trax by FuturLab
Slot car racing get a new twist. Tiny Traxfeatures a drifting/boost-recharge mechanic, alongside lane switching and epic jumps across twelve tracks that’ll take players to tropical islands, volcanoes, ice caves and outer-space. It’s developer, Brighton-based studio FuturLab, recently revealed a new PlayStation VR title in Mini-Mech Mayhem.
The PlayStation VR Demo Disc 2 is now available on the PlayStation Store, it requires 15.2GB of space and several titles within it – Raw Data, Rez Infinite, Job Simulator, Dino Frontier and Fantastic Contraption – do require PS Move Controllers in order to play them.
VRFocus will bring you more details on developments with the PlayStation VR very soon.
EVE: Valkyrie by CCP Games
Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs
The Persistence by Firesprite
Thumper by Drool
Tiny Trax by FuturLab