Category: Studio Roqovan

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World War Toons Developer Studio Roqovan has Closed

It’s never easy being a videogame developer, especially when you focus on creating virtual reality (VR) content. Originally called Reload Studios before changing its name to Studio Roqovan, the team created one of the most well known multiplayer titles for the launch of PlayStation VR, World War Toons. But things have been a little quiet of late and now the studio has confirmed it’s no more.

World War Toons screenshot

In a post, via the World War Toons Facebook page, the team announced a new version of the title World War Toons VR Arcade Experience which would will be hitting Korean arcades first before being made available in further territories. The new title’s publishing and updates will now be handled by Korea Telecom.

The studio explains that the videogame is: “a full on room scale 1~4 player co-op multiplayer VR arcade game. It’s completely new content that takes place in the near present time in World War Toons lore where our heroes battle against the remnant roque enemies.”

So while the good news is that World War Toons lives on, the rest of the update takes a downward spiral. Having announced a Metal Slug aspect of the experience last year, that idea has now been shelved because: “Issues arose that unfortunately could not be resolved.”

Stunt CORGI screenshot_04

Of course, the saddest news is that Studio Roqovan has now shuttered permanently. “We really tried our best to make the game happen, but it wasn’t to be,” said the post. “Thank you so much for all your support. We are extremely disappointed with how things have turned out too, but all your support have always helped us to move forward.”

The World War Toons IP will live on at another company but Studio Roqovan CEO and founder James Chung has confirmed it won’t be Korea Telecom as it only has the location-based entertainment (LBE) distribution rights for two years. VRFocus wishes the team all the best for the future, and when further details on World War Toons arrive we’ll let you know.

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World War Toons And Metal Slug Join Forces For New VR Arcade Experiences

Los Angeles-based developer Studio Roqovan, the team behind the virtual reality (VR) title World War Toons for PlayStation VR, have revealed a new project in the form of a World War Toons + Metal Slug VR Arcade game (WWT:MSVR). This upcoming room scale first-person shooter (FPS) VR action title will see the humorous take on the Second World War and it’s cast of eccentric characters being reinforced by characters from the popular Metal Slug series.

World War Toons + Metal Slug VR Arcade

“We are extremely blessed to get to work with the Metal Slug brand to feature them in the world of World War Toons,” States James Chung, CEO of developer Roqovan. “This game is a love letter to all World War Toons and Metal Slug fans out there. We’ve been working hard for months to recreate the essence of what makes a great Metal Slug game within World War Toons universe. Translating those design philosophies to VR has been an amazing experience”.

Currently a working title, WWT:MSVR will combine what players known and love about World War Toons and the Metal Slug series and offer a new experience like nothing fans have ever seen before in a VR arcade title. The title is known for its bright colours, solid graphics and action packed multiplayer action. Having received a number of content updates following its release, World War Toons has gone on to become a fairly popular VR title.

World War Toons + Metal Slug VR Arcade

Another key party in the development of this new experience is Korea Telecom Corporation (KT Corporation) who are Korea’s largest telecommunications service provider. Kyounglim Yun, President of KT Corporation commented on the announcement saying: “Because of the WWT:MSVR project, content service from KT’s experience-based media such as VR arcade games will reach fans of the franchise directly. KT is committed to bringing meaningful and popular IPs into the market beyond this title with future direction of applying 5G technology to these contents.”

The team at Studio Roqovan are also working with SNK Corporation on the title who are the creators of the famous Metal Slug series. “We are very happy to finally announce the fruit of our effort with Roqovan. Seeing the Metal Slug characters in the world of World War Toons gives us great pleasure.” says Koichi Toyama, Company President of SNK Corporation. “It’s wonderful to see our first collaboration finally unveiled to the public. We know fans are going to love it as much as we do.”

World War Toons + Metal Slug VR Arcade

Currently in development, WWT:MSVR is planned to launch first at KT’s VR Arcades called VRIGHT in Q1 of 2019. This will include the first mission and future missions that expand the title and further the gameplay experience will release soon after. As Chung explains: “This is just the beginning of the story for World War Toons and Metal Slug. Now is a great time to be a fan of the franchise, we have a lot more in store.”

For more on World War Toons and Metal Slug in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

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Stunt Corgi VR Launches Onto Oculus Rift

After a successful launch on the HTC Vive the virtual reality (VR) simulation videogame about making a Corgi perform stunts is now on Oculus Rift.

Stunt CORGI screenshot_01

Stunt Corgi VR puts players in command of a rather cute Corgi that is ready to perform a number of crazy stunts all in the name of entertainment. By setting up an obstacle course filled with cannons, hoops of fire, falling anvils and even portals for your Corgi to hop, roll and skateboard through, players can build the ultimate stunt course. Since its initial release back on the HTC Vive two months ago, the team at Studio Roqovan have been hard at work working to improve the title ahead of the Oculus Rift release.

James Chung, CEO of Studio Roqovan commented on the Oculus Rift release by stating: “We’ve been working hard over the last two months to provide updates to the game based on initial player feedback. We’ve added in teleport, improved our stunt designs, given players ways to share levels they’ve created, added auto-save features, and of course, support for the Oculus Rift. We’re committed to providing a fun, welcoming, and creative space for our players to experience.”

Stunt CORGI screenshot_03

On top of building the best obstacle course for their corgi, players can also play dress up in Stunt Corgi VR by picking from dozens of different outfits and accessories, leading to over 300,000 possible costume combinations. Stunt Corgi VR is available via Steam and the Oculus Store with a launch discount of 33% making the title only $9.99 USD to celebrate the new platform release.

VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham reviewed Stunt Corgi VR saying: “Stunt Corgi is one of those VR titles that’s hard to define. It doesn’t really fit into any category and doesn’t feature any goal as such – for those that like a start and end to their videogames. The experience is missing certain options like movement or being able to manipulate the items – like stretching or shrinking them – but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable to play. Stunt Corgi is a videogame you’ll either love and spend hours on or find it amusing for an hour then get bored, the question you need to ask yourself is, how much do you love making corgi’s jump through hoops?”

For more on Stunt Corgi VR in the future keep reading VRFocus.

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Keeping a Tight Leash on Studio Roqovan’s Stunt Corgi

Fan of the dog show Crufts? Like watching dogs running around performing all manner of tricks? Well Studio Roqovan, the team behind first-person shooter (FPS) World War Toons has got your back with its second virtual reality (VR) release Stunt Corgi. Naturally VRFocus has taken an interest in the new release and created another gameplay video for our readers to enjoy.

Stunt CORGI screenshot_03

Announced in December and released for HTC Vive a couple of week’s ago via Steam, Stunt Corgi is a sandbox title where you can build all sorts of obstacle courses for your pet corgi in a roomscale sized garden. With an assortment of over 25 items with which to build some impressive stunts VRFocus had its corgi jumping through fire rings and performing action barrel rolls in no time.

Building courses are one thing, but what’s a good course without some style and bravado. So there’s an extensive closet full of items to accessorize the pooch. Over 100 combinations of skins and clothes are available, a veritable cornucopia of hats, jackets and boots can be worn, giving your corgi that much desired look of a stunt dog. All of these are free, there’s no need to unlock anything, or pay a micro transaction.

Additionally, there’s also the option to share levels through screenshots and video on social media channels like Facebook in an upcoming update.

The gameplay video will showcase all of this and more – at one point the desire to fling the corgi out the garden does occur – as VRFocus demonstrates how not to build an obstacle course.

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Review: Stunt Corgi VR

Studio Roqovan certainly has a quirky sense of humour. The virtual reality (VR) developer is well known for its online multiplayer World War Toons on PlayStation VR, a first-person shooter (FPS) that not only features snipers and soldiers but a Yeti and gorilla as selectable characters. So you’d be right in thinking the developers next title might feature more of the same humour and cartoonish design, and it hasn’t disappointed. Rolled out this month for HTC Vive is an experience no one could have guessed, a stunt creation videogame where the star of the show is a corgi dog.

Stunt CORGI screenshot_04

Yeah that’s right, Stunt Corgi is all about building weird and wacky courses for your pet pooch to run, jump and roll through, as many times as you like. Set in a back garden, all the objects needed to create the courses are instantly available, there’s no need to unlock anything. At your disposal are basic items like ramps, boxes, planks of wood, barrels and more. While an advanced menu holds cannons, teleporters, fans, trampolines and other items. A third menu gives you access to various effects to make the entire show visually impressive, adding fire, a glitter ball, smoke, sirens and other loud, bright actions.

The studio has included a few examples to give you an idea of how things work, then it’s entirely up to you to build something in this sandbox environment. While a first glance this may seem like a videogame for kids, due to the mechanics it tends to be more suited to older players as getting everything just right can be a bit finicky.

Stunt Corgi has been designed to fully use the HTC Vive’s roomscale system so you need to physically walk around to place items. They can be picked up and moved around at distance – even spun with both controllers – but there’s no option for moving them towards or further away, you need to do that with your feet. This is fine if you have a decently sized area to play in, otherwise you may run out of room quickly. Another issue by not having movement options comes when you’ve filled the garden with a complicated course and a particular section needs editing yet there’s stuff in the way, it’s not always practical to walk around it.

Stunt CORGI screenshot_03

So movement maybe limited, yet the amount you can do isn’t. There’s a decent enough range of items to interact with that you could spend hours and hours on different designs and never create a similar course twice, depending on your imagination. The corgi also has a few tricks up its paw for getting around, each of which you control. Why run from place to place when rolling is much more fun. Or how about jumping fearlessly onto a trampoline after walking up a ramp on hind legs, this corgi does it all.

This all takes place in wonderful cartoon environment that won’t be taxing to any VR-ready PC. Lower specced PC’s may start to struggle once the area is littered with items however, although VRFocus’ GTX 970 seemed to handle everything well.

Stunt Corgi is one of those VR titles that’s hard to define. It doesn’t really fit into any category and doesn’t feature any goal as such – for those that like a start and end to their videogames. The experience is missing certain options like movement or being able to manipulate the items – like stretching or shrinking them – but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable to play. Stunt Corgi is a videogame you’ll either love and spend hours on or find it amusing for an hour then get bored, the question you need to ask yourself is, how much do you love making corgi’s jump through hoops?

60%

Awesome

  • Verdict
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The VR Job Hub: Studio Roqovan, Wolf & Wood, Against Gravity and Many More

The variety of roles available in the field of immersive technologies mean that every week when we come to discussing them in The VR Job Hub there’s always something – be in in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (MR) – that takes us by surprise. So, what new beginnings await this week? 

Check out the list below to see if there’s something that sparks your interest.

Location Company Role Link
London, UK University of the Arts London Course Leader – MA Virtual Reality (VR) Click here to apply
Gjøvik, Norway Norwegian University of Science and Technology  Associate Professor in Computer Science Click here to apply
London, UK TechNET Digital Virtual, Mixed and Augmented Reality – Software Engineer (Unity/Unreal) Click here to apply
London, UK Storm VR Unity VR Programmer Click here to apply
Nationwide, UK VR Cribs Freelance VR Photographer Click here to apply
Gateshead, UK Wolf & Wood Mid/Senior Unity Developer Click here to apply
Seattle, WA Against Gravity Game Engineer Click here to apply
Seattle, WA Against Gravity Level Designer Click here to apply
Seattle, WA Against Gravity Software Game Engineer Click here to apply
Los Angeles, CA Studio Roqovan Senior Programmer – Generalist Click here to apply
Los Angeles, CA Studio Roqovan Lead Game Designer Click here to apply

If nothing in the list above took your fancy, you can always check out The VR Job Hub from seven days ago. Also don’t forget that if you’re an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – and you want that position to be featured on next week’s VR Job Hub, then please send details to myself via keva@vrfocus.com  and also pgraham@vrfocus.com.

Check back with VRFocus next Sunday at the same time, 3PM (GMT) for another selection of the latest roles in the immersive technology industry.

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Studio Roqovan’s Latest VR Experience Takes you into the World of Corgi Stunt Training

Studio Roqovan’s first virtual reality (VR) title World War Toons for PlayStation VR showcased a quirky side to the studio, creating a title that was based on factual events and designs, only with a lighthearted cartoon twist. So it not too surprising that the studio has kept that comedic inspiration but turning its attention away from first-person shooters (FPS) to something far more unique in VR, dog training.

Stunt CORGI screenshot_03

The name says it all, Stunt Corgi, where you have a rather adventurous pet who enjoys performing stunts. In this sandbox experience, you will have the opportunity to create the ultimate stunt course for your corgi to complete. With over 25 props to play with you’ll have your corgi jumping through fire rings and performing action barrel rolls in no time, with plenty of options to create the most daring of courses.

On top of creating all manner of stunt courses players will be able to unlock an extensive closet full of items to deck out their pet corgi. Whether that’s a fetching cape, glasses, and even an Evel Knievel inspired outfit are available to make each corgi one of a kind, with 100+ combinations available. Players will also be able to share their levels through screenshots and video on social media channels like Facebook in an upcoming update.

Studio Roqovan’s most recent release was a cut down version of its FPS, World War Toons: Tanks Up for Samsung Gear VR, which arrived back in September. This puts you in command of a WWII tank as you fight of waves of Axis enemies trying to destroy you. As for World War Toons itself, nothing has been released concerning the title since a winter skins update in July. More notable is the lack of information regarding a PC-version, as a call for sign-ups was released back in April and still listed on the website.

Stunt Corgi is scheduled to release on 15th January, 2018 for HTC Vive through Steam. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Studio Roqovan, reporting back with the latest updates and announcements.

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Hot Out? It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas In World War Toons

War is, as they say, hell. Although when it comes to Studio Roqovan’s cartoonish depiction of the battles of World War Two in PlayStation VR first-person shooter World War Toons; war is, dare we say… fun.

Be it taking on the likes of demolition expert General Mayhem, a yodelling yeti called Tom, or Axis foes like Kongo – a gorilla capable of bounding around the map with multiple panzerschrecks or Sturm Shark a German shark with a metal jaw and a mind for conquest. It can never be said – unless all our schooling has been extremely deficient – that World War Toons takes history or itself too seriously.

This might all go somewhat to explaining why, in the middle of summer on a day when Wimbledon and large parts of the UK are battling flying ants you can log in to the videogame throughout July to get for free some winter gear for your soldiers.

Roqovan is making available the skins, suitable for more arctic adventures (and temperatures) that it introduced last Christmas with its festive reskin of level ‘Moulah Ruse’ into ‘Christmas Ruse’, the level itself available once again throughout July. Why? Because it’s World War Toons – why not?

You can see examples of the skins below:

Speaking of cold you can’t get much more cold than the vacuum of space. It’s roughly 2.7 Kelvin, which equates to -270.45 degrees Celsius or -454.81 degrees Fahrenheit. Today marks the launch day of the new space-based skins into the game. You can see a teaser of those, courtesy of the World War Toons Twitter acount below.

The battle never ends in World War Toons, and so we are sure to be bringing you more news on VRFocus regarding the title very soon.

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World War Toons Goes Closed Beta for PC Version

World War Toons is a humorous take on the Second World War featuring a cast of eccentric characters with unique skins that can be unlocked for the player characters and for the array of weapons. Up until now, it has been a PlayStation VR exclusive. That seems to be about to change.

Los Angeles-based developer Studio Roqovan have revealed on the World War Toons website that they are looking for players to sign up for the closed Beta for an upcoming PC version of the title.

Going to the website and clicking on the button marked ‘Signup for PC Closed Beta’ gives the option to enter your email address, a confirmation is then sent to your email to ensure it is a valid email.

World War Toons Image 3

World War Toons has received praise for its bright colours, solid graphics and action-packed multiplayer. The title received a large update titled ‘The Big Brawl’ earlier this year which contained a new map, lots more unlockable character skins and weapon skins as well as a new movement option designed for those less familiar with virtual reality (VR) movement.

It is not currently know what PC VR platform will be supported by the closed Beta, or indeed, if the PC version will be VR compatible at all. Though it would seem unusual for a videogame designed with VR in mind to go back to non-VR.

World War Toons screenshot

It is also not known at this point if the PC version will be free to play like the PlayStation VR version.

VRFocus will keep you updated on further news about World War Toons and other VR titles.

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VRTV: Nina Joins the Fight in World War Toons

VRFocus correspondent Nina gets kitted up in her uniform to join the battle in her review of World War Toons.

World War Toons in a first-person shooter developed by Studio Roqovan. The objective is simple, the player chooses from various cartoon characters, then proceeds to climb inside a tank to go out and kill each other in the most outlandish way possible.

Expect pianos falling randomly from the sky, pigs that turn into sides of ham and a plethora of outrageous cartoon-inspired characters like the British Bulldog, Scottish Nessie and even a shark with an actual laser beam mounted on its head. Many of the character skins are unlockable and collectable, making for a good incentive for repeat play.

Studio Roqovan recently introduced a large update with new maps and features called The Big Brawl, which also includes several new character skins.

World War Toons is available free-to-play on both PlayStation VR and the PlayStation 4.

You can watch the full review video below.

Stay tuned to VRFocus for more video reviews.