Zenz VR – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

July 7, 2022

Resolution Games Acquires ‘HordeZ’ Studio, Shares Record Growth Figures

Resolution Games, the VR developers and publisher behind Demeo, Blaston and the upcoming sports game Ultimechs, today revealed that 2021 has been a record-breaking year for the company in both revenue and game downloads. The studio also announced the acquisition of Stockholm-based indie Zenz VR, which is known for VR zombie shooter HordeZ.

Resolution Games says 2021 was its fifth consecutive year of profitability, something the company says has allowed it to reinvest into growth in development capabilities and personnel. Now the company says it employs 158 workers, with that number projected to surpass 200 by the end of the year.

Over the course of 2021, Resolution Games says it’s quadrupled growth in game revenues and tripled total game downloads across all platforms compared to 2020.

The studio has also recently expanded to the US with its Austin, Texas-based subsidiary, Resolution Games Inc., which is headed by president and co-founder, Paul Brady.

In a press statement, the studio says its acquisition of Zenz VR is “talent-focused,” as it doesn’t include Zenz VR’s existing and in-development IP.

The studio says the addition of “select members” of Zenz’s team have been absorbed into the company’s AR division. This includes Zenz founder Niklas Persson, who has a background as producer and designer on Battlefield 1942.

Resolution Games is a pioneer in the VR space, having led with titles such as Bait! (2016) and Wonderglade (2017) on Gear VR. More recently the company has focused on multiplayer games, with Blaston (2020) and Demeo (2021) being the most successful of the bunch. The company’s upcoming sports game, Ultimechs, is set to continue the studio’s focus on multiplayer games. The futuristic Rocket League-style game serves up 2v2 multiplayer matches that require you to rocket-punch a ball into your opposition’s goal.

October 19, 2018

Voxel Shooter Xion Rolls Out To Oculus Rift Globally, Releases Version 1.04

Let’s be honest, sometimes blasting the hell out of things in a videogame is just very therapeutic; channelling the frustrations of the real world into a creative outlet. Virtual reality (VR) title Xion understands this, and understands it well. Any videogame where we get an email with a note that says “everything is destructible” gets a sage nod of approval from us.

After all, what’s the point of being the most all-powerful being in the universe if your all-powerful character is utterly powerless against a rock or tree that’s just kind of in the way.

Xion - Screenshot Xion is a title inspired by the arcade-style voxel shoot ’em ups of the nineties, that sees you flying your customisable and upgradable spaceship (that you put together by hand) through an array of randomised levels before you come upon some chunky and challenging bosses at the end of each one.

Developers Zenz VR have brought the title, not long out of Early Access, to both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive via Steam and the Oculus Store. The Oculus support has just been released globally and the team have also released an update taking the title to version 1.04. Bringing with it the addition of a new tutorial and improvements to the shipbuilding element.

“VR is the final frontier and the combination of old school gameplay with a brand new medium makes it possible to create some unique and refreshing experiences.” Says CEO and Founder of Zenz VR, Niklas Persson. “At Zenz VR we are all about gameplay with the possibilities that only VR can provide.”

If you’ve not done so already, check out their release trailer below. At the time of writing Xion is available for £11.39 (GBP) on Steam, on the Oculus Store however it is presently £7.99 (GBP) – so Rift owners interested in picking the title up should probably head over there first.

June 4, 2018

Cortopia Group Successfully Raises $1.4 million to Help Accelerate VR/AR Development

Having announced the acquisition of Zens VR and the creation of a new umbrella organisation, Cortopia Group, virtual reality (VR) developer Cortopia Studios has just revealed the closure of a new funding round for the group.

Wands Giant Skeleton

The Cortopia Group has managed to raise an additional 12 million SEK ($1.4 million USD) in a funding round that closed on 30th April, 2018. This new funding round will help accelerate the Group’s R&D of new VR, augmented reality (AR), and esports initiatives alongside support of Zenz VR which joined the Cortopia Group on 27th April.

“Mobile AR is accelerating quicker than we first anticipated and in order to remain competitive, we need to embrace the advances in technology and the ways in which users show us they want to play games,” says Cortopia Group CEO, Andreas Skoglund in a statement. “With the release of ARCore by Google and Apple’s ARKit, building compelling AR experiences is more appealing than ever before and this additional funding round will allow us to pursue additional paths for our group.”

HordeZ Screenshot

Cortopia Studios’ VR development will continue with its successful PvP combat title Wands, which supports most VR headsets and cross-platform gameplay. Originally launched for Gear VR before expanding to other mobile and PC-based headsets – most recently Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo – Wands pits wizard against wizard in strategic duels where players not only have to look out for enemies but also the dangerous world around them.

Zenz VR’s three titles HordeZ, X-Fire VR, and Xion are now under the Cortopia Group banner, plus Zenz VR has confirmed work on a fourth VR project although no details have been released just yet.

An update for Wands (version 1.4) is expected soon, with the team having previously revealed it a few months back. When those details arrive VRFocus will let you know.

May 29, 2018

Wands Developer Cortopia Studios Acquires Zenz VR

Cortopia Studios, the developer behind popular multi-platform, PVP title Wands has announced the creation of Cortopia Group. And with its creation Zenz VR has now been acquired and brought under the group’s umbrella.

HordeZ Screenshot

The acquisition brings Zenz VR’s three titles HordeZ, X-Fire VR, and Xion to the Cortopia Group as well as a fourth unnamed title currently in development. HordeZ came to HTC Vive in 2016, the first of Zenz VR’s VR projects. Currently available through Steam, followup titles X-Fire VR, and Xion are currently in Steam Early Access.

Wands has gone from strength to strength since its initial launch on Samsung Gear VR. The magical combat experience which pits players against one another across interactive battle arenas is available on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Google Daydream, Oculus Go and Lenovo Mirage Solo.

“Building on the success of our cross-platform VR title Wands, Cortopia Group is keeping a pulse on the top studios that fit our ambition for excellence in VR,” says Cortopia Group CEO, Andreas Skoglund in a statement. “Cortopia is an effective team of talented VR creators and have shown that we can develop incredible experiences that capture the hearts and minds of VR enthusiasts. We are thrilled to lend our support to Zenz VR to help them do what they do best, and to expand our studios influence in the industry.”

Xion

“Zenz VR is delighted to be joining Cortopia Group,” adds Niklas Persson, games industry veteran, founder and CEO of Zenz VR. “The Cortopia team has been very pleasant to work with and I am excited to continue as CEO of Zenz VR in this next exciting chapter for our company.”

While Zenz VR is working on a new VR project, Cortopia Studios continues to develop Wands, with patch 1.4 revealed in March. This will see character customisation options introduced as well as a whole new arena, new spells and a tutorial mode. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you posted.

May 29, 2018

HordeZ Studio Zenz VR Joins Wands Developer Cortopia

Stockholm-based Cortopia Studios is best known for its debut VR game, Wands, which set a high bar for VR experiences on mobile platforms with multiplayer spell casting. This month, though, Cortopia is announcing that it’s bringing another VR developer under its wing.

HordeZ creator Zenz VR has joined the studio after Cortopia acquired a 51% stake in it. As a result, Cortopia will be lending support to Zenz, which currently has two VR games in Early Access and is working on a fourth, unrevealed project. Speaking to UploadVR over email, Cortopia’s John Milburn noted that ZenzVR would continue to operate as before, though Cortopia would assist with “practical things” like marketing, for example.

Zenz’s first VR game was HordeZ, an on-rails arcade shooter that had you gunning down hordes of zombie-style enemies. Its follow-up, Xion, is a unique twist on the shoot-em’ up genre that has players building and steering a spaceship with their hands. X-Fire, meanwhile, is a new shooter with rogue-like elements that has you making your way through large levels. The studio is headed up by Niklas Persson, the creator of WW2 shooter, Codename: Eagle, which is widely regarded as a spiritual predecessor to the Battlefield series.

Over on Cortopia’s side, the studio is still working on updates for Wands, which recently landed on Oculus Go.

Tagged with: Cortopia Studios, Zenz VR