Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Meta Connect 2022 took place on Tuesday morning, giving VR enthusiasts a look at what the future of virtual reality on Facebook platforms holds. Many of the big announcements that came in focused on the Meta Quest line of VR. They were mostly about new games, but Meta also had its eye on the future. Shacknews is here with a recap of everything you might have missed.
Formerly a PlayStation VR exclusive, Marvel's Iron Man VR is now making the jump to Meta Quest 2 as part of a deal between Meta, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Marvel Games. We enjoyed what we saw of the game prior to its 2019 release and now players can enjoy it outside of the PlayStation ecosystem. Look for Marvel's Iron Man VR to come to Meta Quest on Thursday, November 3.
Population: One was a big hit when it first released two years ago. The team at BigBox VR is far from finished with its breakout battle royale hit, as players can now expect to see a new Sandbox mode. This opens the door to new user-generated content, where players can toy with the game's various assets and biomes.
BigBox VR hopes the new Sandbox will be a big hit for both creators and users alike, as the developer is promising an intuitive way to discover new creations. Look for Population: One's Sandbox to be available in a December update.
As promised earlier this year, the collaboration between Innersloth, Schell Games, and Robot Teddy that takes gaming phenomenon Among Us to virtual reality is ready for its late 2022 release window. On Tuesday, viewers were treated to a new launch trailer to coincide with pre-orders opening up. Among Us VR will release on Thursday, November 10 for $9.99 USD. Pre-orders are up and running on the Oculus website with a Mini Crewmate hat available as an incentive.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners was one of our favorite VR titles of 2020 and we were pleasantly surprised to hear that a second chapter was on its way. Anticipation for its release only grew after we went hands-on with it earlier this year. It's almost time to head back to New Orleans, as Skydance Interactive's encore effort now has a release date. Look for The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2 Retribution to release on Meta Quest 2 on Thursday, December 1.
However, that wasn't the only news to come from Skydance Interactive.
With The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2 ready to release, that game's development team is moving on to its next project. There isn't a lot that's known about Behemoth, other than what's shown off in the trailer embed above. The most intriguing known fact is that it's a survival game that's being developed from the ground up with VR in mind. Expect to learn more about Behemoth in the months ahead.
One of the most eye-opening announcements involves a partnership between Meta and Microsoft. This will bring Xbox Cloud Gaming (and Xbox Game Pass, by extension) to the Meta Quest Store. Check out our full story for more information.
Beyond what's coming to Meta Quest in its immediate future, Meta Connect also revealed what's in the future for the platform. Oculus Studios continues to add to its talent pool. Camouflaj, developers of Marvel's Iron Man VR, will join Oculus Studios for a new title. Twisted Pixel, known for various classic Xbox Live Arcade titles and also VR hits Wilson's Heart and Path of the Warrior, is also working on an unrevealed project. Lastly, Armature Studio is currently hard at work on a new mystery game. Their most recent effort was Resident Evil 4 VR, which Meta noted made $2 million USD in its first 24 hours on the Quest Store.
Expect more information about these new games down the road.
There's a lot that we've been aiming to cover with Tuesday's Meta Connect 2022 presentation. Be sure to follow Shacknews as we keep up with the latest on Meta's VR endeavors.