While virtual reality has not quite caught on like many expected it to, there still is a dedicated market to the tech. Two of the biggest drivers of it so far has been Sony with their PSVR, and Facebook with their Oculus branch that has specialized in VR and have released multiple headsets on both the low and high end. Now, the latter has a showcase of what’s coming next.

The company announced on their official blog that the first ever Oculus Gaming Showcase will happen next week. Cloudhead Games, Ready At Dawn and ILMxLAB are all teased as being part of the event, as well as updates on Pistol Whip, Lone Echo 2, and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge.

The latest Oculus headset was the Oculus Quest 2 that released last year, an update to the company’s lower end and most accessible headset that was completely wireless. We’ll keep you updated on what news comes from the event.

Cyberpunk 2077

After numerous delays, Night City Wire episodes and seemingly insurmountable hype, Cyberpunk 2077 is definitely, assuredly, 99.9 percent for sure releasing this month. We hope. There’s a lot to look forward to, whether it’s choosing one of three Life Paths and pursuing the story or simply cruising around Night City, completing Scanner Hustles and interacting with the citizenry. There’s an extensive arsenal of weaponry, cyberware and daemons to experiment with, not to mention an entire world of Braindance to get lost in, all while conversing with Johnny Silverhand played by Keanu Reeves. Cyberpunk 2077 releases for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia on December 10^th. Hopefully.

Call of the Sea

Out of the Blue’s first person adventure title arrives next month, following the tale of Nora as she travels to a strange island in the South Pacific to locate her missing husband. Inspired by the works of Lovecraft, Call of the Sea focuses more on a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere as opposed to horror. Players explore locations, solve puzzles and take in the sights while piecing together the truth. Releasing on December 8^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC, Call of the Sea will also be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.

Chronos: Before The Ashes

Before one was traveling to different dimensions and dodge-rolling with firearms, there was the labyrinth. Set before Remnant: From the Ashes, Chronos: Before the Ashes sees players venturing into said labyrinth and defeating the evils within. The twist is that dying results in expulsion, which means returning a year later. Thus do players begin their journey as a spry, Souls-like adventurer before having to rely on their wits and magic to survive as they mature over the years. Chronos: Before the Ashes is out on December 1^st for Xbox One, PS4, PC, Google Stadia and Nintendo Switch.

Empire of Sin

Travel back in time to the Prohibition era, where syndicates and mob bosses battled it out for reign over Chicago. As a strategy title, Empire of Sin is all about recruiting gang members and expanding an empire, dipping into all kinds of illegal activities while evading the law. Other gangs will want a piece of you though, and when negotiations and deception fail, a turn-based strategy combat system lets you deal threats. With numerous perks and traits for characters, resource management and gang warfare, Empire of Sin looks to be a nice change of pace for publisher Paradox Interactive. It’s out on December 1^st for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Twin Mirror

Developed by a separate team at the Life is Strange studio, Twin Mirror is ultimately a tale of mystery and duality. It sees Sam, an investigative journalist, returning to his hometown in Basswood, West Virginia. Things aren’t what they seem though, and the player will interact with various towns-folk, deciding who to trust, while dealing with The Double, Sam’s “inner voice.” That also means investigating different events and piecing together clues with the unique “Mind Palace” while questioning the truth. Twin Mirror is out on December 1^st for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond

In the midst of new IPs, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is a familiar sight for long-time fans. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, it’s a VR title for Oculus Rift and Steam VR that sees players venturing through Europe at the height of World War 2. Afterwards, it may be worth watching interviews with veterans who experienced the conflict and learning more. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond could be a dark horse when it launches on December 11^th.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

In the midst of more “serious” offerings like Watch Dogs: Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Immortals Fenyx Rising is much less heavy material for Ubisoft. It sees a Greek soldier named Fenyx washing ashore off the Golden Isle and battling the titan Typhon to rescue the Pantheon. While exploring the lush, colorful world and battling mythical foes, players will also deal with Prometheus and Zeus as narrators, each offering their own take on events and humorously clashing. Immortals Fenyx Rising is out on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Google Stadia, PC and Switch on December 3^rd.

Haven

A co-op RPG about two lovers exploring a strange world isn’t quite what you’d expect from the team behind the twitch-based Furi. Nevertheless, The Game Bakers’ Haven has looked appealing since day one, focusing on the struggles of Yu and Kay as they scavenge for parts, battle the local wildlife and cook meals. Will their quest for freedom and love ultimately win out? We’ll find out when Haven launches December 3^rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Switch.

MXGP 2020

With many of the big-name racers out of the way this year, MXGP 2020 looks to round things out in its usual fashion. Sporting bikes and riders from more than 110 brands, while offering a track editor and dedicated servers for online play, the title is certainly looking to improve on past experiences. If previous games are any indication, it could end up being another solid racing title. Releasing on December 16^th, MXGP 2020 is coming to previous and current gen consoles along with PC.

Override 2: Super Mech League

Big mech battles are back with Override 2: Super Mech League. It features 20 robots with all kinds of over-the-top abilities and customization for players to mess around with. A new Career Mode allows for earning influence for one’s Club and taking on all challenges. Local and online multiplayer for up to four players also returns with modes like Free for All, Xenoswarm, King of the Hill and more. Battle it out on December 22^nd when Override 2 launches on Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

While the VR tech has not quite reached the heights some may have hoped, it is still evolving and some companies have a vested interest in helping it get to where it needs to be. One of those is Facebook with their Oculus headsets, and today they announced two big names coming to bolster their library.

As announced in their Facebook Connect event earlier today, a VR game in both the Assassin’s Creed series as well as a new Splinter Cell will come to Oculus devices. While Assassin’s Creed is an active franchise obviously, this will be the first solo Splinter Cell title in quite some time since Blacklist back in 2013.

No details were given about the games, even what time frame to expect them in, but we’ll most likely learn more about both as it gets closer to release. Odds are we probably should not expect traditional experiences from either and more those tailored to VR. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

The popularity of virtual reality titles is a bit hard to gauge but that doesn’t mean certain developers aren’t doing well for themselves. Take Superhot VR, virtual reality version of Superhot Team’s innovative first person shooter. According to VR consultant Callum Underwood, who is also director of special projects at Superhot Team, the shooter has grossed over two million dollars in just seven days.

The sales account for all platforms that the game is available on. PlayStation VR numbers are still an estimate but Underwood noted that IndieBI analysts were “confident”. All in all, it’s a pretty strong showing for a title that released in December 2016.

It’s also good news for upcoming VR titles like Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx which launches in March 2020. The title is free for Valve Index owners and the hardware subsequently selling out following the game’s announcement. Could this signal the technology becoming even more popular, if not spurring more VR projects from Valve? Time will tell so stay tuned.

https://twitter.com/DevRelCallum/status/1211284629031915520

(Note that PSVR is an estimate as we won’t get numbers till next year, but our IndieBI analysts are confident!).

— Callum UwUnderwood (@DevRelCallum) December 29, 2019

Virtual Reality is still very much a budding medium that’s still finding its footing. While Sony’s PlayStation VR has set the biggest foot forward, no doubt, the Oculus Quest has been quite a boon as well. It’s not only the cheapest high end VR option out there, it’s entirely wireless. Even though its specs are somewhat on the lower end due to that, it still feels like the future knocking on our door. And next year it will feel even more so as the Quest will get hand-tracking.

Oculus announced today that the Quest will get a free update at some point next year that will include new hands-tracking technology. That means that you can actually play the quest with no controller or other peripherals. How much that will be utilized by developers remains to be seen, but it is quite the leap forward just to use that ability.

The Oculus Quest is available now. The update that will add the hands-tracking tech is slated to go live sometime in 2020.

You may not know it, but there’s a bit of a platform exclusive war going on right now. I’m not talking about all the stuff with the Epic Games Store (because that’s something anyone reading this right now knows about)- I’m talking about VR. PlayStation VR has been the premier VR device thanks to its attachment to the PS4. While there has been a lot of PC options for VR, none have taken off in the same way yet, leaving a lot of exclusives on PSVR. Now, though, Facebook is shaking up the field with their Oculus headsets. Not only have they made some of the cheapest entry options yet, they are creating their own walled garden of exclusive games- but they’re maybe willing to trade, whatever that means.

In an interview with Kotaku, Oculus boss Jason Rubin talked about the company’s plan going forward with VR. When asked about exclusives, he said, “I would love to make a trade with Sony. You know they have great stuff that they funded, and we have great stuff we’ve funded.”

It’s not clear exactly what he means there by a trade, whether he’s being literal in the sense of trading one game for another, or if it’s just his way of saying he’s open to less exclusives in general. Either way, I’m going to make a wild guess here and say that neither will probably happen, but I guess you never know.

We’ve been waiting for the return of Sam Fisher for a good while, and it seems like we’re constantly getting teased with it to just come up short. Well, a new report claims that a new Splinter Cell is coming, alongside a brand new Assassin’s Creed, in an unexpected way.

According to a report by The Information, Mark Zuckerberg himself is pushing to have more exclusives to the Oculus VR storefront (Facebook owns Oculus, if you weren’t aware), and that’s resulted in some new exclusives for the Oculus from both of those legendary stealth franchises. Whether those will be completely original titles, older titles retrofitted into VR or VR modes for upcoming titles isn’t clarified.

We’re filing this under rumor for now due to the, as of now, unverified source of the information. It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility when you consider the scope and wealth of Facebook, so maybe Sam Fisher will finally show himself again soon.

Respawn Entertainment is no doubt a busy developer nowadays. Not only are they working on the first major single player title for one of the biggest franchises in the world, they’re also running an ongoing battle royale game that’s built to last for as long as possible. But that’s not all. Very soon, we’ll be seeing another game from them, and for this one you’ll need a headset.

You may not recall, but way back in 2017 it was announced that Respawn had partnered with Oculus to release an “AAA” game for their VR headsets. Not a peep about that has been said since, until now. In the announcement post for the upcoming Oculus Connect 6 event (or OC6), it was confirmed that an “AAA first-person VR combat experience” from the two companies will be there.

Whether or not this will be related to Titanfall or Apex Legends in some way or if it will be a totally original IP is unknown- or even if it’ll be VR-only, or more of an optional thing. While some big games have tackled VR, no one yet has allotted a full AAA budget to a VR-only title. CO6 will take place September 25-26th, so we might be seeing the first then.

Respawn Entertainment recently announced at the Oculus Connect event that it will be partnering with Oculus to develop a “super secret” VR game to release sometime in 2019. As a first person action title, CEO Vince Zampella talked about how it would focus on creating a realistic war experience. So it’s not related to Titanfall or Star Wars but will instead be a new franchise. Check out the official announcement video below.

CEO Vince Zampella noted that, “At Respawn, it’s about creating an authentic experience. We really want to depict being a soldier in combat in a more fully fleshed-out and realistic way. The combat experience in VR really gives you the chance to experience life closer to what a soldier would experience in real combat. It gives you more of that feeling of paranoia, and tension.”

How will this affect the development of the next Titanfall game, if it’s indeed being planned? That remains to be seen. Respawn is also working on a new action title set in the Star Wars universe.

GamingBolt spoke to CEO, programmer and writer Andrea Farid Marsili about Unknown Fate, how it compares to other contemporary adventure titles and the potential that VR could hold for the future.

"We’re being inspired by many genres and, at the same time, we’re trying to differentiate our title as much as possible."

Unknown Fate seems to be tackling some rather philosophically heavy themes- what prompted you to want to explore these with a video game?

Good Question. I could have written a book, or a comics but with video games things are different because the end users are not “receiving” something but they are actually a part of it. Develop a video game is a real challenge: you must take care of music, cameras, gamers’ thoughts and a lot of other hidden things. This is why, according to me, video games are probably one of the most interesting media for both the creative team and the user.

Adventure games have seen a revival in recent times, with Telltale’s games, as well as other titles such as King’s Quest and Life is Strange. From a gameplay perspective, how are you going to differentiate your game from the ones already on the market?

We’re being inspired by many genres and, at the same time, we’re trying to differentiate our title as much as possible. I hope we’ve managed to do that, but in the end it’s up to the gamers to answer this question.

Narratively, this appears to be a very rich setting you have here- is this something you plan on exploring in the future with a sequel, or another game set in this universe? Or are you focused on just telling this game’s story for now?

Our main goal now is to get this game done. But we actually have ideas in our mind for a couple of new titles which will be connected with Unknown Fate…

Can you please some of the gameplay mechanics? Will the player have access to some sort of powers and abilities?

Unknown Fate gameplay will be pretty unique. The gamer will be a part of an amazing adventure rich of evocative places with a rich and complex story, without penalizing the core gameplay. Yes, there will be some special powers and abilities that will help the player interact with the surrounding world, solve puzzles and even defeat enemies.

"What’s 100% sure is that the VR version of the game will be a REAL VR version and not just the game played with a VR headset."

Are there any unlockable skills or any progression system?

Yes, the player will obtain different powers throughout the game but there won’t be any skill progression or things like that. There will be various important objects to collect in order to… well, that would be a spoiler, so I can’t answer, sorry.

What is the expected playtime? How long is the game going to last?

This is not something I can answer now since we’re still working on some of the worlds and the features of the game, but I think it will last around four to five hours. It will of course depend on the players, and how they choose to play and if they decide to uncover all the hidden content as well.

Unknown Fate will be coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC- what are the differences between the three versions of the game?

There won’t be any difference in the game across platforms. We will add support for the PS4 touchpad but using it won’t change the overall game experience. What’s 100% sure is that the VR version of the game will be a REAL VR version and not just the game played with a VR headset. There will be some minor design changes, but we will share more info in the future.

Is there any chance that it could be coming to other platforms in the future? Possibly on the Nintendo NX?

Everything is possible and I would love to see Unknown Fate on Nintendo NX.

Is the game going to run at 1080p and 60fps on PS4 and Xbox One?

We only have Xbox One Dev-Kit (PS4 Dev-Kit should arrive soon) at our studio and the game is running at SOLID 60FPS at 1080p on MAX settings so I can’t see a reason for it to not run smoothly on PS4 too.

"In my opinion PS5 and the next Xbox will have some modularity like interchangeable CPU/GPU. Anyway I don’t think that the current consoles are weak."

What are your thoughts on the upcoming developments in the gaming industry? VR, PlayStation 4 NEO and Xbox One Scorpio, Nintendo’s NX- as a developer and a player, what is your take on them?

I’m a gamer, a collector and a developer. I LOVE this industry and being part of this world is just amazing. I’m really excited about VR, even though we still need to find the right way for VR games to be made. And this is something that I, as a developer, do understand and relate to. It is not easy to develop a good game (I don’t like the made-for-Youtube games) for this technology and it’s something we’re dealing with when working on Unknown Fate.

I know too much about NEO and Scorpio to share my opinion, but I don’t want to break any NDA, sorry. I can talk about Nintendo NX since I don’t have a single info about this new platform. There are many exciting rumors which will probably turn out to be real. A home-portable console is really interesting and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m personally worried about the Tegra chip, but I trust Nintendo.

Do you think iterative consoles are going to become a mainstay of the console market, or are they just a one off thing, given how weak the consoles were this generation?

I don’t think that this is going to be the future. In my opinion PS5 and the next Xbox will have some modularity like interchangeable CPU/GPU. Anyway I don’t think that the current consoles are weak. The real problem is that people always want more and they want it now, they can’t and don’t want to wait. This is why we see 10 GB patches on day one.

As developers, what are your thoughts on being given two more SKUs to develop for (NEO AND SCORPIO), suddenly? Especially given that the promise of development on a console is a standard spec to always target through a generation?

Fortunately both SCORPIO and NEO didn’t ruin our work. There are some prerequisites but nothing to worry about.

What can we expect from you next?

You saw like the 1% of Unknown Fate but we will release a lot of interesting stuff in the next months!