Virtual reality is the creation of a virtual environment that is presented to our senses in such a way that we experience it as if we really were there. To achieve this goal, it uses a host of technologies and is a technically complex feature that must account for our perception and cognition.
Facebook aims to build on its 2019 VR hardware launches with an investment in software for virtual reality.
Facebook today announced it has acquired Bay Area VR studio Sanzaru Games, the developer of “Asgard’s Wrath,” considered by many enthusiasts to be one of the best games in the Oculus Rift. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the studio will continue to operate its U.S. and Canadian offices with “the vast majority” of employees coming on board after the acquisition, Facebook says.
It has both entertainment and uses which are serious. The technology is getting cheaper and broader. We can expect to see many more innovative uses for the technology in the future and perhaps a fundamental way we can communicate and work with thanks to the virtual reality possibilities.
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A total of four titles for the Oculus Rift have been created by the 13-year-old game studio, including “Asgard’s Wrath” and “Marvel Powers United VR,” both at least partially funded by Oculus Studios. Sanzaru has also made a number of console and mobile systems titles, releasing games structured around their own IP alongside licensed property titles such as Sonic and Spyro.
Following the acquisition of Beat Games by Facebook in November, the purchase of the Sanzaru Games showcases the continued interest of Facebook in supporting and aligning VR game studios with their interests while allowing them to operate independently. While the “Beat Saber” of Beat Games was considered a more mass-market title, the “Asgard’s Wrath” of Sanzaru represented a play to court serious gamers with a longer first-person adventure title.
