Ever since its initial release in 2018, the rhythm-based, indie VR title, ‘Beat Saber’ has become a success, selling over 1 million copies, being ported to multiple devices, collaborating with mainstream artists, and winning various awards. Facebook announced yesterday that they would be acquiring the studio behind the game, with ‘Beat Games’ joining “Oculus Studios as an independently operated studio in Prague, continuing to create new ways for people to experience music and VR gaming”.
Making the announcement on their blog, Oculus’ Director of Content, Mike Verdu, said: “Today we’re announcing that Beat Games is joining us in our quest to bring VR to more people around the world”, clarifying that “Most importantly, what the community has come to love about Beat Saber will remain intact. Beat Games will continue to ship content and updates for Beat Saber across all currently supported platforms, now with even more support from Facebook”.
He believes that “there is so much more that can be done across VR, games, and music. They (Beat Games) have only scratched the surface with Beat Saber in terms of social features, new modes, music, and more. We are thrilled to join forces to see where this talented team takes VR gaming in the future”.
The blog post also preemptively answered a number of questions pertaining to the acquisition. They confirmed that previously announced features such as the 360 degree mode, as well as new music, will arrive by the end of the year. Oculus devices will not receive special treatment or early access to content, when compared to the other devices such as PSVR.
They also confirmed that “The Beat Games team will operate the same way they have to date as an independent studio, and they’ll continue to work on Beat Saber across all currently supported platforms”.
What this means for any future games from Beat Games is unknown, but it appears that with regards to Beat Saber, things will remain mostly the same, despite the acquisition.
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KitGuru says: What do you think of this acquisition? Is Facebook buying Beat Games good or bad in your eyes? What game would you like to see next from the studio? Let us know down below.