VR Games are Becoming the Norm; Here’s What Happens Next
Having started Resolution Games in 2015, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of today’s modern VR industry since its inception. When we launched, the only mass-market device available relied on your phone and a few cleverly folded pieces of cardboard. Today, a mere seven years later, the world’s leading tech companies are selling millions of devices each year, with the number of devices continuing to grow exponentially.
With the industry as firmly established as it is today, game developers are collectively coming to an understanding of what works and what doesn’t for VR games. Gone are the early days where gimmicks and experimentation were the norm. Now truly compelling gaming experiences that just happen to be in VR are readily available.
So where do we go from here?
The End of VR Games
Don’t let the headline fool you. Games on VR platforms aren’t going anywhere. What should disappear, however, is the notion that games that debut in VR are just “VR games.” Like it or not, because of the industry’s earlier, less-polished days, there are still misconceptions about what VR looks like today. As an industry, we need to come together to start dispelling these misconceptions by reaching out to those that have been VR-resistant.
The best way to do that is by finding the right way to showcase the incredible games they could be playing, regardless of their VR status.
Find the Future by Looking to the Past
Prior to the founding of Resolution Games, I spent a number of years as part of the mobile games industry – and what’s happened in mobile since that time provides a rather interesting case study for VR gamemakers to consider.
Both industries started with a great deal of public excitement. They both debuted with unique gimmicks that took advantage of the hardware and demonstrated what set it apart (don’t forget – there was a time when drinking a beer with your iPhone was all the rage!) Both have also gone through a maturation period to figure out what works best, what doesn’t, and what audiences really want the most.
Today on mobile, the answer is simple: gamers want games. Yes, “mobile” games still have their place, but what core gaming audiences have been continually drawn to are full, traditional gaming experiences that are adapted appropriately, and with minimal sacrifice, for a convenient gaming platform that fits in your pocket. One only needs to look at massive cross-play experiences like Fortnite and Genshin Impact that can be started on your home console or desktop and continued on your phone to understand the appeal. Hit franchises like Call of Duty and League of Legends have even learned this lesson, creating mobile-first experiences that look, feel, and play exactly as fans on more traditional platforms are expecting.
In short, the games that are hits on mobile today aren’t “mobile games.” They’re just “games.” This is where we think VR games could be heading – and much faster than we saw with mobile.
Changing Hearts & Minds 101
While I’ve pointed to major franchises, you don’t need a hit outside of VR to be taken seriously. Just be sure to look outside of VR to better understand what is working in the wider gaming world, and how you can recreate that to broaden your appeal to a wider audience.
There are countless paths to consider and explore on this journey, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ve shared three examples below of efforts we’re making at Resolution Games:
Go Multiplatform. This is probably the most obvious opportunity to reach a new audience, and for good reason. If your game is genuinely fun inside a headset, is there a way it could be just as fun outside of it? Demeo was incredibly well received when it debuted in VR – but we designed it knowing that its appeal could reach well beyond our current audience. We recently launched our first ever non-VR release with Demeo: PC Edition. Not only does this help us reach a wider market, but it lets our VR players invite their friends into the fun. Players really are your very best ambassadors!
Embrace Collab Culture. Everyone from Adidas to McDonald’s has learned the power of good cross-brand collaboration – and non-VR games like Fortnite have seemingly built empires on the ability to work with beloved pop culture properties. This can work just as well in VR as it does everywhere else. We’ve just launched our first effort here, partnering with our friends at Fast Travel Games to bring the Cyber Bow from their adventure Apex Construct into our 1v1 dueling game Blaston.
Become a Spectator Sport. People love to watch games on Twitch and YouTube, but for streamers, VR presents a unique set of problems. There aren’t widely adopted tools yet to make recording VR content consistently comfortable to watch – though things are getting better on this front. Until there’s consensus on the best way to approach this, why not offer your own solutions? As I write this, we are currently readying the launch of Blaston Spectator, a free desktop app that provides content creators with broadcast tools. Borne from our own internal video creation efforts, Blaston Spectator makes it easy to watch Blaston matches on any device – and that’s something we think will be incredibly helpful as Blaston dives deeper into the world of VR esports this year.
As the audience for VR grows, the ability to reach audiences needs to grow with it. If you look beyond current users, you might just have a game that goes on the wishlist for every new user when they step into their first headset.
