All games announced at Facebook Connect: From Assassin's Creed to Walking Dead
What you need to know
- Facebook announced major AAA-quality titles for the Oculus platform at its annual Facebook Connect conference.
- A major partnership with Ubisoft is bringing titles like Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell to VR.
- Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest titles are included in today's announcement.
Today, Facebook announced the biggest-name VR titles ever made at its annual Facebook Connect event. While Facebook has begun to pivot away from the Rift hardware and toward only Oculus Quest hardware, it will still be supporting the Rift platform on the PC. Included with that support are several new titles from big-name franchises and publishers for both PC and Quest.
Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell
Assassin's Creed and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell are both coming to the Oculus platform. Ubisoft is using four of its internal studios to develop both games, including Ubisoft Red Storm, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Dusseldorf, and Ubisoft Mumbai. Facebook didn't specify if these titles were for the Quest or Rift platforms, and haven't announced a release date or trailers just yet.
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge was announced a few months back, but now we've finally gotten gameplay video from the Facebook Connect conference today. Tales from Galaxy's Edge launches this holiday season on the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 platforms exclusively.
You'll play as a droid repair technician that crash-landed on the planet Batuu, exploring the wilds of Batuu, the famous Blackspire Outpost. If Blackspire Outpost sounds familiar, that's because it's featured at the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme parks at Disneyworld Florida and Disneyland California. It's developed by the same team that brought us the excellent (but short) Vader Immortal trilogy, which is extremely exciting given the quality of those games.
Jurassic World Aftermath
Jurassic World Aftermath takes place two years after the fall of Jurassic World. Players will be heading back to Isla Nublar to collect some confidential research materials and, in true Jurassic fashion, crash-land on the island and are stranded in the ruins of the research facility. You'll be hunted by Velociraptors in your quest to escape the island with the documents and (hopefully) your life. Jurassic World Aftermath is exclusive to the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 and will be coming soon.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond has been in development for over three years by Respawn Entertainment and is finally making its way to PC VR platforms this December. A partnership between Oculus Studios and Respawn Entertainment, developers of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Titanfall, and Apex Legends, this VR-exclusive reboot of the Medal of Honor is making waves in more ways than one.
Aside from being the first major World War II shooter in VR, it's also the first time we're seeing an Oculus-exclusive launch on Steam and feature cross-play between platforms. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond launches December 11 on both the Oculus Rift store and, surprisingly, on Steam for all SteamVR-compatible headsets.
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Pistol Whip: 2089
Pistol Whip quickly became one of the best VR games ever when it was released last year on Oculus and Steam platforms. Following up on a year filled with tons of free content updates, the team at Cloudhead Games is debuting their first big paid-DLC, Pistol Whip: 2089. Coming this Holiday on Quest and Rift platforms (we'll double-check on PSVR and Steam releases too), Pistol Whip: 2089 brings players to, you guessed it, the year 2089 when a plague of killer androids have taken over an off-world colony. You, as the hero, are tasked with destroying them all to the tune of a killer synthwave-style soundtrack.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
While we have yet to see Quest gameplay, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is finally making its way to the Oculus Quest platform on October 13. The original release earlier this year on PC is still one of our favorite VR games this year, and the Quest port will finally give Quest-only players a reason to visit zombie-infested New Orleans. An action-heavy, physics-based combat system spans a 15-hour campaign full of original characters, and a compelling story, and tons of upgrades and secrets to find. It'll quench that zombie-killing craving just in time for Halloween.
Sniper Elite: VR
Sniper Elite: VR is another one of those games we haven't heard from in some time, but it's finally making its way to the Oculus Quest platform and Oculus Rift very soon. Sniper Elite VR takes the tried-and-true formula of the popular series and puts it where you've always wanted it: in VR. Set in Italy during World War II, you'll be attempting to liberate your homeland by taking out Nazis with your trusty sniper rifle. All the expected tactics like steady breathing, steady aim, and a well-timed trigger finger are needed to get through each level. It even includes a new way to see your kills in slow motion using the redesigned X-ray camera.
Population: One
Battle Royale is a hot genre right now, and Oculus platforms are getting their first exclusive entry with Population: One. Developed by BigBox VR and coming soon to both Oculus Rift and Oculus Quest platforms, Population: One focuses on a unique Vertical Combat System that the developer says is "only possible in VR." This gives players the ability to climb anything, fly anywhere, and fight at any time or place. BigBox VR plans on lots of in-game events and regular content updates to keep things fresh over time.
Beat Saber mutliplayer and BTS music pack
It's been a long, long time coming, but Beat Saber is finally getting that oft-wished-for multiplayer expansion pack on October 13, very uncoincidentally coinciding with the Oculus Quest 2 launch. Details are fairly light, but the trailer above clearly shows five players slashing blocks at the same time, likely playing until the last one is still slicing or whoever has the best score at the end of the song. On top of that, the world-famous South Korean boy-band BTS will be bringing its music to Beat Saber in November with 12 of their hottest songs. Multiplayer and the BTS music pack will be coming to all platforms that you can find Beat Saber on, including PSVR, Quest, Rift, and SteamVR.
Myst
If you're like me, it's been over 25 years since you last heard from the Myst franchise but still have lots of amazing memories of the original visual puzzle exploration game. A full remake is heading to the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 via the Oculus Store later this year. Explore the island of Myst as you never have before, with a world that's been rebuilt from the ground-up for VR.
The Climb 2
In a bit of a surprise announcement, the follow-up to the original rock-climbing VR game, The Climb 2, will be an Oculus Quest platform exclusive game. Building upon the vertigo-inducing original, The Climb 2 features 15 new areas to explore, including snowy peaks, desert cliffs, and even skyscrapers. Global events, online leaderboards, and more will be included. The Climb 2 is listed as coming soon.
Warhammer 40,000 Battle Sister
The world of Warhammer 40,000 comes exclusively to the Oculus Quest platform later this year in Warhammer 40,000 Battle Sister. Players will take the role of Sister Ophelia in this action-packed shooter by Pixel Toys. Wield heavy-duty guns, melee weapons of all kinds, and fight hundreds of enemies in Warhammer's first VR game.
Japanese developer partnership
Facebook took the time to talk about a partnership with several Japanese developers that will be bringing some beloved Japanese franchises exclusively to the Oculus Quest platform. Games like Rez: Infinite, Altdeus: Beyond Chronos, Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing, Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash!, Kizuna AI - Touch the Beat!, and Puzzle Bobble VR: Vacation Odyssey will be heading to the Quest and Quest 2 later this year, in most cases.
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If the Oculus Quest 2 is anything like the original Oculus Quest, it's going to be hard to find. Facebook has improved seemingly everything with the second-generation Oculus Quest, making this the VR console to get.
Nick started with DOS and NES and uses those fond memories of floppy disks and cartridges to fuel his opinions on modern tech. Whether it's VR, smart home gadgets, or something else that beeps and boops, he's been writing about it since 2011. Reach him on Twitter or Instagram @Gwanatu