Facebook Reportedly Signs Deal for Assassin’s Creed & Splinter Cell VR Exclusives
Securing videogame exclusives can be a ruthless business, seen as a key factor for promoting platforms over rivals. Microsoft has been doing so recently – and making a big shout about it – acquiring The Mage’s Tale developer inXile Entertainment in 2018. The same goes in the world of virtual reality (VR) with Facebook/Oculus funding numerous titles for the platform. Now it seems Facebook is going further, seeking to purchase studios and inking deals for VR exclusives of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.
According to a new report by The Information, Facebook has been looking to bolster the lineup of titles for its Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest headsets by acquiring big-name franchises, supposedly already signing deals for the aforementioned videogames.
Reportedly, the initiative is being led by Jason Rubin, who was recently appointed as VP of Special Gaming Initiatives. The plan is to attract more customers to the VR platforms using these franchises, which may work with traditional videogame fans. Oculus already has several dedicated VR exclusives including the Lone Echo series, Stormland and this month’s Defector.
“The response to Oculus Quest and Rift S gaming has been incredible,” an Oculus spokesperson told the website. “We cannot comment on specific partnerships, but we will continue to focus on expanding our library and reaching broader gaming audiences for years to come.”
Facebook will also want to continue the momentum started by the launch of Oculus Quest, which by all accounts is doing well. Oculus has never released any concrete sales figures when it comes to its devices (unlike SIE’s PlayStation VR), but sales of the standalone headset since 21st May have apparently exceeded the company’s internal sales projections. The only public hint of how well Oculus Quest had been received came from Facebook’s VP of AR/VR Andrew Bosworth when he reportedly said that in the first two weeks $5 million USD of content had been sold.
Unlike the Valve Index which is aimed towards the top end of the market, Oculus Quest has a lot riding on its shoulders as the best entry into the VR space, with no PC or wires to worry about. As further details come to light regarding Facebook’s acquisitions, VRFocus will let you know.
https://www.vrfocus.com/2019/07/facebook-reportedly-signs-deal-for-assassins-creed-splinter-cell-vr-exclusives/
