Sony Acquires VR Studio Insomniac Games
Sony has officially acquired the game developer Insomniac Games. The news was announced yesterday by PlayStation and it marked Sony’s first acquisition in years following the launch of its PixelOpus in the early 2010s.
Big news: @InsomniacGames is joining PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios! We are honored and thrilled to join forces with this legendary developer. Please join us in congratulating our friends and partners at Insomniac! pic.twitter.com/hhhqhxZE7k
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 19, 2019
The traditional game developer Insomniac Games has released a number of 2D titles along with several Oculus Rift games. Its project Stormland is probably one of the most ambitious VR efforts ever. Over its 25 years history, Insomniac Games has worked on multiple exclusive Sony titles and franchises including Resistance, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank as well as the critically-acclaimed Spider-Man which has sold over 13 million copies so far.
The acquisition therefore seems like a logical step for Sony given its 20 year partnership with the studio. It is not known how much Sony paid for the studio. Insomniac Games has gained a lot of experience over the years developing virtual reality games which fits well with Sony’s strong drive in embracing VR.
The studio developed several exclusive titles for the Rift platform such as The Unspoken, Feral Rites and Edge of Nowhere. Additionally, it is also working on Stormland which is one of the biggest virtual reality projects currently under development. The studio also developed the augmented reality botany simulation Seedling for the Magic Leap One AR glasses.
The acquisition will also bring a lot of XR experience onboard for Sony that could be beneficial in context of the PlayStation VR platform and any possible successor.
Stormland to Launch Soon as Planned
Insomniac Games’ Stormland is expected to hit the streets during the Christmas season this year for both the Oculus Rift and Oculus Rift S platforms. The studio confirmed this via a tweet posted Monday:-
Stormland is still coming to the Rift platform Holiday 2019. That is not changing.
— Stormland (@stormlandvr) August 19, 2019
It is not yet clear how the studio’s future PC VR games will look like. With the Sony acquisition, it is probably unlikely that the studio will continue developing games for the Rift platform. Maybe, with the acquisition, the Rift-exclusive titles may in the future appear on PSVR. Facebook has already expressed an interest in exchanging exclusive games with Sony.
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https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2019/08/21/sony-acquires-vr-studio-insomniac-games/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Insomniac-Games.pnghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Insomniac-Games-150×90.pngBusinessSonySony has officially acquired the game developer Insomniac Games. The news was announced yesterday by PlayStation and it marked Sony’s first acquisition in years following the launch of its PixelOpus in the early 2010s. https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1163526820265750529 The traditional game developer Insomniac Games has released a number of 2D titles along with several…Sam OchanjiSam Ochanjisochanji@yahoo.comAdministratorVirtual Reality Times
