Starbreeze to Focus on Core Business Which Doesn’t Include VR
Payday 2 VR creator Starbreeze AB hasn’t been having a good time of late, filing for reconstruction due to poor sales of Overkill’s The Walking Dead and seeing CEO Bo Andersson step down. Today, further details have now emerged with the company stipulating how it plans to turn fortunes around, which could see its virtual reality (VR) aspirations die.
In a press statement, the company has decided to focus on the group’s core business: internal game development and publishing. Seeing that Starbreeze AB states in its company synopsis that: “Operations are organized in three business areas: Starbreeze Games for own game development, Publishing, and VR Tech for technology development including the StarVR venture.” It would seem that the VR Tech side of the business will be dropped completely.
”We’re now focusing the business towards a portfolio consisting of a mix of internally developed games and publishing titles. We are humble for the task at hand, but our aim to build a qualitative company in the entertainment industry still stands, and the existing portfolio provides a good platform for our first-class teams,” said Mikael Nermark, Acting CEO.
“Our shift to core enables a larger focus on our internal talents and teams, whilst improving internal organizational and development processes,” adds said Stephane Decroix, Chief Development Officer. “Innovation and quality, and further on to deliver the best experiences for our players, will be our main goal in this process.”
It might not all be bad news when it comes to VR, with Starbreeze AB looking to sell its interests: “For the part that does not belong to the core business, the company will immediately initiate a process to find collaborations with external parties to secure that these operations develop in a positive way,” a statement reads.
How much StarVR Corporation and its StarVR One headset will be affected is unclear, as Acer holds the controlling share. The StarVR Developer Program has been put on indefinite hold currently, so there’s going to be no chance of any studios getting their hands on one. As this story unfolds, VRFocus will keep you updated.
https://www.vrfocus.com/2018/12/starbreeze-to-focus-on-core-business-which-doesnt-include-vr/
