Given the likely low install base of most VR headsets right now, it’s rare to see a game get even close to 1 million players, let alone pass that milestone.
Resolution Games, however, has. Last year this new studio, formed by ex-Candy Crush Saga developer Tommy Palm, put out its second VR game, Bait!, as a free-to-play title for Oculus and Samsung’s Gear VR. Since its launch in March we’ve charted the game’s impressive performance closely: it passed half a million downloads by June and 700,000 downloads by August.
Bait! is a colorful, accessible fishing game, set on a tropical island on which players catch exotic, imaginative aquatic wildlife. It’s not designed to be a simulation like other fishing games but instead be a breezy title that anyone can get into. Clearly, that approach is working for Resolution Games.
The game’s latest figures arrive not too far behind Samsung announcing that there are now five million Gear VR owners in the world, suggesting the title is on at least a fifth of those devices by now. It’s not the only VR game with success to celebrate this week; VR zombie shooter Arizona Sunshine also announced it had amassed $1.4 million in sales.
Now that Bait! has passed the million milestone, Resolution is announcing its release on Google Daydream.
Interestingly, the developer is charging $7.99 for the experience this time around. What’s notable is Resolution’s third game, Wonderglade, hit the platform at launch as another free-to-play title. Palm confirmed to UploadVR that the new version of the game won’t include any in-app purchases.
“Resolution Games absolutely believes in the F2P model,” Palm said. “This was more a decision based on continuing to experiment with different models as we have since we launched our first game. We’ve launched free games, games with IAP and games where you can purchase new content (referring to the lake level in Bait! on Gear VR) and all are doing very well. Bait! Has over a million players and Wonderglade is the highest rated game on Daydream.”
When asked if this move was an indication if Wonderglade might be under performing, Palm replied: “It’s no secret that F2P is best done with a more mature market, but it’s still a valid approach at the moment just like anything else. We still very much believe in F2P and look forward to continuing to experiment with F2P.”
Bait! on Daydream comes with support for the Daydream motion controller, allowing players to cast and reel in fish with a touch more realism than they’d experience with the touchpad on Gear VR. Other than that, we’re expecting this to be a simple port from one ecosystem to the other.
