You might not know Mike Wilson by name, but you've doubtless heard about one of the many gaming companies he's founded over the years, particularly Devolver Digital. His new venture, Realize Music: Sing, is a bit more outside the conventional gaming sphere.
Partnering with Mark Roemer, their pitch is certainly swinging for the fences. On paper, the pitch for Realize Music: Sing is a “singing-for-wellness app” that promises a merging of rhythm game, meditative self-care, and VR sensibilities. The app is launching for the Meta Quest platform on January 23rd, 2025.
As explained in the app's official announcement, Realize Music: Sing promises access to “more than 1 million songs" following agreements with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. The music library will be updated on a weekly basis, and the project is subscription-based with an introductory discount of $9.99 per month or $99.99 for an annual sub.
In the app, players will “engage with dynamic visuals that respond to your singing, creating a deeply immersive experience where your voice shapes the world around you.” You will also have the chance to personalize your environment and experience by selecting different settings and visual themes, while engaging in other interactive activities.
For Wilson in particular, this focus on therapeutic app development has been a priority for some time. Despite distancing himself from DeepWell DTx back in May, the studio was also formed to explore such topics, as with their breath-centric rail-shooter game Zengence: Take Aim with Every Breath.
With Realize Music: Sing, you'll be able to create your own community playlists to quickly look through an array of albums. There will be drumming and painting mechanics, with the painting in particular offering various ways to express one's self visually amid each song.
The gameplay space will react and grow more lively as the player's singing grows closer to the intended delivery, though it's emphasized that having fun is more important than being pitch-perfect. On the topic of not leaving others out, Realize Music: Sing will be first launching on Meta Quest with subsequent releases planned on Apple, Samsung, PS VR2 devices and flatscreen media.
It's an ambitious plan. Music and rhythm games have done well in VR, though few have tried for the scale being promised. Even Guitar Hero at its height struggled to maintain so many licenses, let alone the Dance Central VR spin-off game. Be sure to keep an eye out for our further coverage on Realize Music: Sing soon.
