There were plenty of new VR game announcements that slipped into Google’s Daydream presentation at the I/O developer conference earlier today, but one in particular from CCP Games caught our attention.
That game is Gunjack Next, which appeared as a logo in the Daydream Home section. Upon first glimpse, you might think this would be an expanded take on the first EVE: Gunjack, which hit Gear VR in November 2016 and arrived on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive this year, with a PlayStation VR version still to come. Surprisingly, that’s not the case; Gunjack Next is actually the codename for a full sequel to the original, and it’s coming to Daydream exclusively.
CCP itself confirmed as much following the game’s tease. Gunjack Next is once again developed by CCP Games’ Shanghai Studio and is said to take advantage of all of the new features found in Daydream. We’ve had it confirmed to us that this means full support for the new motion controller that also made its debut today. Perhaps this time around we’ll be using our hands to aim instead of our heads?
It’s going to launch this fall, just like the Daydream ecosystem itself, so it’s quite possible that this will be one of the day one titles for the platform. “When we heard the details about Google’s Daydream platform, we knew immediately that we wanted to be involved,” said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP. “We think the power Google is bringing to the table with Daydream, coupled with our experience creating high-quality and expectations-busting VR games will be a potent combination.”
The first Gunjack still ranks as one of Gear VR’s best, even if it might pale in comparison to the likes of EVE: Valkyrie on more advanced VR HMDs. Set in CCP’s ever-popular EVE universe, you defend a mining vessel from incoming attacks by manning a turret and taking down threats that approach in waves. The developer hasn’t spoken about how it will expand on this with the sequel, though CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson did note that, as soon as the team head of Daydream, “we knew immediately that we wanted to be involved.”
Expect to see more of Gunjack Next – including an official title – as the year goes on.
