As Iceland-based CCP Games shutters its VR efforts, it looks like the studio has one more release to get out the door.
The studio is launching its Tron-like VR sport Sparc [Review 8/10) for Rift and Vive on Nov. 16, supporting cross-play against players who already have the game for PlayStation VR headsets. The game is expected to sell for around $20 on the Oculus Store and Steam.
The premise of the game is to use motion controllers to toss shots at an opponent across the court and dodge or deflect incoming ones. There are solo challenges as well players can use to practice and an area for spectating matches while waiting for the next game to start.
Though leadership at CCP Games still believes in VR, earlier this week reports emerged the creator of EVE Online was ceasing its efforts into VR development until the market matures more. Many pioneering team members who developed some of VR’s earliest and biggest titles, including EVE: Valkyrie, are now looking for new jobs.
Sparc is positioned as a VR sport, much like Sony’s robot game RIGS, which also saw its studio closed at the start of the year. It makes sense why some developers think competitive games in VR make for great sports because the active body movements involved means there’s a lot of physical skill involved while also making for eye-catching spectating. But unlike the millions who play games like League of Legends or DOTA 2 there is little built-in audience, and a relatively small player base of VR headset owners can mean you’ll always be playing the same people when you get to the higher tiers of any game. Sparc, like EVE: Valkyrie before it, represents an attempt to fix one of those problems by allowing people PSVR, Rift and Vive to play against one another.
