Facebookis one of the largest social media platforms in the world, but it also has its fingers in many pies. The company purchased Oculus in 2014, becoming a premier outlet for virtual reality gaming in the process - thoughFacebook has been investigated for blocking competitionby the US Department of Justice. Even so it continues to ramp up production on VR tech and games, with Oculus recently announcing developer Downpour Interactive is joining the Facebook family.
Former Oculus chief technology officer John Carmack said Facebook acquiring the VR company was a good thing earlier this year, and it’s not hard to see why. TheOculus Quest 2 headset became its best-selling model by a significant marginafter releasing in October 2020, and the first-ever Oculus Gaming Showcase took place last month with announcements from a number of developers working on franchises that includeStar Wars,The Walking Dead, andResident Evil.
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Downpour Interactive formed in 2015 and launched the multiplayer military shooter Onward in 2016, “long before social became a breakout VR trend” according to the April 30 acquisition announcement on Oculus Blog. Oculus says the entire Downpour Interactive team will join Oculus Studios “in some capacity,” and it will continue to updateOnwardfor all current platforms while working on future projects under theFacebookumbrella.
Studio founder Dante Buckley says this is “exciting” for the Downpour team in a Q&A posted toOnward’s website, as it will allow them to “realizeOnward’s full vision with tremendous support and resources.” Buckley let fans know there are no planned changes for the game’s community outreach onDiscord and other social media sites, and that Downpour still has full control of development and will not alter its roadmap.
The developer Q&A says this decision was made due toOnward’s “great success” on Oculus Rift and Quest, and the team has been in talks with Oculus Studios “for some time now.” How much Facebook spent on this acquisition is not specified, but the purchase comes after a string of similar acquisitions in recent years. For example,Facebook acquiredThe Order: 1886developer Ready at Dawnin June 2020.
AsFacebookcontinues to grow its operations in the VR sphere, the medium itself is becoming more recognized by mainstream audiences. Not only have manufacturers like Oculus, Sony, Valve, and Vive made VR peripherals more accessible, content has also become more sophisticated.Respawn Entertainment became the first video game company to win an Oscarat the 2021 Academy Awards thanks to its short filmColette, included in the VR gameMedal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
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