MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Europe has one of the most diverse VR user bases in the world, HTC’s EMEA virtual reality division Graham Breen has told MCV, and has been responsible for some of the most popular VR game titles the industry’s seen so far.
"We don’t go into regional breakdowns in terms of sales, but what’s been particularly good to see from Europe is the mix of people using Vive," said Breen. "From gamers wanting a great experience through to developers who have built great content and also businesses using Vive. Some of the most popular games developed for Vive have been from European developers, such as Space Pirate Trainer, for example."
Breen said Ubisoft’s Star Trek Bridge Crew has also helped elevate the VR gaming landscape this summer, and has been instrumental in growing Vive’s gaming audience.
"The focus from Vive has always been around bringing the highest quality and most engaging content through VR," Breen said. "Over the past year, we’ve seen incredible multiplayer games launching – a great example being Star Trek Bridge Crew from Ubisoft this summer. This has definitely helped to take gameplay to another level and brought in a wider audience of games."
Breen also highlighted Bethesda’s upcoming Fallout 4 VR title as being one of Vive’s key upcoming releases this year, saying that landmark titles like this help make Vive one of the most vibrant ecosystems in the global VR scene, especially since there’s currently no Oculus launch announced.
"The marketplace for Vive apps has grown at a tremendous pace with more than 1,600 titles now available across different app stores and over 30 new apps launching daily," Breen continued. "Gaming styles are a very personal thing, some prefer multiplayer experiences, while some prefer other styles. The great news is that with Fallout 4 and all of the other new launches this year there really is something for everyone on Vive."
HTC announced its first price cut for Vive on Monday, with the headset now costing just 599 in the UK. To hear what Breen told us earlier in the year about Vive’s first year, read our in-depth interview with him plus Oculus’ Jason Rubin and Sony’s Simon Benson.
