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Game Studio CCP Scales Back Virtual Reality Development (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the dispatch dept.

Developer CCP Games has significantly cut the time and money it is investing in virtual-reality based games. From a report: The Iceland-based studio is best known for sci-fi title Eve Online but has also created several VR-centred games. Spaceship dog-fighting simulator Eve Valkyrie helped launch the Oculus Rift headset and CCP also made the Sparc VR ball-tossing game for the PlayStation. CCP boss Hilmar Petursson said the company would re-invest in VR when market conditions improved. The move was a "blow to the viability of VR as a major gaming platform," said Adam Smith on the Rock, Paper Shotgun gaming news website, adding that Valkyrie was one of the few games that tempted him to try VR. The changes come just over a month after CCP overhauled Valkyrie in a bid to get more people playing it. CCP has cut its investment in VR as part of a broader restructuring effort. The structural changes mean more focus on PC and mobile games, it said in a statement. It is closing its Atlanta, US, office and selling off the development studio it maintains in Newcastle. The VR development work done at both locations will move to London.

29 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by SensitiveMale · · Score: 2

    that REQUIRED the use of the Xbox controller. IIRC, the controller was needed to push a single button in the beginning of the game and then the players could use the touch controllers. I had to connect the controller to push that button to get past the introduction scene. Even then, the game was unplayable with the touch controller.

    So CCP, make a decent game that actually uses the touch controllers and you'll make money.

    1. Re:Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by Luthair · · Score: 1

      I mean, if you look at their history they've made on notable game - Eve Online.... in 2003. Them stopping working on VR is the equivalent of your local high school cancelling its [insert sport] program being a major blow to [insert sport].

    2. Re:Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This IS Clown Car Productions we're talking about, here. Competence is not their strongest point.

    3. Re:Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by thereitis · · Score: 1

      Sure to be sure, do you know whether "pushing a button" was just one of Microsoft's XBox platform requirements? I recall they had some inane requirement that a game couldn't load instantly - there was some minimum delay you had to implement before the game could become playable. Unfortunately I can't find a link to support that at the moment.

    4. Re: Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by Luthair · · Score: 1

      Eve's subscriber count was always tiny back when MMOs were still relevant.

    5. Re:Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by SensitiveMale · · Score: 1

      It was the "X" button. I know you may be thinking "But isn't there an 'X' button on the touch controllers." Sure, but it didn't work. Had to press the 'X" button on the XBox controller. It was stupid.

    6. Re:Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by LesFerg · · Score: 1

      I found it quite enjoyable on the PSVR using the ds4 controller. The options for flight sticks are multitudes higher than I'm currently prepared to pay.
      But I think the most fun was getting familiar with the the game, doing the tutorials, then trying out some real online games.
      After the first few hours of that tho, the gameplay lost it's initial buzz, there was no voice feed from team members and very little clue as to what the team was up to. This led to boredom eventually and strangely I find that, while I am waiting for a really good single player VR game to come out for PSVR, I have not been all that interested in going back to flatscreen gaming either, so my gaming habit has been cut down drastically.

      Still, the Valkyrie environment is impressive and immersive, the movement is fantastic and amazed me with how little it bothered me, there was no nausea in comparison with getting used to Driveclub VR. It just needed something to make you feel immersed in a team as well as a spaceship.

      The biggest problem I have now is the headgear needs a fast flip-back, you need to be able to enjoy a drink while gaming and I'm not going to suck my beer or whiskey thru a straw.

      --
      If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
    7. Re:Eve Valkyrie was a shitty game by SensitiveMale · · Score: 1

      Nope. Just the Touch Controllers. It's a known bug and thankfully someone posted the solution either on reddit or the oculus forums.

      (Watching the introduction) "Press 'X' to continue"
      I'm pressing 'X'
      Still pressing 'X'
      (takes off headset) Yeah, that's the 'X' button. What the hell?

  2. VR and uncanny valley. by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    I think the big issue is that VR is a lot like the Uncanny Valley, any nearly imperfection, no matter how small will annoy the user. For VR, there really isn't much room for good enough, it really has to be perfect. Also the problem with games we have had for a long time, with full movement games, it requires a space where our hands are free and are safe to move around. Thus forcing you to clean your room before you play video games. Which may sound good to parents however it would mean not playing that game.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:VR and uncanny valley. by Junta · · Score: 2

      Ehh.. Not for me..

      Sure, resolution doesn't go as far as it does on a monitor, so in some respects resolution steps back a decade or so.

      Also, currently at least the rift lenses are pretty bad for rays of light that really detract.

      However, the amazing sensation of being utterly surrounded by the environment, rather than looking at a relatively tiny window into the environment, it's incredible. It doesn't in any way feel somehow more eerie than the stuff on a monitor, the way a almost-real-but-not-quite 3d render is.

      I also would say the full motion that VR fanatics *demand* is doing more harm than good to the health of the genre. Sure, a game like robo recall is a fantastic experience, but saying that you have to have 1:1 motion mapping from real world to virtual or else don't bother at all.

      The big challenge for VR is that games on average or pretty 'meh', VR or not. VR has started to accumulate expereinces which is nice, but like the general industry, a good game is a rarity. Elite Dangerous is a fantastic VR space sim, but not so much a good *game* as of yet. Lucky's Tale is cute, but it's a generic platformer when all is said and done. Even one of the 'deeper' experiences like Edge of Nowhere is decently executed, but exceedingly short in terms of how that genre *usually* goes,

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    2. Re:VR and uncanny valley. by SensitiveMale · · Score: 2

      I disagree 100% VR is the future. There is no doubt. There are tons of imperfections in the game but as long as the game is fun, those don't matter. Robo Recall is a perfect example. It's not perfect, but it doesn't require the space of a room. Hell, I've been playing it sitting down lately. Still fun.

      Games are just starting to scratch the surface of what they can do. First it was just the 3D effect. Then they started to actually change the weapons. Upgraded to a laser/flashlight? Well attach that item and show it in the game? Make the player turn it on with a button on the actual unit. Now games are getting into "real" video game territory. Put a button on the players wrist that pops up a map. Show the weapons on the player's body. Use a aerosol can to spray paint new colors.

      Movement is gimped in these games. That's just how it is and how it will be for the foreseeable future. Can't get around that. Teleporting or moving forward with the joystick is a crutch. Although I have played a game where "chugging the arms" like you were running did the moving. That was interesting. But it's a small thing for now.

      A game only needs to be fun, standing or sitting, for it to be a success.

  3. Bad move. by Type44Q · · Score: 1
    Bad move: VR may not currently have the adoption rate that folks like this were hoping for but anyone* who's tried it should be able to see that it's the future.

    *I didn't get nauseous until I hit a wall in a racing game and my brain expected sudden deceleration but there was none...

    1. Re:Bad move. by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      It's a lot of investment for little return today, and nobody's going to come back in the future to play old VR games. You're looking at an industry where last year's GOTY is some retro garbage nerds play, and we have new titles to deal with.

      The first to make a big hit on VR will be the loser. They'll be the company that makes it big, but not as big as the second big title, or the new one a year later when VR adoption ratchets up in response and the audience is bigger.

      --
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    2. Re:Bad move. by Rhacman · · Score: 2

      Novelty is definitely the word I'd use for VR. I was blown away by what platforms like Oculus and Vive are capable of but I always felt like my eyes were fighting with it despite assurances that I just needed to adjust things "right". Text and indicators were always somewhat challenging for me to read and an hour of gameplay was an accomplishment before I'd need a break due to eye strain. Having that much gear strapped to my head wasn't really a high point either. It was comfortable for what it was though I always felt a sense of relief removing the goggles plus headphones.

      I hope to see the technology advance, but I'm not quite ready to pay several hundred dollars for it in it's current state.

      --
      Account -> Discussions -> Disable Sigs
    3. Re:Bad move. by youngone · · Score: 1

      anyone* who's tried it should be able to see that it's the future.

      I read the same sentiment about 3D TV's back when they were a premium product and priced accordingly.
      Now my local retailers don't really even bother stocking them because it turned out that no-one wanted to pay the extra for 3D, so they had to sell them for the same price as a normal TV.
      Then it turned out that the people who did wind up with a 3D TV used the 3D feature twice then forgot about it.
      I can see VR being a nice niche feature for the few who want to pay extra for it, but for the mass market, just not worth paying for.

    4. Re: Bad move. by sound+vision · · Score: 1

      It didn't say they were eliminating their VR team entirely, just cutting down on the resources for the time being. When the VR market gets bigger and there is more money to be made they can resume developing their game or whatever. These guys are game developers, right? I don't think they are looking to pour huge amounts into R&D without having a product to ship... a market to sell it to.

  4. I can see it by BlueCoder · · Score: 4, Interesting

    VR should be fringe right now no matter how much big business wants it to be a big thing so quickly. It needs to slow cook (rather than pressure cook) with developer time. VR games are different than what has come before. There is a difference between the way people want it to work and how it has to work. The killer app will eventually come which will be 4k/8k goggles. Problem is producing it when the majority of cell phones (where the scale of economy exists) will not see 8k screen phones. When we get 8k for VR that will open up business apps otherwise it's like 3D on a Nintendo64.

    1. Re:I can see it by Junta · · Score: 2

      My concern is that it becomes chicken and egg. The technology could crtainly be a tad better, but it's pretty damn effective. The problem right now is that there is a crucial lack of *quality* games. There have been a fair number of games, and some of them have been pretty techonologically and artisitically impressive, but generally they are no more than 'arcarde' deep, with emphasis on short playtimes and/or wonder of an environment but lack of story or gameplay to actually drive things beyond looking nice.

      If game studios 'wait and see' so will the market, and it becomes a stale mate.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    2. Re:I can see it by vix86 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Pimax: World's First 8k VR

      It's been reviewed by a number of outlets already, so its not vaporware, though it has a few issues.

    3. Re:I can see it by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      +1 VR needs 8K. That will need the next gpu range. Prescription lens support.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    4. Re:I can see it by Junta · · Score: 1

      1) That particular software is not so good. That's like saying PS4 technology is crap because someone made this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
      2) Trying to judge a VR experience through a youtube video will be ineffective.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
  5. In short... by argStyopa · · Score: 2

    ....let's be clear: CCP does EVE.

    Everything else it tries to do, it fucks up supremely.

    (shrug)

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:In short... by Barandis · · Score: 1

      One thing about CCP is that they've never been afraid to try something that other game companies haven't been willing to do, and unfortunately early innovation leads to failure more often than not. They've demonstrated the capability of doing good work on relatively innovative projects - even MMOs of that scale were not exactly common when Eve came out in 2003 - but of course they're going to fuck up sometimes. They're going to fuck up most of the time. That's the nature of innovation.

      The things that CCP has failed on have been things that other companies haven't even been willing to try. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on your point of view.

  6. There won't be a killer app by iMadeGhostzilla · · Score: 1

    All successful platforms were *driven* by the killer app. The killer app existed before the platform was ready -- PC, networking, gaming consoles, smartphones, anything. The only thing VR delivers is a novel physical sensation, at a huge inconvenience, and sensations diminish with repetition.

    That said, I wish I were wrong on VR. If there's a successful platform for which the killer app came after, I'd like to know. No I don't think porn qualifies.

  7. They've blown a ton of cash on junk projects too. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Like buying White Wolf wholesale, rather than just licensing rights to make a game. Then starting up that CCP Atlanta studio they ended up closing and burying.

    They've had like a half dozen projects that could have been gamechangers that they completed fucked up. What about Dust? If they had just not made it a PS3 exclusive they could still be selling subscriptions to it, and using it as a secondary facet to EVE Online today. Now that they have interior support fo the stations, adding interior support for the ships and have space marines that can perform raid or capture operations on enemy capital ships while you are in the middle of battle. It would be a literal gamechanger, especially if ships could change sides as a result of capture. All of a sudden simply being a captain isn't enough, you need to be a captain with a heavily armed crew of defensive mercenaries onboard to repel the attack.

    Add to that Valkyrie with say a real flight themed set of joystick controls, plus a VR headset for looking around and things could be even better.

    Each of these games should have been building on the layer before them, expanding the game world, offering a new game type, and providing incentive for a new and different group of people to have a place in the EVE Online universe. But instead they have been spinning their wheels, or making shitty deals for 'exclusives' that don't help them extend the life expectancy of their main game.

  8. The problem with VR by nehumanuscrede · · Score: 1

    Size and bulkiness of headgear.
    Display resolution in the headset.
    Reading text is nigh impossible.
    Horsepower required to run it.
    Price of both headunit and PC hardware.
    Roomspace requirements.
    Motion sickness for some.
    Niche community thus, low user base.
    No AAA titles to push it.
    Platform exclusive titles.
    Prescription eyewear sucks with this.

    These are the ones off the top of my head.

    Some you can fix with better design, hardware and vendor collaboration, some ( like motion sickness ) probably not.

    Too much fighting over who will be the standard platform will likely be the final nail in the coffin for the tech.

    1. Re:The problem with VR by CanHasDIY · · Score: 1

      Roomspace requirements.

      This one is the big fail for me; until I can use my whole body as a controller, and move freely about the virtual space as I do reality, the technology will be a base novelty.

      That said, Arizona Sunshine is a pretty fun game, forced teleportation aside.

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
  9. total shock not!! by luther349 · · Score: 1

    what this vr is only a fad that has quickly died off like it has every time sense the frigging 80s im so shocked kinda like 3d movies and tvs it quickly dies off again.

  10. Re:They've blown a ton of cash on junk projects to by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

    What about Dust? If they had just not made it a PS3 exclusive they could still be selling subscriptions to it, and using it as a secondary facet to EVE Online today.

    It was PS3 exclusive because Sony was/is very open to PC-Playstation interaction. As you know, Dust players could actually communicate with PC players of EVE in game. While Sony may not be friendly to PS4/Xbox One cross play they are VERY open to PC/PS4 cross play.

      IIRC a CCP dev once mentioned going to Microsoft and they were interested in the shooter, but not interested in it connecting to Eve. They also didn't want the game to have the mouse/keyboard support it does. Microsoft has little interest in supporting multiple control options.

    Sony has always supported devs if they want to offer multiple control options but leave it up to the dev to make the decision on whether to do so. This is why Half-Life on the PS2 has mouse and keyboard support but the Orange box on the PS3 doesn't.

    It's also why War Thunder is on the PS4 but not the Xbox and why Elite Dangerous on PS4 has HOTAS support, but the Xbox One version doesn't.

    Add to that Valkyrie with say a real flight themed set of joystick controls, plus a VR headset for looking around and things could be even better.

    The PSVR version of Valkyrie has HOTAS support.