The Information is reporting that Facebook is in the market to acquire new studios and major franchises to support their Oculus VR efforts. This is great news for VR fans and skeptics who’ve lamented the lack of AAA franchises on the platform and may mark a major turning point for virtual reality gaming.
It’s well known that Facebook has put a major stake in virtual reality and specifically making it mainstream. The recent release of the wireless Oculus Quest is a testament to that, bringing VR gaming to the masses without a demand for a powerful gaming PC. Thus far, one of the most common criticisms of all VR gaming is the dearth of AAA titles. Well, if this report is to be believed, that may be about to change.
Two unnamed sources they claim are in position to know such things claim that Facebook, with the personal intervention of Mark Zuckerberg, claim that the social media giant has already signed exclusive deals to bring Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell to Oculus VR, though Ubisoft has yet to confirm and it’s worth remembering that these are rumors at this point.
These actions fall in line with previous steps taken by the company, however. Facebook has already funded a number of Oculus VR titles and is currently working with Respawn Entertainment, makers of APEX Legends to bring a title to the platform.
It goes without saying that, if true, this is major news for the VR community. VR has been at a stasis point for some time. The platform needs more major titles to attract more users but the publishers of those major titles need more users to justify the cost. It’s a catch-22. Facebook is one of the few companies that could break this stalemate. As virtual reality fans, we can only hope that’s the case.
