Space Junkies, the upcoming Unreal Tournament-style VR shooter from Ubisoft Montpellier, is headed to all major VR platforms today, March 26th.
Update (March 26th, 2019): Space Junkies is set to launch on all platforms soon. It’s already live on the PlayStation Store. Both Steam and Oculus versions appear to be quick in tow. The game costs $40, and includes cross-platform multiplayer for all supported platforms.
The original article announcing the March 26th launch date follows below.
Original Article (February 12th, 2019): Originally Space Junkies was only announced as a PCVR title, although now Ubisoft says PSVR users can get in on the fun too, albeit using using a Dualshock 4 controller. The studio makes no mention of PS Move, which is a bit strange considering the game’s chaotic, freewheeling nature and emphasis on both object interaction and communication via hand gestures.
Considering PSVR and PCVR have very little crossover when it comes to online multiplayer, it may be a moot point as far as competition is concerned. Cross-platform multiplayer hasn’t been confirmed at least for PSVR and the PCVR versions.
Last week the studio announced that Space Junkies was coming to 100+ VR arcades later this month, which may serve as a potent marketing strategy, appealing to would-be VR eSports players looking for the next Echo Combat (2018).
The potential for a bustling online community is placed squarely in the hands of Ubisoft however. Content updates, bug fixes, and promotional events are all important components of keeping players engaged, something the studio has failed to do with most of its VR games excluding Star Trek: Bridge Crew (2017), which got it latest content update in Summer 2018; online multiplayer games Werewolves Within (2016) and Eagle Flight (2016) have basically languished in the meantime.
We went hands-on with Space Junkies at E3 last year, and it’s proven to be a highly polished shooting experience reminiscent of zero-G version of Unreal Tournament, albeit with more ‘Y’ to the ‘XYZ’ of traditional multiplayer shooter arenas. If that tickles your latent Unreal itch, check out a full match in closed beta to see just what’s in store.