Yesterday Oculus/Meta took to the virtual stage to bring us a rather long overdue stream of upcoming games that will be coming to their PC and Quest platform over the next 12 months – note they didn’t say this year, they said within the next year, so some releases shown may release in 2023.
The showcase didn’t start off well, as a rather text-heavy disclaimer popped up to assure viewers that some games may be expected to slip out of their next year timeframe, whilst some games were just not ready to show.
Other than this hype dampening intro, the rest of the showcase was fairly decent. Many known games in development were mentioned with a nice surprise at the end. You can watch the full showcase below, or skip below for the titles that were shown.
Games shown:
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2 Retribution
Looks good, a standard Walking Dead affair, but with chainsaws!!
NFL PRO ERA
If you want an officially branded American Football game in VR, this is it.
Among Us VR
If you know what this game is, you’ll likely be hyped for this one no doubt.
Red Matter 2
Set on Saturn, I have no doubt this game will be as good as the first.
Espire 2
We didn’t get Splinter Cell this time, but this stealth sequel will make up for it + Co-op!
Moss Book II
Look forward to playing this sequal, which releases on Quest sooner than the first game.
Ruins Magus
One for JRPG fans, the game looks great, but it’s not for me.
Cities VR
Sim City fans rejoice! You now have two city games to play, sooner than you think.
Resident Evil 4: The Mercenaries (FREE Update)
Compete in challenges, unlock weapons, modes and more in this just-released update.
Beat Saber Electronic Mix Tape
Slash some cubes to some major EDM artists, including Deadmau5, Pendulum and Marshmello.
Bonelab
Stress Level Zero’s Boneworks inspired Quest 2 project finally gets revealed, and it looks great!
Ghostbusters VR
This Sony-owned IP will work so well in VR. 4-Player co-op busting ghosts, brilliant!
My Summary
Who knows how long the wait will be when the next showcase airs. When we will see Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, and Deep Silver’s upcoming game (Dead Island/Metro), amongst many others.
We are around 6 months away until we see a release date or release of Meta’s Project Cambria headset, and with the announcement of the upcoming Pico Neo Pro headset releasing before any sign of a Quest 2 Pro/Quest 3 headset, the pressure might be on Meta to announce more sooner.
Maybe we will see bigger titles showcased nearer its next hardware announcement, to either bolster support for its new platform or assure Quest owners that there is continued development for its existing platform and userbase.
I also found it odd that all the transitions used the Oculus logo, at a time when they are swapping everything from Oculus over to the Meta brand. Hopefully, that was a respectful nod to fans and make the whole showcase feel less business’y.