Making VR games is no easy task and the best devs out there could command tons of clout (and money) in the future as the platform grows.
One company that is experiencing massive growth and is truly plunging headfirst into the world of virtual reality games, is Bethesda, the devs, and publisher behind smash titles like The Elder Scrolls series and the Fallout titles.
With Skyrim and Fallout 4 both making their way to virtual reality in adaptations that caught the eyes of critics across the globe, Escalation Studios is looking towards a bright future under the new name Bethesda Game Studios Dallas in what many views as an elevation of the developers to triple-A status. And, in a rumor sure to grease the mills just that much more, Escalation is apparently being tapped to help Bethesda work on its new opus, the mysterious science fiction series known as Starfield. In addition to Starfield, Bethesda’s other major titles, DOOM Eternal and Rage 2, could also benefit from Escalation Studios’ expertise in virtual reality.
Purchased by Bethesda in 2016, Escalation Studios is now a vital part of Bethesda’s future plans for console and PC gaming. And, in a further sign of encouragement for VR fans, their elevation signals nothing but good things to come for the niche.
Two areas of particular concern for gamers is Bethesda’s plans for the upcoming online multiplayer title Fallout 76 and the mobile/VR title The Elder Scrolls: Blades.
Fallout 76, for those not familiar with the title, will deviate heavily from the previous games in the series from Bethesda in that it will be a self-contained, online-only experience with a player-driven economy, storyline, and world building. Featuring amped up gunplay and a more in-depth settler system, Fallout 76’s romps in the West Virginia wilderness look ready to take the series to new heights.
Nothing in the realm of VR has been announced as of yet but it isn’t hard to imagine that Bethesda is looking at it given their success with Fallout 4 VR and the Skyrim adaptation. One thing some gamers are wondering, however, is how VR gamers will be able to interact effectively with traditional gamers or if Fallout 76 VR would be its own experience entirely if it exists at all. One thing is certain, gamers will be paying a lot of attention come this fall when the game finally arrives on home consoles and the PC.
The second title, and one much more in Escalation Studios’ wheelhouse, is the planned virtual reality game The Elder Scrolls: Blades. Straddling both the worlds of VR gaming and smartphone gaming, TES: Blades is a dungeon-diving title that condenses a lot of the combat and exploration of the TES series into an app that players can pick up and play when they feel like it. Boasting of inns and other features that will make it “similar” to mainline TES games, Blades unique position as both a smartphone and VR game should result in something interesting indeed. As we have seen with some of the most successful VR games in the past, simplicity is often the best option – but we worry that those gamers who have had their thirst slaked on Skyrim VR will receive a title like Blades. Only the future will tell us for sure.
The aforementioned Starfield, the true Easter egg in Bethesda’s basket, is reportedly years away from release or even having more detailed information released about it. That hasn’t stopped gamers from speculating and probably won’t do so for some time.
