Two up-and-coming VR development teams behind two extremely promising made-for-VR games have relvealed they are to team up. Psytec Games, makers of Crystal Rift, has announced that the duo behind Windlands, a first person VR grappling hook action title, are to join the company.
It’s an interesting and important time for independent developers who saw the coming VR storm and, inspired by it, created something unique.
Two titles that that travelled that path are Psytec Games‘ retro-inspired grid-based VR dungeon crawler Crystal Rift and Windlands. Both developed by passionate yet small teams, they’re both good examples of something you probably wouldn’t have seen had VR not transitioned from tech industry lost cause, to great white hope in the last few years.
See Also: Crystal Rift’s 2 Year Journey, Psytec Games Talk Valve, Vive and Being a VR Launch Title
Psytec Games have now announced that the team behind Windlands are to join them the company to enhance the game’s development and form “a strong team with a clear vision so we can deliver the best game possible,” according to a press release from Psytec.
Windlands completed a successful IndieGogo campaign recently, raising over $20k in funds to finish the unique and much loved title, which originally appeared way back in 2013 and went on to feature in IndieCade and Oculus’ VR Jam competition.
The Windlands team Ilja Kivikangas and Simo Sainio, join Psytec’s Jon Hibbins and Nick Pittom in an effort to “preserve and enhance the essence of Windlands, building on the solid foundation that we already loved.”
It’s great news for backers of the original Windlands Indiegogo campaign, who will be the first to reap the benefits of the new merger. “We will of course continue to work with the Windlands community, and ensure delivery of the Indiegogo awards and regular updates. We think this is an exciting step for Windlands, as fans of the game we too want Windlands to become a finished game, we will be doing everything we can to release the best game possible so we can play it too. We shall also be attending national and international events to showcase and promote the game,” a Psytec press release states.
It’s an important move for both teams, as the virtual reality games’ community grows and the wider games industry begins to wake up and smell the money in immersive content. As larger gaming corporations prepare to invest big in VR, it seems likely we’ll see more of these sorts of mergers – as smaller teams band together to stand their ground alongside industry heavyweights.
Crystal Rift is set for release alongside consumer headsets early next year, with Oculus Rift and HTC Vive versions planned and is currently available to buy on Steam Early Access. Windlands should appear within the coming months on the Oculus Rift. You can support the team by pre-ordering the title here.
