Hot on the tail of Survios’ latest release, Sprint Vector (2018), the studio today announced their next VR project, Creed: Rise to Glory, a VR boxing game being developed in partnership with MGM as a complement to the upcoming Creed II movie. While there’s a handful of VR boxing games already available, Survios is promising something called ‘Phantom Melee Technology’, which the company says will offer “an authentic immersive experience that truly makes you feel like a boxing world champion.”
Survios’ latest VR title, Sprint Vector hinges entirely around a unique and highly effective locomotion system that the company calls Fluid Locomotion. The system allows players to navigate immersively and comfortably in VR at high speeds, and it’s clear that Survios put a lot of time and effort into developing the system.
With Creed: Rise to Glory, due out later this year, the company is building the game upon a new set of VR mechanics which Survios calls Phantom Melee Technology. The system, the company says, will enable a more realistic and immersive feeling of boxing in virtual reality:
Creed: Rise to Glory advances virtual reality through Survios’ new Phantom Melee Technology, addressing the ongoing challenge of crafting impactful VR melee combat through a player-avatar disconnect. Phantom Melee Technology relies on a combination of Responsive Control—which triggers strategic desynchronization when the player is staggered or knocked out—and Virtual Stamina, which mimics the slowing effects of fatigue after the player delivers frantic punches or a flurry of blows, to produce authentic hit reactions. The result is a believably intense, wholly immersive boxing sensation.
Survios is working with MGM (Creed IP holder and investor in Survios) on the new title, and the pair plan to bring it to both VR arcades and home VR headsets, though specific platforms haven’t yet been announced. In the game, players can expect to put on the gloves of Adonis Creed, son of heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, and get some coaching from Rocky Balboa.
“In all the VR experiences we build, we aim to make our players feel empowered, and Creed: Rise to Glory accomplishes this in a very cinematic and active way,” says James Iliff, Survios’ chief creative officer. “We’re throwing players into iconic boxing arenas, trading blows with the top fighters from the franchise, all while experiencing the thrills and showtime dramatics of the ultimate Hollywood-style boxing exhibition. With our new Phantom Melee Technology, the game provides an authentic immersive experience that truly makes you feel like a boxing world champion.”
It certainly sounds interesting, and made all the more intriguing thanks to Survios’ strong track record; we’ll have a chance to find out soon how well it all comes together as the company plans to demo the new title at GDC 2018 in San Francisco next week.
