With three major virtual reality platforms currently splitting up a relatively small player base, finding folks to play multiplayer with on a single platform can be tough. Following Eve: Valkyrie’s lead, Ubisoft making its major multiplayer VR releases cross-platform, starting with the Eagle Flight.
One of my only major disappointments with Ubisoft’s Eagle Flight when it launched for the Oculus Rift earlier this year was the scarcity of other players for the game’s engaging online multiplayer mode. The few times I managed to get a game going I found myself playing with folks like Alkerion, a developer whose name also appears in the game’s official screenshots.
Today Eagle Flight goes cross-platform. PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift players will be able to complete against each other online, and when the game launches on Vive next month, those players will join in as well.
Cross-platform play will also be featured in Werewolves Within, scheduled for release December 6, and Star Trek: Bridge Crew, coming out March 14. You can read more about the cross-platform push over at the Ubisoft Blog.
This is what all online multiplayer VR game developers need to be doing. There are amazing opportunities for unique and immersive multiplayer experiences on the still-young technology, but until the player bases for individual platforms grow, it’s dangerous to go it alone.