VR users and sales are growing in 2021, according to Swedish-based studio Resolution Games who recorded a spike for their own titles.
In their report, much of their VR growth came from titles including Angry Birds: Isle of Pigs, Cook-Out A Sandwich Tale, Blaston and Acron: Attack of the Squirrels which were all ported to the new Oculus Quest 2 system. The fully-wireless and upgraded system also boosted their overall sales up by a hefty 500 percent in December 2020.
“At Resolution Games, we are seeing our titles reach significant revenue milestones more quickly than ever before, and I can confidently say that current headsets are contributing to it,” said Resolution CEO Tommy Palm, adding it’s a sign for other VR studios to ride the wave and produce with bigger IPs. “The onus is now on the developers to continue to develop the type of content that more mainstream gamers are used to in order for VR to attract the broader audience that it deserves, which is what we strive for at Resolution Games,” he said.
The 500 percent spike in December 2020 was also a contrast to its 2019 figures. Similarly, the release of the first Oculus Quest caused sales to reach an all-time high during the holidays. Resolution’s data suggests the new and improved Quest 2 bolstered console sales. New users would then grow their libraries with one of Resolution Games’ releases, with added enhancements including graphic upscaling and 90Hz frame rates for a smoother VR experience. It’s also worth noting Bait! also passed four million in sales though it’s a mobile-based VR legacy title.
According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook’s latest Q4 earnings call, the Oculus Quest 2 saw a noticeable increase in sales since it was released on October 2020. A number of first-party Oculus developers also saw “revenue in the millions” while sales doubled over a few months. Specifically, its overall revenue from Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and other platforms were bolstered by 156 percent with the Quest 2 holiday sales adding to them. Facebook also suggested VR was part of their increased R&D in 2020, which went up by 34 percent.
The studio is currently working on a number of VR titles for the Quest, including the recently announced tabletop RPG DEMEO and a port for Carly and the Reaperman. Both games are set for a 2021 release window.