It has been a busy week for Starbreeze Studios and its related properties. Sunday saw the development team at Overkill host a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) which confirmed a number of details regarding the Beta virtual reality (VR) version of their four-player co-operative shooter Payday 2. Whilst yesterday we brought you news of the finalisation of a long-planned deal between Starbreeze AB and Acer Inc that saw the Taiwanese multinational take over as the controlling owner of the StarVR Corproration.
Today sees the news that APE-X, a original IP by Montreal-based studio LUCKYHAMMERS and to be published by Starbreeze Publishing, will be receiving its premiere at the Virtual Reality Strategy Conference 2017 (VRS 2017) in San Francisco, California. The event begins today and carries through to tomorrow, October 26th.
Originally presented back in April this year at the Next@Acer event, along with five other experiences including Presenz and Elementerra, APE-X has been built from the ground-up to utilize StarVR head-mounted display. Users will be able to use gauntlets, special custom controllers built by Starbreeze and LUCKYHAMMERS which will minimise complicated inputs and bring a “unique” gaming experience that is also designed to minimise the learning curve for newcomers.
“Fight for your freedom atop a towering building while battling bots high above the city Streets. You are Big Mike, a massive weaponized cybernetic Ape, whose creator, the APE-X Program, desperately wants you back!” Explains the studio in a press release. “Your experience begins with breathtaking views of Cavendish City as the sun begins to set with the sounds of the metropolis humming around you… too quickly your solitude is interrupted by the buzz of the laboratory drones. Listen closely to your ally, Doctor Plant and her instructions if you hope to survive this ordeal and finally gain your freedom.”
“With 360 degrees of mobility around the peak of the high rise, keep your wits and shuffle around the building’s ledge in order to avoid being spotted. Inevitably you will need to defend yourself and discover the full extent of your capabilities in Big Mike’s cybernetic body as you shoot, blast and swat drones out of the sky.”
APE-X is also due to appear as part of the Dubai-based VR Centre being launched by Starbreeze later this year and will be touring various venues throughout 2018. VRFocus will bring you more news on these and other StarVR projects as we get it.
via Mint VR