One of the biggest titles to be released this year for Oculus Rift has to be Ready at Dawn’s sci-fi epic Lone Echo. The title was well received by press and consumers alike – VRFocus gave it five stars. Unlike most studios however, Ready at Dawn decided not to tack on a multiplayer element, instead creating a whole new title which launched at the same time called Echo Arena. A zero gravity, disc-based sport, Echo Arena was initially supposed to be free for a limited time then retail for $20 USD after that. That free window was extended to the point now where the developer has said it’ll permanently be free.
It was thanks to sponsorship from Intel that extended Echo Arena’s free window by three months, and now Ready at Dawn has entered a co-sponsorship with Oculus to make the multiplayer only title free forever.
This is obviously get news for fans of the videogame as it’ll ensure that new Oculus Rift customers will more than likely download the experience. Especially as the head-mounted displays (HMDs) price is more competitive than ever, with the company announcing at Oculus Connect 4 (OC4) that the headset would now be permanently priced at $399 just like it was during the summer sale.
For those that haven’t yet played Echo Arena, the videogame puts players into teams of five inside a low gravity arenas. Here they have to capture a disc and score a goal with it. To make things somewhat trickier the arenas are filled obstacles that not only deflect the ball but also stop players as well.
Last month also saw Ready at Dawn confirm that during 2018 both Lone Echo and Echo Arena would be getting large expansions, with the former seeing the story continue whilst the latter will be getting new additions such as Spectator, Code of Conduct features, and more.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Echo Arena and Lone Echo, reporting back with the latest updates.
via Mint VR