Virtual reality is on the radar of essentially every major tech and gaming company in the world at this point. Most of the major players are actively involved with other companies joining the fray with each passing week. Now that big game publishers like Bethesda, 2K, EA, Ubisoft, and especially Sony, are all working on projects, it was only a matter of time before a company with as long of a history as Sega decided to join in as well.
In a recent interview with MCV, Sega Europe’s President and COO, Jurgen Post, discussed the company’s plans and vision for VR:
“VR has caught the whole company’s attention,” Post explains. “We have a lot of VR kits in the office and people are playing with it. We are exploring ways to release games. We’ve not announced anything, but we are very close to making an announcement. We did Alien: Isolation about three years ago on Oculus Rift, it was a demo that was bloody scary. To bring that back to VR would be a dream and dreams can come true.
“VR will take time, but we will start releasing some titles just to learn. It is a platform for the future.”
Most notably he calls out Alien: Isolation specifically, which is a slow-paced, immersive, terrifying horror game in the same universe as the Alien films. A demo was created for the Rift a while ago. The horror genre is perfect for VR, as it complements the isolating nature of the headset with the lonely terror of a scary atmosphere.
Post’s admission that the company is “very close to making an announcement” is all the confirmation we need to get ready for Sega to make their VR debut. I wouldn’t expect to see a Sonic experience just yet, as that might not be the best fit for the medium, but their recent acquisition of top-tier strategy properties such as Total War would be excellent to play in a VR headset. AirMech Command and Tactera prove that top-down strategy games feel right at home inside an HMD.
I also wouldn’t argue with a Nights adaptation for VR. Or maybe some Bass Fishing?
Which properties would you like to see Sega create for VR headsets? Or do you hope they focus on original IP only?
