Indie developer Croteam and publisher Devolver Digital are teaming up to produceSerious Sam VR: The Last Hope, a frantically paced first-person shooter that channels the genre’s arcade-inspired roots.
Croteam also revealed that it turned down “a [ton] of money” in exchange for Oculus Rift exclusivity, indicating thatSerious Samwill be compatible with multiple VR devices.
The Serious Sam series dates back to 2001, with the launch ofSerious Sam: The First Encounter. Multiple sequels, remakes, and spinoffs have premiered in the years since. Series creator Croteam produced a prequel,Serious Sam 3: BFE, in 2011 before shifting its development efforts toward 2014’sThe Talos Principle.
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Serious Sam VR’smission-based structure is similar to that of its series predecessors, giving players the ability to “explore multiple levels on multiple planets.” In addition to squaring off against enemy swarms, protagonist Sam “Serious” Stone will also face massive bosses that challenge the size and scope of traditional VR experiences.
While the trailer above reveals only tiny snippets ofSerious Sam VR‘s gameplay, the concept apparently impressed social media company and Oculus Rift owner Facebook. Facebook reportedly attempted to secureSerious Sam VRas an exclusive release for the Oculus Rift VR headset — an offer that Croteam later rejected.
“They tried to buySerious Sam VR,” Reddit user “Eagleshadow”commentedwith regard to Facebook and Oculus. “It wasn’t easy, but we turned down a [ton] of money, as we believe that truly good games will sell by themselves and make profit in the long run regardless. And also because we hate exclusives as much as you do.”
Eagleshadow laterconfirmedtheir identity as a Croteam employee in a follow-up post. Facebook’s exclusivity offer will apparently not affect Croteam’s release plans, as this week’s trailer features Oculus and Vive logos, suggesting thatSerious Sam VRwill be compatible with both headsets.
Serious Sam VRwill make its PC debut via Steam Early Access this summer.
