VR Hit Job Simulator Has Now Sold More than 1 Million Copies
VR classic Job Simulator is the latest virtual reality title to hit the one million mark following the roaring success of Beat Saber. Development studio Owlchemy Labs announced the milestone yesterday.
The Google-owned VR development studio Owlchemy Labs was of the first game development studios to exclusively focus on virtual reality. To accomplish this, the studio tested a game development concept that relied on hand presence as well as funny interactions with the immediate virtual environment rather than going for the conventional monitor game mechanics. With Owlchemy Labs productions, all the game elements that the player will need for interactions are always only a hand away.
This is significant because this how game developers are able to circumvent the problems with VR nausea and virtual locomotion. This also draws attention to the VR-exclusive interaction using the player’s own hands.
The Owlchemy approach in Job Simulator has reaped big rewards. Since the title’s release in April 2016, the Job Simulator has been a top 10 hit in almost all virtual reality platforms. Some other developers have even imitated the Owlchemy Labs’ approach and applied it in a smaller genre of games in virtual reality.
Owlchemy Labs is now reporting that more than a million copies of the game have already been sold to date.
Job Simulator first launched for HTC Vive during the first half of 2016. The game has consistently grown in popularity thanks to its mechanics; it is not only easy to pick up but it also fun to play repeatedly. The VR hit has had a universal appeal for players of all ages. Players can master it easily without much tutorialization.
Since the title’s release, Job Simulator also made its way to the Rift platform when the Touch controllers were released. It was also launched on Oculus Quest and PSVR, making it available on all the major virtual reality platforms.
Owlchemy Labs also developed Vacation Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual-Rickality. These two follow-ups grew on the foundation that had been laid by Job Simulator.
Breaking the one million sales mark is a major milestone for the VR hit. While many non-VR traditional games cross the million mark frequently, it represents a major milestone and success for a virtual reality game, particularly from an indie studio like Owlchemy Labs.
Very few virtual reality games have crossed the million mark so far. Beat Saber announced that it had hit the milestone in March 2019. It is also possible that No Man’s Sky VR may have breached the one million mark given the fact more than a million of its players had a virtual reality headset before the VR update the game. It is also estimated that about one million have played the Resident Evil in virtual reality on the PSVR platform. The title has sold even more copies as a Capcom AAA non-VR franchise.
A one million breakout success is a major milestone in virtual reality. As VR continues to grow and expand into the mainstream, expect the market to generate more massive hits.
Two years since its acquisition about Google, it’s still unclear what the tech giant plans to do with Owlchemy Labs. Google recently made an announcement to the effect that it is planning to invest in promising virtual reality apps and services while going back to the drawing board when it comes to its VR hardware plans.
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