Facebook Buys Onward Developer Downpour Interactive
Downpour Interactive joins Oculus
The developer of the multiplayer VR first-person shooter (FPS), Onward, has been acquired by Facebook. This is the latest in Facebook VR studio buying spree over the past few years.
Facebook made the announcement this week via the Oculus blog where Facebook promises to support the studio “in growing Onward as one of the foremost multiplayer VR games”. Facebook did not close the financial details of the transaction but Downpour Interactive confirmed that its whole team is joining Facebook.
Facebook also announced that Onward will still be supported on Steam, where it is in Early Access, after the acquisition. The blog post also states that Downpour is planning “future projects” and that it is hoping to release these to “as many people as possible”.
Onward was released on Steam in 2016 and has been one of the most popular multiplayer VR shooters. The game focuses on military realism which has provided many VR fans with the kind of experience that they were yearning for in the early days of virtual reality. Downpour Interactive has also provided consistent support for Onward since its release five years ago and added new modes, fixes, and maps.
We are excited to announce that Downpour Interactive is joining Oculus Studios. We know you have questions and we have built an FAQ to help answer them. For more details, including a message from our founder Dante, visit our website at https://t.co/fJCke9C8R5 pic.twitter.com/5Kub7kfpVc
— Downpour Interactive (@DownpourInt) April 30, 2021
Onward launched on Quest in 2020. The Quest version of the game includes full cross-play support with the PC versions, something that saw the visual fidelity on PC drop when it was released. Downpour Interactive has been gradually rebuilding the PC version’s visuals.
The studio has lots of other plans for Onward. This week, it introduced anti-cheat measures and there are plans for new maps for its future updates.
Apart from its latest Downpour Interactive acquisition, Facebook has in the past also acquired Ready at Dawn, Beat Games, and Sanzaru Games.
https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2021/04/30/facebook-buys-onward-developer-downpour-interactive/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Onward-600x399.pnghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Onward-150x90.pngAcquistionsBusinessDownpour Interactive joins Oculus The developer of the multiplayer VR first-person shooter (FPS), Onward, has been acquired by Facebook. This is the latest in Facebook VR studio buying spree over the past few years. Facebook made the announcement this week via the Oculus blog where Facebook promises to support the studio...Sam OchanjiSam Ochanji[email protected]EditorVirtual Reality Times - Metaverse & VR