Beat Games, the developer behind popular VR rhythm game Beat Saber, has entered into a partnership with Facebook as an “independently operated studio” within Oculus Studios.
Revealed in a post on the Oculus Blog, Mike Verdu, Director for Content, writes that the move is part of Oculus’ quest to bring VR to a broader global audience, working with Beat to create new ways to “experience music and VR gaming.” Beat Games, who’ll continue to operate out of Prague, has cultivated a healthy community around Beat Saber, through regular updates and modding, and the game has become one of the major entry point titles for VR.
“Beat Games’ accomplishments are already impressive, but Facebook and the Beat Games team know that there is so much more that can be done across VR, games, and music,” Verdu stated. “They have only scratched the surface with Beat Saber in terms of social features, new modes, music, and more. We are thrilled to join forces to see where this talented team takes VR gaming in the future.”
Verdu sings Beat’s praises in the post, while assuring fans that Beat Saber will not be affected by this partnership. All updates will still ship for all platforms already hosting Beat Saber, and he goes on to reassure modders that Oculus is going to do their best to “preserve the value that mods bring to the Beat Saber player base.” He does, however, mention that recent policy changes rule out “illicit modding”, and infringing on third-party IP.
As far as whether this is just the start of more acquisitions, Verdu gives a vague answer with an ominous conclusion: “We’re exploring many ways to accelerate VR, and we think next year is going to be an incredible one of VR game launches and announcements. We are thrilled to have Beat Games join our team. This is just the beginning.”
We listed Beat Saber as part of the best VR games, and Beat Games are one of the most promising teams in the space. If Facebook and Oculus are in the market for more acquisitions and partnerships, this sets a strong precedent.