Category
VR & AR
#Case study
Insights in Action: VRMonkey’s Rise Fueled by GameAnalytics
VRMonkey, formerly known as Naked Monkey Games, embarked on a journey into VR a decade ago. Although their activities initially evolved around developing smartphone games, in 2015, after encountering Oculus Rift DK1, they decided to pivot fully into VR and AR development. Today, this indie studio comprises 40 dedicated team members who work on their own IPs and collaborate with renowned VR studios worldwide, including The Munky – creators of Drunkn Bar Fight. Among VRMonkey’s portfolio, their co-development of Drunkn Bar Fight stands out as one of their most successful ventures. This game is among the top 20 selling VR Games of all time, and it maintains a steady audience, with more than 100,000 MAU. During peak seasons and featured store placements, this number rises to 200,000 MAU. Harnessing the Power of Analytics VRMonkey recognized that they must fuel their...
8 min read
#Game Design
Creating VR Experiences: Challenges and Solutions for Designers
Making a VR game is still no walk in the park. It’s very different to what you may be used to building. So what are the top game design conventions that don’t currently translate well to VR? And what can you do to overcome these? Let’s break it down.
#Case study
How GameAnalytics Empowers HyperVR’s Immersive VR Games
Analytics is a crucial ingredient to perfecting your games. But it can be a pain if it’s not available for you in one place. That’s why HyperVR use GameAnalytics.
6 min read
#VR & AR
Apple’s Vision Pro: what will it do for the gaming industry?
Apple's new mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro, sets the stage for a revolution in spatial computing, presenting unique opportunities and challenges for developers preparing for a future shaped by immersive technologies.
9 min read
#Game Deconstructions
Cloudhead Games’ advice on jumping into the VR Market
In the next five years, almost a third of people will have a headset of some description, and there’ll be about 2.5 billion players. But how do you make the shift to this incredibly lucrative new area? We asked Cloudhead Games.
8 min read
#Game Deconstructions
Why Resolution Games believes mixed reality is a new frontier
Augmented and virtual reality are steadily on the rise. And game developers are now seeing an opportunity to branch out and create mixed-reality experiences. We speak with one of the key players in the space, Resolution Games, to get their advice on breaking into the sector.
#Case study
Developing a #1 VR MMO: Ramen VR’s Journey with GameAnalytics
Discover how Ramen VR used data-driven game development to launch "Zenith: The Last City", which became the #1 bestselling game all major VR platforms—including Meta Quest/Rift, Steam and PlayStation VR.
11 min read
#Game Design
Among Us VR dev talks about how to create immersive worlds
VR is all about immersion. It’s about allowing players to lose themselves in more than just a game, but a new world. You have to build VR experiences the right way to make this happen. This goal is always top-of-mind for Schell Games. In this interview, we spoke to Schell Games’ Vice President of Product, Charlie Amis, to learn their story. “For VR, you want to make the player feel like they’re actually in the world you’ve created. This isn’t as true or a high priority in PC and console games. If people start to lose that sense of presence and immersion, then a lot of the reason they put the headset on is hurt. They want to go to another world or be someone new. So you need to help them feel like they’re really there and really that...
10 min read
#Game Design
How to build successful VR games as a solo developer
Building video games has never been a simple task. You can have a brilliant idea for a game, but without the right skills, tools and resources, it can be near-impossible to tackle by yourself. Especially if we consider something as complicated and new as virtual reality. Not that this stopped Sergio Hidalgo. Being a one-man studio, Sergio managed to produce, release, and publish two successful VR titles. His first title, Dreadhalls, sold up to 250,000 units worldwide, and hit over 60,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch. (For comparison, Team Fortress 2’s highest was around 80,000.) While Cosmodread has had approximately 25,000 players on Steam alone. So to get his advice and learn his secrets, we sat down to hear his story and journey as a solo-game developer. Here’s what he had to say. 1. You don’t have to have it all...
10 min read
#Game Design
Fruit Ninja dev talks porting to VR
Obsessed with making games that people will remember for a lifetime, Halfbrick decided to convert their hit title, Fruit Ninja, into a VR game. It was a natural evolution – people apparently really enjoy slicing fruit and swinging swords. After that success, they created Fruit Ninja VR 2 – adding more features and exploration to the game. “Making a game for VR is very, very different,” said Liam Potter, one of the lead gameplay programmers on Fruit Ninja VR 2. “There are a lot of things you need to take into account that you just don’t for console or mobile.” With that in mind, let’s dive into those challenges and see what Liam advises. Show players the play space early In a VR experience, it’s incredibly difficult to make sure that players are looking where you want. Gamers notoriously fail...
6 min read
#VR & AR
Bring VR to your mobile game
Virtual reality has been a hot topic for a few years now. And although there are a few kinks to iron out, VR is starting to take its seat in the gaming industry – it now boasts around 171 million VR users worldwide. We actually support VR games. Our SDKs work out of the box for Oculus Quest games. You just need to download our SDKs as usual, but with one extra step. (But more on that below.) It still comes second place to most other types of gaming in the industry. (Mobile gaming is easily one of the top dogs, having generated $93.2 billion in 2021 alone.) But VR is a space to keep your eye on (or even dip your toes into). But how do you even get started developing VR games? What tools and skills will you...
7 min read
#Game Deconstructions
Five mobile games that nailed shifting to VR
Virtual reality is no new concept. Have you ever heard of Sword of Damocles? It was invented by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull, it was arguably the first VR / AR head-mounted display connected to a computer. That was in 1968. Today mobile games are at the start of shifting to VR But it wasn’t until 1987 that Jaron Lanier used the name ‘virtual reality’ for the first time. He coined the term to help better describe his research. His company was the first ever to sell VR goggles, called the EyePhone, which cost upwards of $250,000 (including the computer to run it). Image source: Flashbak Of course, technology has come a long way since 1968. In 2021, the global VR market size was just under $5 billion, and research shows that we’re now predicting the market to increase to more...