Social media and tech giant Facebook recently announced the acquisition of a popular virtual reality game developer, Big Box VR. The makers of the battery royale VR game ‘Population: One’ will be a part of Facebook’s Oculus Studios. Over the recent past, Facebook has acquired numerous virtual reality game studies and the acquisition of Seattle-based VR game maker is set to expand the former’s portfolio of VR game studios.
BigBox VR’s popular title “Population: One” has been a runaway hit and one of the biggest post-launch releases for Oculus Quest 2 Headset, all-in-one virtual reality headset developed by Facebook. Population: One was launched nine months ago and has amassed a revenue of more than USD 10 million on the Oculus Store. The game is a significant clone of the highly popular game, Fortnite, with numerous similar gameplay techniques that have been modified and adapted for movements specific to virtual reality. As a part of the Oculus Studios, BigBox VR will have a significant opportunity to expand POP: ONE and boost its user community with comprehensive support from Oculus Studies and its resources. The virtual reality game has been ranked as one of the top-performing titles on the Oculus platform over the recent months and connects nearly 24 people at once for playing and competing in the virtual world of the game. The game will continue to be supported in its current platforms which includes Oculus Store and Steam and will receive periodic updates.
The terms of acquisition have not been disclosed as of now and BigBox VR will be a part of a long list of VR studios bought by Facebook over the years. Facebook and Oculus Studios, its VR-focused subsidiary, will help Big Box accelerate its plans for the game and other future projects. Virtual and augmented reality have yet to reach mainstream markets but tech giants such as Facebook and Apple have invested heavily in the technologies over the years and this has increased the attraction of investors in the field of VR and AR.
