Sony Cuts Investment in VR Development, Only Two First-Party VR Games Currently in Development — Report
Sony is reportedly decreasing its investment in virtual reality (VR) gaming, with the company said to have only two first-party games in development for its PlayStation VR2 headset. According to a new report, sources claim Sony is "making deep cuts to funding for VR games," resulting in very few opportunities for in-house VR games in the future. Sony has not yet responded to a request for comment.
If these claims are accurate, Sony would not be alone in reducing support for VR games. In February, Ubisoft's CEO revealed that the publisher did not plan to increase investment in additional VR games due to the disappointing sales performance of Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.
PlayStation VR2's Bumpy Road
The PlayStation VR2 was released last year, but it seems to have lost momentum. Despite the PSVR2's impressive technical features, such as eye-tracking, many factors have been cited as reasons why people are hesitant to invest in it. These include its steep price, the requirement to own a PS5, and the lack of new VR games that are not ports, optional VR modes, or multi-platform releases. In contrast, headsets like the Meta Quest 2 or Quest 3 are more competitively priced, do not require additional hardware to run, and have several first-party exclusives.
In March 2023, it was reported that the PSVR2 got off to a slow start despite Sony allegedly making two million units before release. By December 2023, Sony Interactive Entertainment's head of global business described VR as "a bit of a challenging category right now." In March this year, reports surfaced that Sony had paused production of new PSVR2 units as it worked to move unsold units. Meanwhile, well-known PSVR developers such as First Contact Entertainment and London Studio have closed.
Earlier this year, it seemed as though Sony had abandoned the PSVR2. One source at a developer of at least one major PSVR2 game indicated that Sony would only market their game through posts on the PlayStation Blog, with any additional marketing having to be done by the developer or the publisher.
Last month, Sony announced that a PC adapter for the PSVR2 would be available on August 7, allowing PSVR2 players to play PC VR-exclusive games like Half-Life: Alyx. However, several of the headset's signature features, such as eye-tracking, HDR, and adaptive triggers, will not be available with the adapter. Additionally, the adapter does not include everything required to plug in and play.
Overall, it appears that Sony is reassessing its position in the VR gaming industry, and the future of PSVR2 remains uncertain amid these budget cuts and market challenges.
