It’s been a while since BigBoxVR released proper details about its virtual reality (VR) battle royale videogame Population: One, but the studio has now done that in style. As part of Facebook Connect this week Population: One has joined a roster of titles coming to headsets in the latter half of 2020.
Originally announced a couple of years ago, Population: One already looked like a promising multiplayer experience during a Gamescom demo where VRFocus said that: “It didn’t seem like a videogame that was still in development, it felt solid, looked great, and could very well draw in the VR masses for some epic firefights.”
As you might expect from a battle royale videogame, Population: One is a pure multiplayer experience supporting 6 squads of 3 players, 18 players per match. Players are given complete freedom to traverse the landscape however they wish, running between cover, climbing any building for a better viewpoint and also being able to fly.
Players enter the map via a drop pod – no parachuting in – after which they’ll have to scramble to find decent weaponry to avoid getting slaughtered. Survive long enough and they’ll be able to acquire resources to build structures such as walls and platforms to aid their defense.
Population: One is launching fall 2020 featuring cross-play for Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality and Valve Index headsets. Once the launch has taken place BigBoxVR will support the community with new content and continual live in-game events.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg where Oculus Quest owners are concerned. Also on the roster for 2020 is The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Resolution Games’ Blaston, Little Witch Academia: VR Broom Racing and Rez Infinite, all for October. Whilst The Climb 2, Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, Myst and Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister are all expected soon. And let’s not forget Oculus Quest 2 which is due for launch next month.
The release of Population: One could be one of the biggest to end the year, providing VR fans with a true battle royale experience like the flat-screen versions. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.
