Rovio Entertainment and Resolution Games have officially revealed Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, a VR game that the two studios will be developing jointly. The game will allow players to step right into the Angry Birds universe and interact with their favorite foul-tempered fowls in a bevy of brand new ways. So far, details about the game are rather sparse, suffice it to say that motion controls will almost certainly be used in some capacity, and the player will be playing their usual role, but from a first-person perspective. The two studios are looking at early 2019 for a release window, with no particular timeline set just yet. The game will be available on “all major VR platforms”, which likely includes both desktop and mobile options, such as the HTC VIVE, Oculus Rift, and Google Daydream ecosystems.
Background: The Angry Birds series is a long and storied one, and has picked up a number of new features since its debut in the simple, slingshot-driven form of the very first game way back in 2009. The original game hit in December of 2009, in fact, which means that this VR sequel, if it releases in the indicated time frame, will drop less than a year shy of the franchise’s 10th anniversary. It’s likely to bring all sorts of new tricks to the fray, alongside the tons of bird types, environments, pigs, and hazards already present in scattered entries throughout the franchise thus far. Resolution Games has had a hand in a number of hit titles in the VR and mobile gaming worlds, including Daydream minigame collection Wonderglade, and even the Magic Leap-enabled Angry Birds: First Person Slingshot. The motion controls, physics, and assets from that game may well end up in this new VR entry, but without being constricted by the real world as in a mixed reality game, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs will have more freedom to build an immersive playground for users.
Impact: This isn’t the first collaboration between Rovio and Resolution Games, obviously, but it will be the first one that most consumers have access to, given the Magic Leap’s high price and tepid reception. The pedigree of Rovio and the Angry Birds series is impressive, but perhaps just as impressive is that of Resolution Games; the studio hasn’t been open all that long, but it has already created a range of VR and AR experiences that have garnered rave reviews, including fishing sim Bait!, which is widely hailed as one of the best VR games on the market. Only time will tell if this new Angry Birds VR experience will have a warm reception and good reviews, but if things go well, other beloved franchises, from the mobile gaming world or otherwise, will probably have their turn on the VR stage in the near future. Likewise, just as every great mobile game inspires waves upon waves of copycats, any success for this venture will likely see the Play Store and other outlets flooded with clones of every flavor meant to ape some of that success.