Alien: Isolation on the Oculus Rift is a horrifying but exciting prospect. And with it being shown off at E3 last month, it didn’t seem like there was any question of the game dipping into VR, even if it wouldn’t be until after launch.
Hopes have now been dashed, as Creative Assembly and Sega have clarified that a version of the game that supports the Oculus Rift is not in development.
Creative Assembly broke countless hearts – but probably alleviated just as many fears – when it revealed, on Twitter, that the Alien: Isolation Oculus Rift demo was a prototype, and that there isn’t a full game in development.
It’s like Alien: Resurrection – a massive disappointment.
@xopsx @VRBrighton @TheMightyGit @Pipsissiwa What we've got at the moment with @oculus is a prototype, there's no full game in dev 🙂
— Alien: Isolation (@AlienIsolation) July 7, 2014
Sega clarified this in a statement made to Eurogamer. “At present, it’s just a prototype and does not represent a game currently in development at this point in time. It’s a truly amazing experience though and brings the game to life in ways we could not have imagined when we started the project. It’s one of the most terrifying demos you’ll ever play.”
The language used suggests – or perhaps I’m just being hopeful – that we will see such a title in the future, however. “At present”, “currently” and “at this point in time” all imply that the prototype could lead to a proper game down the line.
With the game’s release date of October 7th, and the Oculus Rift still being in development, it probably doesn’t make a huge amount of sense to make a version of Alien: Isolation that supports the device at the moment. While consumers have purchased a Rift, not just developers, there likely aren’t the numbers that would be able to support the cost involved in developing a VR mode or a VR version.
Perhaps Sega and Creative Assembly are merely waiting for the consumer version to be released, or at the very least announced, before diving into a AAA VR project. Here’s hoping.
Cheers, Eurogamer.