Koch Media says some of its biggest franchises have “good opportunities” for VR going forward. Metro VR, anyone?
Two months ago, Koch announced the acquisition of Arizona Sunshine developer, Vertigo Games. It was a surprising move for the company, which also owns other games publishers like Deep Silver under its own label and is connected to Saber Interactive and THQ Nordic via its parent company, Embracer Group. Vertigo will continue to work on VR projects, including the upcoming After The Fall but, as Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz told MCV, the deal also signals that we could see other Koch-associated studios embrace VR.
Metro VR Could Happen… One Day
“Yes, there is big interest from various studios now to engage and how that will materialize in VR games, we need to see,” Kundratitz said. “We run our company in a sort of decentralized way, where the studios have a lot of autonomy on the one hand, but also are part of the family. And we’re gonna play it the same way with VR. Nobody will be forced to do the next game in VR. But on the other hand, if the idea is suitable, if there is an appetite from the development point of view, then we now have great opportunities to not only dream of it, but actually make it.”
As the owner of several games publishers and studios, as well as the subsidiary of a company that owns yet more of them, Koch’s reach ranges quite far. But, specifically, Kundratitz seemed to tease that some of its biggest series, including Metro, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Dead Island could be well-suited for VR.
“Yes, Metro is certainly an important IP that we have, Kingdom Come Deliverance is another big one, Dead Island is a big one,” he said. “So there are good opportunities in our stable of IPs.”
This is purely a speculative quote and by no means confirmation, though it certainly seems Koch and Embracer are more optimistic about the possibilities of VR versions of their games than other publishers. Indeed, the Metro series’ atmospheric, isolated approach to first-person combat and Kingdom Come’s huge world both seem well-suited for VR.
It’ll likely be some time before we hear any other news, though. For now, After The Fall is due for release sometime in 2021. Would you want a Metro VR game? Are there any other Koch-owned series you’d want to see in VR? Let us know in the comments below!
