Gaming is the largest entertainment sector on the planet. Traditional gaming companies such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo have succeeded in creating a gaming ecosystem that has flourished through consumer sales and community building. Personal Computers (PCs) and the proliferation of gaming laptops have also stimulated the industry’s success, with high-powered gaming rigs paving the way for more intuitive and immersive gaming.
Another player in this market is VR gaming. Although still a small subsect of the wider gaming industry, virtual reality is becoming more mainstream within gaming circles. Thanks to PlayStation’s PSVR and PSVR 2 immersive headsets and tech giants such as Meta marketing their Oculus headsets for VR gaming with improved performance, virtual reality has started to become a staple of the average gamer’s arsenal.
Furthermore, a plethora of virtual reality gaming studios are building VR games that provide immersive experiences. These studios play a crucial role in advancing the limits of virtual reality technology, game design, and user engagement.
Examples include Astrobeam, which recently raised $3 million to develop interactive VR games using human touch and voice. Other examples include Squido Studio and Resolution Games, which are leading the field in building immersive gaming titles. Our intelligence platform has mapped hundreds of VR development companies building immersive experiences throughout the gaming ecosystem; for more information, check out the platform here.
Despite the flourishing of the VR gaming market, there are still concerns over its adoption and the general state of the gaming industry. With industry players such as PlayStation laying off staff and cutting back, it’s marketing their latest headset, PSVR, there are signs that the industry needs to grow at a rate acceptable for job creation, retention, and profit-making, as argued by Xbox head Phil Spencer. Thus, the future of VR gaming is shaky, with sales being down. Nevertheless, VR gaming is becoming more mainstream and hopefully will have a bright future as gamers look to make their gaming experiences more immersive.
