But although these hints were more than enough to get fans going giddy over the possibility of VR content, Criterion has now come out and denied these reports. In a new interview, Webster now explains that Star Wars Battlefront 2 will not support VR after all.
“There is no VR,” states the developer, who explained that “it’s taken enough effort to make that.” Webster also said that “we could sit down and spend a good number of hours talking about where VR needs to get to in order to work with that, because in something like [Battlefront 2’s Starfighter Assault] you’re doing the job of a fighter pilot.” However, “in the real world that has a significant physiological effect on you, which would dramatically limit the audience.”
For those who were holding out hope for Battlefront 2 VR content, Webster’s latest comments will be disappointing, especially as its predecessor including VR support. Star Wars Battlefront received a Rogue One VR DLC mission that put players in the pilot’s seat of an X-Wing. That mission was praised by most critics who said that it could have a major impact on sales of the Sony headset.
That announcement may also be disappointing for Sony who may have hoped that Battlefront 2’s VR support could help it shift even more PS VR units. This year, the PlayStation VR will benefit from other tie-in VR games such as Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep. And while the headset isn’t totally without major third-party support, the more major releases that include VR content and can help show off the technology, the better.
But on a positive note, Star Wars Battlefront 2 could benefit from the lack of VR. The new game is significantly larger than its predecessor and includes a single-player campaign; something which previous Battlefront didn’t have.
If the three development teams cannot find the time or resources to develop a VR mission or demo at launch, in addition to the story and multiplayer improvements, then it might not be such a bad thing. It could allow the teams to focus on making the already announced content better, without any VR-shaped distractions.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 will be released on November 17 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Metro