It was one of the most high-profile releases to hit virtual reality headsets so far, but it appears that the Oculus-exclusive, Marvel Powers United VR, is set to shutdown.
First spotted by a Reddit poster, owners of the game have received an email from Facebook’s Oculus and Powers United developer Sanzaru Games, seemingly revealing that the online-focused superhero title is shutting shop.
"[The] time has come for us to say goodbye to Marvel Powers United VR,” reads the email, which goes on to say the game will become unplayable from 1 March, 2021. Heading to the Oculus Store, the app already seems to have been pulled from sale (note that the game was only ever a PC-based VR title, exclusively for Oculus Rift and Rift S, and never made it to the Oculus Quest or Quest 2).
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Phased out
During our time playing Marvel Powers United VR, we had a great time Hulk smashing our way through its multiplayer arena battles, putting you in control of heroes like the Hulk, Rocket Racoon, Wolverine and others. It wasn't perfect, but the Marvel license was a big coup for Oculus when it released back in 2018.
However, it does again make the question of ownership in the digital age an talking point, and may make players of online VR games more wary of purchasing in the future. Multiplayer titles live or die by their player base numbers, and it has to be assumed that, if not for licensing conflicts, the game is shuttering due to dwindling player numbers.
With the VR player base's scale already a fraction of general gaming's, you have to wonder what constitutes a healthy, sustainably online community for a VR game if something with the marketing power and recognition of the Marvel brand can't even hold its own.
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Via UploadVR
