Gamescom is known for large, splashy booths, gamers walking around as their favorite characters, and even live esports competitions for big-title games like FIFA, Call of Duty, and League of Legends. Previously, VR headsets were few and far between in small, less-traveled areas, with a scattered and underwhelming presence.
But not in 2024. Still considered an outlier in gaming (especially when stacked up against traditional console or PC games) – Virtual Reality finally had its own home. True to the spirit of camaraderie that VR studios have always shared – some of the largest VR studios came together to create “The Home of XR.” Spanning several thousand square feet, The Home of XR was put together by Beyond Frames Entertainment, Vertigo Games, nDreams, Fast Travel Games, Flat2VR Studios, Combat Waffle Studios, Soul Assembly, The Game Kitchen, Maru VR, Virtual Age, Maze Theory, Dance Reality, Cyborn and Patient 8 Games.
With its own security and an appointment only entry system, The Home of XR was a highly sought-after stop to have on your schedule. Not to mention the lush coffee and drink bar, The Home of XR felt like the Home that XR had always deserved – like the comfort of playing VR in your living room, with ample space to play and soft seating for meetings and catching up with friends. Although VR gaming has been around for a few years, it’s still gaining traction among hardcore gamers. Despite millions of headsets being sold, it remains relatively expensive, and the game library is just now expanding enough to appeal to a wider audience.
2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for VR, with major titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow from Meta and Flat2VR Studios bringing flat games like Trombone Champ, FlatOut, and Roboquest into virtual reality. As VR continues to grow in both gaming and everyday life, it’s clear that it will not only become a mainstay for gamers but also for major events like Gamescom. So, what must-see experiences were showcased at The Home of XR?
There were a total of 18 playable titles, making The Home of XR the largest VR showcase in the event’s history. Here are a few of the highlights:
Trombone Champ: Unflattened – Gamescom Reaction Reel
Trombone Champ Unflattened, set to launch in Fall 2024, is the VR adaptation of the hit rhythm game Trombone Champ, offering players an immersive experience with over 50 songs, a single-player campaign, and unique, comical gameplay that challenges them to master the trombone.
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Arizona Sunshine Remake is a reimagined version of the popular VR zombie survival shooter, offering enhanced graphics, improved gameplay mechanics, and more immersive interactions as players fight their way through hordes of undead in the sweltering Arizona desert, either solo or in co-op multiplayer mode.
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Ghosts of Tabor is an intense VR tactical survival game where players engage in strategic combat, scavenging, and looting in a post-apocalyptic world. Offering both solo and multiplayer modes, the game emphasizes realism, teamwork, and survival skills, drawing inspiration from popular survival shooters while incorporating immersive VR mechanics.
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Ember Souls is an upcoming VR action-adventure game heavily inspired by Prince of Persia, where players engage in acrobatic combat, solve intricate puzzles, and explore a mystical world filled with danger.
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Action Hero is an adrenaline-fueled VR game that puts players in the shoes of a classic action movie star, letting them perform high-octane stunts, engage in explosive shootouts, and take on waves of enemies across dynamic environments.
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Escaping Wonderland is a VR puzzle-adventure game that transports players into a twisted version of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, where they must solve challenging puzzles, navigate surreal environments, and outwit strange characters in order to escape.
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Last Stand is a mixed reality PvP shooter from Soul Assembly, launching Winter 2024. It turns your home into a battleground, using everyday objects as cover for intense 1v1 shootouts.
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Wall Town Wonders is a mixed reality game where players build a miniature town in their living room. Set to release in Q4 2024, it offers quests, mini-games, and customization options, with seasonal updates to keep the experience engaging.
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Memoreum is a sci-fi survival horror VR game where players control Dr. Otto Hudson aboard a colony ship, fighting to survive and solve the mystery of a catastrophic event. With immersive, physical controls, it combines intense combat, puzzles, and exploration, drawing inspiration from Dead Space and Alien: Isolation.
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Metro Awakening is an upcoming VR-exclusive adventure set in the post-apocalyptic world of the Metro series. Players control Serdar, a doctor searching for his missing wife while facing supernatural and physical dangers.
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Vendetta Forever is a VR shooter where players use a unique LO-KILL-MOTION system, killing enemies to move forward by grabbing their weapons mid-air. With over 60 levels and 50 weapons, the game blends fast-paced gunplay and acrobatic action, offering high replayability and leaderboard competition.
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Often in the gaming industry, studios are highly competitive with one another. However, in Virtual Reality gaming, the camaraderie and friendliness among studios and other developers have a very different vibe. That’s exactly how it felt in the home of XR – many studios working together for the greater good of VR.
This sense of unity was not just a show of cooperation, but a symbol of the VR industry’s approach to innovation. Rather than being driven by rivalry, the developers behind these groundbreaking VR experiences are committed to fostering growth in a space that is still gaining momentum. Each studio brought its unique strengths to Gamescom 2024, proving that when it comes to VR, collaboration can propel the entire industry forward in ways that competition cannot.
The Home of XR, with its impressive lineup of titles, wasn’t just a display of the best VR games on offer – it was a celebration of the shared vision for what Virtual Reality can become. With each game pushing boundaries, the collective efforts of these developers are setting the stage for VR to break into the mainstream, expanding its reach far beyond hardcore gamers and into the everyday lives of players worldwide.
As Virtual Reality continues to evolve, the cooperative spirit among VR developers will remain crucial. It is this collaborative mindset, more than any single title or technology, that will help Virtual Reality transcend its outlier status and become a defining force in the future of gaming. In the end, The Home of XR wasn’t just a space at Gamescom; it was a promise of what’s to come – a future where the best VR experiences are built together.
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All images courtesy of The Home of XR.