Insomniac Games’ Oculus Rift VR Titles Disappear Without a Trace
Image credit: Insomniac Games/Oculus.
Numerous Oculus Rift games from developer Insomniac Games seem to have been removed from the Meta store without any announcement from the studio.
Journalist Dominic Tarason was the first to spot the removals, highlighting that the titles were “major, high-budget PC VR games” exclusive to the virtual reality platform. According to him, the removed titles include 2016’s The Unspoken, Edge of Nowhere, and Feral Rites, as well as 2019’s Stormland. When he reached out to Meta for clarification, customer support advised him to “contact Insomniac.”
As of this writing, the studio has not released a public statement regarding the issue. In a response, Tarason suggested that the removals occurred “some time ago,” but their unavailability went largely unnoticed. “Others are so entirely gone that not even piracy and torrent sites seem to have leftovers anymore,” he remarked. “That’s pretty alarming, given that Insomniac is a well-known AAA studio.”
Before it was acquired by PlayStation and ventured into the Marvel universe, Insomniac set aside Ratchet & Clank to develop various other notable titles. Possibly the most recognized were Fuse and Sundown Overdrive, but the developer also created mobile games (Fruit Fusion, Digit & Fling) and metroidvanias (Song of the Deep). Its few VR titles were released during this experimental phase, and the studio has not engaged with the technology since, not even to port any of its recent works to either PlayStation VR system.
The four VR games were all released through Oculus Studios, which has previously partnered with various renowned non-VR developers such as Turtle Rock Studios and Gunfire Games. It also acquired Sanzaru Games and the late Ready at Dawn, both of which had previously worked on spinoffs for PlayStation franchises Ratchet & Clank and God of War.
Insomniac’s apparent lack of communication regarding the removal of these games emphasizes the necessity for a comprehensive preservation initiative for the medium. If studios cannot manage the fate of their games for any reason, these titles should at least be preserved in an archive.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to a multitude of websites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his work can also be found at io9 on Gizmodo. Don’t inquire about how much gum he has consumed, as the answer may exceed what he’s willing to admit.