A couple of weeks ago, I was puzzling over the fact that besides a few golfing and racing games, we don’t have many sports games inside the MMORPG genre — we leap right from sandbox sport fishing to full-scale murder with little in-between.
I dunno whether CCP’s new VR venture will count, since it’s multiplayer but not MMO exactly, but it’s definitely in the ballpark, pun intended: It’s called Sparc, and the MMO studio is calling it a “unique virtual sport” where “players connect online to compete with each other in fast and fun full-body VR gameplay.” Unlike CCP’s other games, this one won’t be set in the EVE Online universe in any way.
“Sparc’s skill-based, full-body gameplay makes for a fast-paced and fun physical sport. Players use their motion controllers to throw projectiles at their opponents from a distance, and in turn defend themselves by dodging, blocking, or deflecting the incoming attacks. Players can join one-on-one matches with friends online or find opponents via matchmaking. Sparc enables players to connect and compete in an online community. […] Sparc includes multiple two-player game modes as well as single-player challenges and training modes, plus a range of customization and personalization options for competitors.”
Prefer being a couch potato? Don’t worry; you can sit around and watch other people playing video game sport-duels too. “Players can watch matches in-person and queue for the next match in VR through Courtside, a freeform social area for spectating in VR or on screen,” CCP says.
The game is due out sometime this year for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR. We’ve tucked the trailer — which appears to show players gearing up for boxing, fencing, and tennis — down below.
