Facebook has announced that they have acquired the studio behind Beat Saber; Beat Games.
Beat Saber, perhaps one of the biggest, if not the biggest VR game to date. Regardless of what VR platform you owned, when it came to game selection, Beat Saber was is at the top of the list. So it would make sense that the biggest VR company wanted to gobble it up.
Now, while Facebook hasn’t discussed the terms of the deal, but they did mention that the studio will retain its individuality. For now, at least, Beat Games will operate independently. Rest assured, Facebook has “promised” that this acquisition will change little if anything on how Beat Saber is handled. The title will still be supported on multiple platforms and updates will still be handled as they are today.
The Beat Games team will operate the same way they have to date as an independent studio, and they’ll continue to work on Beat Saber across all currently supported platforms.
Modding will still be supported as well, though you have to wonder how much of an influence Facebook will have when it comes to song selection. This is apparent as Oculus Studios was quick to point out how they feel about “piracy” during their announcement of the acquisition.
We understand and appreciate the value that modding brings to Beat Saber when done so legally and within our policies. We’re going to do our best to preserve the value that mods bring to the Beat Saber player base. As a reminder, our most recent policy updates give more clarity to how developer mode is intended to be used, such as helping developers build their apps or for enthusiasts to explore new concepts. It is not intended for engaging in piracy or illicit modding, including mods that infringe on third-party IP rights or contain malicious code.
While many are likely frustrated about this news, let’s be honest. Oculus is easily one of the biggest reasons why VR has become what it has today. Without their involvement, who knows where the VR scene would be at. This acquisition just goes to show that they’re fully committed to the cause. This likely won’t be the owner studio they pick either. Far from it.
What do you think about this recent acquisition from Facebook and Oculus Studios? Are you happy for the developers? Sad because Facebook is now the owner of one of your favorite games? Let us know in the comments below.
Beat Saber is playable via the PlayStation VR, Steam VR compatible, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Rift headsets.
