The next entry in the Outlast franchise won’t include PlayStation VR support at launch, Red Barrels confirmed this week, but the studio isn’t ruling out the possibility of making Outlast 2 compatible with the head-mounted display at some point after launch. And it sounds like it’s safe to make the same assumption for Rift, Vive and any other headsets that might emerge between now and the Outlast 2 release date.
Given all of the hype surrounding its predecessor, it’s probably safe to call Outlast 2 one of the most anticipated horror games in the history of the games industry. The game isn’t expected to debut until sometime next year but we’re already learning plenty about the upcoming Outlast sequel. Unfortunately, what we learned this week is that we’ll have to wait until sometime after the Outlast 2 release date for any chance at a VR support. And there’s no guarantee we’ll ever see it (no pun intended).
In an interview with PlayStation LifeStyle, Red Barrels studio boss Philippe Morin acknowledged the scares that would likely come from pairing Outlast 2 with VR tech. But he also highlighted a current reality of VR development; specifically, that the best virtual reality experiences (in 2016) come from studios and projects developed specifically for VR.
“If you want to make a really effective and enjoyable VR game, it has to be built from the ground up for it,” Morin told PlayStation LifeStyle .
With just 20 employees on the roster at Red Barrels, the studio would rather focus on making sure Outlast 2 doesn’t have any major issues at launch and worry about extra bells and whistles (like VR support) down the road. Given the explanation, it seems safe to assume the launch build of Outlast 2 won’t include support for other VR headsets, like the Rift or Vive, either. That said, Morin did at least leave the door open for post-launch support, telling PlayStation Lifestyle that “we’ll see” if Red Barrels climbs aboard the “VR bandwagon” after launch.
For an early look at Outlast 2 , take a couple of minutes to check out the teaser trailer released earlier this year and/or download the free Outlast 2 demo on your preferred platform. Then head down to the comments section and let us know whether or not PlayStation VR support will have any impact on whether or not you purchase Outlast 2 .
Outlast 2 is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game is expected to debut sometime in early 2017.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Outlast 2 coverage throughout 2016 and however long Red Barrels supports Outlast 2 after launch.
