It’s as a big a shift, if not bigger, than when games moved into 3D space. How does virtual reality enhance a game like Battlezone ? So, when Battlezone went up for auction, we knew it made good business sense to acquire the property, but we had a feeling the time was right to bring it back as a VR game. Likewise, we’ve always believed in virtual reality, and that it would make a return someday. What convinced Rebellion to make Battlezone as its first VR game?īattlezone has always been an important game to my brother (and Rebellion co-founder) Chris and I, ever since our childhood days playing it in arcades, peering into the cabinet’s VR-like visor that put you in that wireframe world.

Rebellion co-founder and CEO, Jason Kingsley, speaks to listdaily about what it takes to bring the classic arcade game into an all-new era of technology. As an added bonus, Rebellion is remastering the games from the ’90s and will be releasing them on Steam as Battlezone 98 Redux this spring. The game is set to launch for PlayStation VR in the fall, with other platforms to follow.

In 2013, the rights to Battlezone were purchased by Rebellion Studios, which will be bringing the franchise to the platform it was always meant to be on: virtual reality. Finally, a version that supported HD graphics and surround sound released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2008. The franchise later made its way onto the PlayStation Portable in 2006. A version that included strategic elements was published by Activision in 1998, which was followed by a sequel in 1999. Due to its first-person perspective and quasi-3D graphics, some consider Battlezone as a precursor to modern shooters.ĭespite being around for over 35 years, Battlezone is a franchise that has been revived to fit into the technology of the era. Although we’ve come a long way from the 1980s wireframe graphics, the spirit of the game-where the player controls a tank against waves of enemies-lives on.

In fact, the original arcade machine had players looking through a “periscope” viewfinder that could be compared to some of today’s high-end VR headsets. Battlezone is regarded by many as one of the first games to offer a glimpse of what virtual reality might look like.

Wireframe tank game modern