Square Enix has brought its King Arthur-inspired digital card battler to virtual reality with Million Arthur VR: Character Command RPG. The publisher released Million Arthur VR in partnership with Vive Studios for the HTC Vive. It launched in Japan and China earlier this year, and it’s now available for $40 on Steam in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
From developers at Square Enix and Gree, Inc., Million Arthur VR is a role-playing game where players do battle using a deck of cards that represent special skills and attacks. It’s set in a fantasy version of Britain where four characters turn into “Arthurs” after wielding the legendary sword Excalibur. This means that they’ve been deemed worthy of vying to rule the realm, but first, they have to fight off malicious invaders who are attacking the kingdom.
“At Vive Studios, we are excited for the opportunity to partner with Square Enix and bring their content to VR not only for their loyal fan base but for VR enthusiasts as well,” said HTC Vive PR associate Paige Farrell in an email to GamesBeat. She pointed to how the card-based battle mechanics translate well into VR: “Million Arthur can be played either seating or standing and with graphics optimized for VR, where the player is fully immersed in the world they are defending from invading forces.”
Million Arthur VR is the latest installment in a popular mobile and console franchise in Asia. The original Million Arthur (also referred to as Kaku-San-Sei Million Arthur) launched on iOS and Android in 2012, and its sequel Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur debuted in 2015.
Kaku-San-Sei was available until around late 2015, and it generated estimated lifetime revenues of $28 million and was downloaded over 4 million times worldwide, according to market analyst Sensor Tower. Square Enix also eventually released versions on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo 3DS.
Square Enix has been making a push into VR. It’s previously ported popular franchises to VR, such as Hitman Go: VR Edition. Other projects it’s working on include Final Fantasy XV: Monster of the Deep, a fishing game set in the Final Fantasy universe that’s due out on November 21; and Project Hikari: Tale of Wedding Rings, a VR comic book that’s slated for 2018.
