Virtual reality catches flack for isolating users, but an upcoming title from White Elk Studios and Oculus aims to bring VR and smartphone gamers together for a common purpose: robbing a museum. The companies today announced Covert, a “couch co-op heist game” that has two friends collaborating asymmetrically to steal a mysterious artifact from a museum — one plays the VR-wearing thief inside the museum, while the other offers timely information from outside.
White Elk’s pitch is very compelling. The VR player’s mission is to open an impenetrable safe, hacking security systems, breaking glass, and ziplining towards your goal. Meanwhile, the outside accomplice uses a smartphone or tablet to send over museum blueprints, timely warnings about guards and lasers, plus safecracking tips.
Based in Los Angeles, the White Elk team includes former developers from the God of War franchise, and previously released an award-winning VR adventure called Eclipse: Edge of Light. The new title is being designed to be “pass-and-play” for inexpensive standalone headsets, serving as a way for players to demonstrate VR to friends and family — something that may help accelerate sales of VR gear.
Covert is scheduled to be released “later this year,” and will be compatible with Oculus Go and Gear VR headsets. Specific smartphone and tablet compatibility has yet to be announced.
