VRdeveloper Warpfrog has been busy, which is a good thing to be in the often inconsistent field of VR gaming. Ahead of the launch of Blade & Sorcery: Nomad 1.0, I spoke to Warpfrog’s founder, KospY, about Blade & Sorcery’s medium-defining success as a VR game,its open-minded mod policy, and what comes next.
For KospY, it’s about understanding that Blade & Sorcery is a VR game, not a game in VR - a distinction many miss. “We have a unique vision about VR game game design compared to most,” KospY says. “We believe that a lot of VR games still derive too much from flat gaming mechanics for example, and that is something we are against. VR is a whole new medium and we are approaching it more like being a simulator/holodeck than just another gaming platform.
“My personal point of view is I play VR games to get immersed in another world, role playing a character and being free to do whatever we want. Anything too close to a flat game (like UI, interaction limitations, lack of physics, grinding gameplay, etc…) breaks immersion and doesn’t really interest me, so I would rather play the game seated on my screen in that case.”
KospY also adds that the “most important” factor is that “player’s expectation meets the reality”.
Blade & Sorcery Is A Haven For Modders
KospY began in game development as a modder, and this has always been a huge part of Blade & Sorcery’s identity. I asked why that was, especially in an era where we’re seeing more full games begin life as mods.
“I believe that modding extends the life of the game in ways a developer could never do, and that is good for any gaming community, not just Blade & Sorcery,” they say, offering several examples. “Players want more spells? More weapons? Or even want guns in a medieval game? Fine by us! Mods are content made by fans to make other fans happy, so our attitude is, ‘How can anyone dislike this?’
“As such, we work extra hard to make the game as openly mod-friendly as possible to encourage the growth of the mod community and support the great modder talent out there. I should also note, a big chunk of the Warpfrog team are Blade & Sorcery modders, plucked straight from the mod community.”
Some Exclusive Unseen Armor Concepts For Blade & Sorcery
While Warpfrog isn’t ready to share many details on its next project yet, it will “be more ambitious than Blade & Sorcery” but also keeps the “feel”. So what does that mean in reality? KospY tells me, “Blade & Sorcery was a unique experience in VR space when it launched, and a lot of our playerbase responded to that “feeling” the game had. It’s important for us to keep the heart and feel of Blade & Sorcery for our second game, and I think all future Warpfrog games too. Fans of Warpfrog should feel right at home as the key elements will always be there: physics driven combat, immersion, non-gamey gameplay, modding, and fun!
“Our next game is not going to be simply ‘Blade & Sorcery 2’, but we are also not going to do a full 360 on gameplay. We are looking to add even more ways to fight, as well as letting the player evolve in a very different context to B&S. We are also very excited about the new environments, because it gives us many new possibilities. But perhaps most important of all for fans of Warpfrog to know, the most critical thing we will be pushing, same as we did for Blade & Sorcery, is innovation.”
Where Does VR Go Next?
I was also interested in asking about the state of VR in general, while I had the attention of one of the few studios that had made it work. I was slow on the uptake of VR myself, but its lack of market penetration within the wider gaming community means that I’m probably still considered an early adopter of the tech. Likewise, the fact I currently have two different VR headsets (Meta Quest 3 and PS VR2) likely makes me a relative die hard enthusiast. KospY’s answer on the future of VR struck me as correct, though with some caveats.
“It’s hard to predict how headsets are going to improve in the future,” they tell me, “but from a developer perspective my wish would be headsets that have better performance, are lighter and more comfortable. We also need more VR games to attract more players; the market is growing for sure, but I think a lot of players are still waiting for games that have more depth and content.”
KospY also says VR is “here to stay” but is “not a replacement” for regular gaming, which again, strikes me as correct. But when the conversation moves to price, the VR conversation always gets a little blurry. “Headsets are not as expensive these days as the perception around VR tech cost in the earliest days,” KospY says. “The Meta Quest 3S was released recently and is around $299. This is a good quality standalone headset, and no other hardware is required to play VR games on it, so it is reasonable when you think of it that way, especially compared to PC hardware where a single piece of hardware like a GFX card can cost much more than this.”
He’s right, but also, that’s $299 to play a relatively small handful of games compared to what PC or consoles offer, and VR’s repeated reliance on exclusives means one headset (unlike one PC) is never enough. Blade & Sorcery is not on PS VR2, for example, though KospY says it is being “work[ed] on for next year”.
What is clear is that Blade & Sorcery, plus whatever else Warpfrog has up its sleeve, understands the VR market and how to connect with players in ways other games and studios have failed. That makes me excited to see what comes next, and players can check out what that means for Nomad, which launches on the Meta Quest store today.
