A new Ghostbusters game is headed to virtual reality consoles, and it now has an official title (plus a handful of gameplay details).
Publisher Sony Pictures Virtual Reality recently announced the title of the upcoming at-home virtual reality Ghostbusters game: Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord. The new game will put players in the shoes (and pale brown jumpsuits) of a new team of Ghostbusters, stationed not in the original Ghostbusters' iconic New York firehouse but in a brand new busting HQ in San Francisco. That means players will spend some time busting ghosts in various iconic California settings.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is being developed by nDreams, a popular virtual reality studio. While nDreams is mostly known for its original games, like the mutant fruit-blasting first-person shooter Fruity Shooty and the recent city-building simulator Little Cities, it's worked with other studios' licenses in the past. In 2021, the studio developed Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity, a location-based virtual reality experience adapted from Ubisoft's Far Cry franchise. Publisher Sony Pictures Virtual Reality has largely focused on delivering licensed VR experiences to accompany Sony Pictures films. Previous Sony Pictures VR games include Spider-Man: Homecoming - Virtual Reality Experience, Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever, and Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, a full-fledged virtual reality sequel to the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord will offer both co-op and single player options. The game is seemingly designed to be played with a full four-person team of Ghostbusters, but those with fewer friends in the virtual reality space will still be able to tackle its campaign (and discover who or what the "Ghost Lord" actually is) on a smaller team. SPVR and nDreams also released a new piece of art showcasing the new San Francisco setting.
he latest virtual reality Ghostbusters experience is expected sometime next year. In the mean time, fans can discover whether or not busting makes them feel good by playing the recent Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, an asymmetric 4v1 multiplayer experience that launched on Oct. 18, 2022. CBR's Christopher Baggett reviewed Spirits Unleashed and praised its "excellent multiplayer gameplay" while levying some criticism against its so-so story and single player content.
Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord will launch on the PlayStation 5's PlayStation VR2 and the standalone Meta Quest 2 sometime in 2023. Sony Pictures Virtual Reality is also currently collaborating with location-based VR studio HOLOGATE on another Ghostbusters VR experience, titled Ghostbusters VR Academy.
Source: Sony Pictures Virtual Reality