Thrill of the Battle 2, the upcoming sequel to Quest’s hottest VR boxing sim, appears to be gearing up for launch, as studios Sealost Interactive and Halfbrick Studios tossed out its first teaser trailer.
Replace (September sixteenth, 2024): Introduced early final yr, we’re nonetheless ready on gameplay, though the studios are chumming the waters now with a brand new live-action teaser, stating to “Put together Your self.”
The sport is coming to Quest first, nonetheless authentic creator Ian Fitz says the group plans to deliver it to different platforms ultimately, which he notes isn’t on account of “any contractual exclusivity or something like that.”
Moreover, Fitz notes the Sealost Interactive group formally began work on Thrill of the Battle 2 in July 2020, however scaling the studio was a difficulty. “I deserted that [internal scaling] plan and began working with Halfbrick, and we restarted the venture collectively in January 2023,” Fitz says in a Discord publish.
There’s no launch date but, nonetheless Fitz says we’ll discover out “quickly! ! and I imply quickly!” The unique article detailing the preliminary reveal and Halfbrick’s involvement follows beneath:
Authentic Article (January twenty third: 2023): Created by Ian Fitz and his studio Sealost Interactive in 2016, Thrill of the Battle focuses on practical boxing mechanics, eschewing arcadey issues like stamina bars and unrealistic knockout blows.
Thrill of the Battle 2, which is now in co-development by Halfbrick Studios, is bringing the much-requested characteristic of multiplayer mode. In a growth replace video (beneath), Halfbrick CEO Shainiel Deo reveals a number of extra options coming to the sequel: improved audio and visible suggestions, modifications to how combos are scored, extra gameplay selection to maintain gamers coming again for extra.
Halfbrick is thought for growing each the flatscreen variations of Fruit Ninja and Fruit Ninja 2 and additionally their respective VR variations. The studio’s bread and butter nonetheless has been its slew of cell video games, together with Jetpack Joyride, Battle Racing Stars, Dan the Man, and Shadows Stay.
In an replace posted to Reddit by Sealost Interactive, sequence developer Ian Fitz discusses Halfbrick’s involvement.
“The explanation I’m partnering up with Halfbrick on it’s because I used to be comfy it will assist make the sport I wished to make. They need to make (and play) the identical recreation I do,” Fitz says.
Fitz additionally broke down the division of labor, and the way the sequel is being made in cooperation with Halfbrick.
“I made the blueprint. Sealost prototyped and proved out lots of the mechanics and tech challenges. Halfbrick is placing collectively a release-worthy product and supporting it into the longer term. I’m in conferences with them each workday constructing the product proper alongside them and ensuring we don’t deviate from the unique plan (which hasn’t been an issue as a result of, once more, they need to make the identical recreation I do).”
Fitz notes the partnership with Halfbrick “doesn’t have something to do with funding. That is nearly having a stable manufacturing group and a plan in place to assist the sport post-launch.”
The studios say they’re aiming for launch “later this yr,” though that’s admittedly “simply an estimate primarily based on present progress,” Fitz says.
It’s nonetheless unclear which platforms are preliminary targets, nonetheless if the unique is any indications, we’re liable to see it on Quest 2/Professional, Steam VR, and probably additionally PSVR 2.