Facebook interested in Ubisoft IPs as Oculus exclusives

Facebook is looking for a way to increase the number of triple A franchises and exclusives available for VR devices, hoping to attract more users their Oculus VR headsets in particular.

According to a recent report, Facebook is in the market for new studio acquisitions and IPs in order to make VR titles in popular franchises. Currently there are a number of great VR titles, such as Blood & Truth, on the market, but very few in Triple A franchises. When big franchises do have a VR release, more often than not they’re VR experiences rather than actual games.

Sources close to the matter have indicated that two of Ubisoft’s IPs, Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, are already signed up for use by Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, was part of the deal to sign both of these IPs, however it was the company’s Vice President of Special Gaming Initiatives, Justin Rubin, is leading the new acquisitions effort.

A spokesperson for Facebook has said that they’re not able to comment on specific partnerships with Facebook. They added that the company is dedicated to growing their audience through expanding their gaming library for many years to come.

Assassin’s Creed is a well-known franchise with millions of players around the world. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is similarly beloved, but the lack of a release in the franchise since Blacklist in 2013, means that fans are starving for more stealth action.

Rubin was previously Head of Content for Oculus, but was promoted to this new position in December last year.

Oculus Quest, the latest Oculus device, launched in May. The device brought tetherless VR gaming to the market, shifting $5 million worth of software in the first two weeks on sale.

VR is still an emerging market within the games industry. Tetherless VR headsets make it more accessible, but most still require a high-end PC in order to run games. PlayStation VR is far cheaper, and only requires a PlayStation 4 instead of a PC, but even games for this platform don’t come close to competing with regular console titles.