This is the first press release of Aerobots VR (DATE)

Contact Charlie at support@aerobotsvr.com to speak to a human.

Developer: Northwoods Interactive

Publisher: Northwoods Interactive

Platform: Steam

Release Date: Fall 2019 (Early Access)

Price: Probably $15 for Early Access

 - Requires a PCVR Headset (HTC, Oculus, WMR, Valve)

 - Multiplayer will feature at least 8 players

 - Single-player and co-op missions

​

Overview: Aerobots VR is a multiplayer arena-style shooter built from the ground up for virtual reality. Play as an Aerobot, a flying battle drone for hire, in the not-too-distant future of corporate feudalism and rampant capitalism.

 

The game features a very intuitive form of natural locomotion; your hands become thrusters which are pointed in the desired direction of travel. Fly at blisteringly high speeds in all directions. Unreal Tournament and Quake have inspired the fast respawn times, weapon drops throughout the maps, and the need to keep moving at all times.

 

We have designed 20+ unique weapons and power-ups that will explore every aspect of aerial combat, and six different Aerobots with varying armor and speed stats. Play on 10+ maps featuring a diverse style of futuristic settings and landscapes in game modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Gun Game.

​

Multiplayer: The online interface focuses around a public lobby system on dedicated servers. People can create games, and populate them with AI bots. Players can then easily drop in and out of matches, replacing AI bots when they join, and spawning AI bots when they leave. This casual, fast-paced method of joining games is meant to make finding an online match as easy and quick as possible. We have put a lot of effort into making the AI bots as player-like as possible, with very solid AI already implemented in our online matches.

​

Single-player/Co-op: The single-player/co-op gameplay will be non-linear, replayable missions that can be played with AI or human teammates. They can be played offline or loaded up in the same lobby as competitive multiplayer. Inspired by Crimson Skies, Rogue Squadron, and Star Fox, dialog and story elements will play out over the comms channels, as players work together to take over territory, protect cargo ships, and defend against waves of enemies.

​

About the Devs: This will be Northwoods Interactive's first game. Started by a filmmaker, a painter, and an Australian, Aerobots VR has been built entirely over Discord, with the developers never having been in the same room (or city) together. They are currently beaming in from Illinois, Minnesota, Italy, Austria, and Poland, with plans to consolidate after Aerobots' successful launch. Northwoods Interactive is incorporated in Illinois. 

​

Quotes from the devs: "The artistic direction of Aerobots is a smooth blend of realism and stylization, drawing upon cyberpunk and vaporwave aesthetics. Bright lights, deep shadows, sweeping urban vistas and propagandistic advertising present a world that is simultaneously being enriched and strangled by near-future technology. On a foundational level, both the game lore and the visual design have been inspired by a variety of dystopian films, combining the gritty darkness of Blade Runner and Akira with the bold sarcasm of Starship Troopers." - Zacharia Lutz, Art Director