Yesterday it was announced that Unity Technologies and Facebook had joined together in a “strategic partnership” to bring gaming to Facebook and open up a new platform for Unity developers – and that includes the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) developers.
The types of videogames haven’t been specified, so it can be assumed that developers of the VR and AR variety cannot be left out – especially as Unity is described as a platform for 2D, 3D, VR and AR, and Facebook owns Oculus and is trying to pioneer online 360 video. Ignoring VR and AR could even be called impossible for these two.
The plan is to create a “new functionality” into Unity that creates a straight forward path of exporting and publishing games onto Facebook, allowing Unity developers to get their creations onto the social network quickly.
“Developers channel their talent and passion into creating amazing games, but development is only part of the challenge,” said Elliot Solomon, Vice President, Business Development at Unity Technologies in a press release. “Integrating tools that provide effortless access to Facebook’s network is a key part of helping developers find the success they deserve.”
“Our mission is to give people the power to discover, play and share the games they love with the people they care about,” said Leo Olebe, Director of Global Games Partnerships at Facebook. “Unity is the world’s leading game development platform. It’s great to be working with them to help developers find new audiences for the games they pour their hearts into.”
Applications are open for a limited group of developers to currently receiving immediate access to a closed-alpha build of the new export to Facebook in Unity 5.4, and applications will close on 31st August.
For more on the latest in the world of VR, make sure to check back with VRFocus.
