The Ghostbusters series has seen a boom in popularity in recent years. Ghostbusters Afterlife brought a nostalgic hit to theatres last year. The film pleased audience members, both young and old, when it was released, bringing new fans to the universe that was created in 1984. Many studios have been quick to capitalize on this success and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality has now announced a new entry for the long-running franchise -- Ghostbusters VR.
Ghostbusters VR is an entirely new game currently being developed for the Meta Quest and will be set in San Francisco where players are tasked with setting up a new HQ to capture spooks, specters, and other floating apparitions. There will be a large campaign in which a new mystery that’s based on the established universe will need solving. And while the setting might have moved from New York, many fans of the series will be happy to note that the trailer showcases iconic equipment such as the classic trap as well as proton packs, and the humor that the series is known for looks to back as well.
Developers nDreams, who have worked on Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity & Fracked, have said that Ghostbusters VR is a separate experience from Spirits Unleashed as this next entry into the Ghostbusting world can be done as either a single-player or with a team of up to three additional players. Placing the game in San Francisco also gives the team more freedom to explore new locations and not have to rely on the old haunts from previous movies or games.
Ghostbusters VR is being treated as the next story in the franchise’s canon, and it will be interesting to see how the narrative fits into the wider Ghostbuster universe. Fans may be worried about a game adding to the lore established by the films, but it appears that nDreams will not take a creative license on this. The game is being overseen by series co-creator Dan Aykroyd's Ghost Corps production team, a company that was created purely to ensure the quality of the game matches fans’ high expectations.
While there is no release date announced for Ghostbusters VR, many fans will likely be happy that they get to take on ghosts in virtual reality in a meaningful way when it launches on the Meta Quest 2. Previous VR games such as Ghostbusters VR Firehouse + Showdown Bundle for the PlayStation VR were more akin to a tech demo rather than a full Ghostbusting experience.
In addition to Ghostbusters VR, Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed was announced last month for PC & consoles, it was met with praise from the fanbase. The game is set in the iconic fire house and brings the voice talents of original Ghostbusters Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd. The 4v1 multiplayer approach is set to show a different take on capturing ghosts as players team up to form the next generation of spectral eradicators as they hunt down player-controlled ghosts.
Ghostbusters VR is scheduled to release on Meta Quest.