Beat Saber studio Beat Games has been purchased by Facebook and will become an independently operated arm of Oculus Studios, according to an announcement made today. In a statement issued by Mike Verdu, AR and VR Director of Content at Facebook, the pickup is "just the beginning" of Facebook's plans to "accelerate VR" via acquisitions.
"Beat Games is a strong team with proven potential across VR, games, and music," Verdu writes. "With the resources and know-how that we can offer, Beat Games will be able to accelerate, adding more music and more exciting features to Beat Saber as well as bringing the game to more people."
The existing Beat Games studio will remain in Prague, Czech Republic, and updates across non-Oculus platforms will still continue. Meanwhile, plans for a new 360 Levels mode, as well as forthcoming musical additions, haven't been abandoned in the transition. In an FAQ, Verdu hoped to allay fears that Facebook's acquisition might "ruin" Beat Games.
"I’ve been in the industry for a while and have seen that firsthand. However, I’ve also seen and been a part of some incredible success stories," he wrote. "The story we aim to prove over time is this: An indie studio joins forces with some like-minded allies, and together they find a way to push VR to new heights."
On the topic of modding, the statement is sterner. "We understand and appreciate the value that modding brings to Beat Saber when done so legally and within our policies. We’re going to do our best to preserve the value that mods bring to the Beat Saber player base," Verdu said.
"As a reminder, our most recent policy updates give more clarity to how developer mode is intended to be used, such as helping developers build their apps or for enthusiasts to explore new concepts. It is not intended for engaging in piracy or illicit modding, including mods that infringe on third-party IP rights or contain malicious code."
