nDreams, the creative force behind the free-to-play arena shooter FRENZIES, has unveiled plans to transition the game out of early access by the end of this year. However, fans eagerly awaiting a PSVR 2 version will be disappointed to learn that this release won’t be coming to Sony’s platform, despite prior announcements suggesting otherwise.
The company addressed the shift in focus with a statement, reassuring fans of upcoming PS VR2 projects even with FRENZIES veering away from this route:
“We’re thrilled to officially announce that FRENZIES will remain free-to-play once it moves out of Early Access later this year. The feedback from players on Meta Quest has been overwhelmingly positive, showing a widespread appreciation for the unique chaos that FRENZIES delivers. To build on this early success, we’re channeling our efforts towards refining the Meta Quest version exclusively.
This decision means that FRENZIES won’t be landing on PS VR2 as initially planned. We recognize this might let down some of our fans waiting for the PS VR2 iteration, but we’ve got some exciting announcements lined up for Sony’s platform, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, prepare for more updates as we detail our Early Access roadmap in the coming weeks.”
Since its early access debut on Quest 2 and above in October 2024, FRENZIES has brought swift arena combat loaded with standard weapons and varied game modes, all wrapped in a seamless VR-native package.
For those on PSVR 2 left wanting, the strategic pivot by nDreams is understandable. The Quest platform has seen a noticeable influx of younger audiences, especially with the release of the $300 Quest 3S, which has spurred growth in free-to-play content. This trend aligns with insights from Samantha Ryan, Meta’s VP of Metaverse Content, from earlier this year: “We anticipate that free-to-play will evolve into a broadly viable strategy for developers who have primarily depended on premium apps. That said, F2P isn’t set to supplant premium apps entirely; both models are likely to flourish alongside each other.”
Navigating the tricky economic landscape, nDreams appears focused on tapping into the largest available player base for FRENZIES. This strategic streamlining comes as the UK-based studio reshuffles its organizational structure—merging nDreams Studio Orbital and nDreams Studio into the new internal studio ‘Compass’ after recent layoffs.
Despite these changes, nDreams remains a heavyweight in the XR gaming scene, with a history of delivering top-notch VR titles like Vendetta Forever, Power Wash Simulator VR, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, Synapse, Fracked, Little Cities, and Phantom: Cover Ops, to mention just a few.