ARVORE, the immersive storytelling VR/AR company today announced a launch date for the long-awaited virtual reality game Pixel Ripped 1989. The game, which will be available on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, will be available May 22, 2018. First conceived and created as a student game by Ana Ribeiro and co-developed by São Paulo-based ARVORE, the game has been a multi-year, multi-continent passion project, and marks the first title brought to market by ARVORE. To celebrate today’s announcement, ARVORE has just released a new trailer.
“The most difficult part of development is over,” says Ribeiro. “We are in the final steps to deliver Pixel Ripped 1989 very soon to all our fans. Being at GDC and showcasing our finished game to press is a dream come true. And we’re looking forward to the public’s reaction next month in Boston,” she concluded.
Pixel Ripped 1989 is a wacky multi-dimensional homage to the early days of gaming. The player embarks on a journey into the screen of a classic videogame and beyond. Set in the era of portable 8-bit consoles, this game-within-a-game follows the adventures of Dot, an in-game character who sees her world torn apart by the Cyblin Lord, a villain able to break through the video game screen and invade the real world.
In the game, the player inhabits Nicola, a second-grade student who must help Dot save both realities from this menace by facing challenges in the retro-gaming 2D world, all while distracting the cranky teacher and escaping from the furious headmaster in her own 3D world.
Ribeiro, a Brazilian native developer, began work on this project back in 2014, when she was still a student in London. The development of the game has been a long journey for her, but one she refused to give up on. In 2017, Ribeiro joined ARVORE, Pixel Ripped’s publisher and investor, as project director and game developer; she and completed the project with the team there.
Early reception for Pixel Ripped 1989 has been overwhelmingly positive. The game has received funding from Oculus and awards from Intel and the AMAZE Indie Festival, as well as nominations to IndieCade and the Proto Awards. If successful, there are plans to make future installments of the game spanning game industry history.
Pixel Ripped 1989 is slated to launch on PS VR, Oculus and Vive on May 22, 2018.
