‘FRENZIES’ Free-to-Play Shooter for PSVR 2 Cancelled, Teases Upcoming PSVR 2 Announcements

nDreams, the creative force behind the free-to-play arena shooter FRENZIES, has announced that the game is set to move out of early access later this year. However, contrary to its original plan, FRENZIES will not be making its debut on the PSVR 2.

The game studio shared an update, hinting at other exciting plans for PS VR2, even as they confirm the shift in FRENZIES’ release strategy:

“We’re thrilled to announce that as FRENZIES leaves Early Access later this year, it will remain free-to-play! Since we launched Early Access on Meta Quest, the response from our players has been overwhelmingly positive. They really appreciate FRENZIES’ unique chaotic fun, and we’re committed to enhancing that as we move forward.

In our quest to deliver the most refined version of FRENZIES, we’ve made the hard decision to focus solely on Meta Quest, which means we will not be launching on PS VR2. We understand that this may be disappointing for those eagerly awaiting the PS VR2 version, but rest assured, we have other thrilling PS VR2 announcements coming soon!

Stay tuned for more FRENZIES updates over the next few weeks as we unfold our Early Access roadmap.”

Originally released in early access on the Quest 2 and its successors last October, FRENZIES serves up a dynamic arena shooting experience, blending an array of traditional weapons with various game modes, all tightly wrapped in a robust, VR-native package.

For those on PSVR 2 who were looking forward to the game, this might be disheartening news. However, from nDreams’ standpoint, the decision seems strategic for several reasons.

The past year has seen a significant uptick in young users flocking to the Quest platform, particularly with the arrival of the $300 Quest 3S, which has further fueled the demand for free-to-play content.

Meta’s VP of Metaverse Content, Samantha Ryan, commented back in February, “We expect free-to-play (F2P) to become a widely viable approach for developers who have typically relied on premium apps. That being said, we don’t envision F2P replacing premium apps entirely—both models will likely thrive side by side.”

The economic landscape also plays a critical role. It’s understandable that nDreams wants to focus its efforts on where they can expect the most engagement and return. Recently, the UK-based company combined its resources by merging nDreams Studio Orbital with nDreams Studio to form a new entity called ‘Compass,’ following some challenging layoffs.

Despite these changes, nDreams remains one of the stalwarts of the XR gaming industry, with an impressive lineup of high-quality VR titles like Vendetta Forever, Power Wash Simulator VR, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, Synapse, Fracked, Little Cities, and Phantom: Covert Ops, among others.