There has been some big virtual reality (VR) announcements during the first keynote address today at Oculus Connect 6 (OC6), mostly on the software side. While most were a surprise one was highly anticipated, what Respawn Entertainment has been working on. Finally, it has been revealed, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
Respawn Entertainment is behind some big videogame IP’s including Titanfall, Apex Legends, and the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Having announced its plans to step into the field of VR during Oculus Connect 4 a couple of years ago, it’s felt like a long wait to find out what the studio has been working on.
Medal of Honor is a classic franchise where a lot of Respawn Entertainment’s developers first started, so it seemed apt to bring the series into VR. In Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond players will take on the role of an Allied agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), tasked with completing a tour of duty across Europe to disable the Nazi war machine in collaboration with the French Resistance.
“From the beginning, Medal of Honor has taught gamers about the tremendous sacrifice and heroic efforts made by earlier generations to safeguard our freedom,” says Peter Hirschmann, writer of the original Medal of Honor on Oculus Blog. “Thanks to VR, we can actually put a player in the boots of a WWII soldier with Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond—the immersion that the Rift Platform provides lets us tell that story in a really meaningful way, sharing the full impact of the sacrifices and camaraderie of our shared history. Interviewing veterans of WWII was an immense privilege and allowed us to ensure its respect and faithfulness to those who served. They’re helping us drive home the full emotional and historical weight of this subject matter with players in a way that really resonates.”
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond will feature a single-player campaign as well as multiplayer modes which are historically accurate, from the environments to the items available. Additionally, the title will include a unique story gallery so you can sit and listen to stories from WWII veterans and survivors.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond will be released on Oculus Rift in 2020, for further updates keep reading VRFocus.