• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
TechSony

Sony Sees eSports Potential for PlayStation VR

By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Gaudiosi
John Gaudiosi
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 21, 2016, 8:25 AM ET
Guerrilla Games
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

With PlayStation VR sold out at retail well ahead of its global October launch, Sony Interactive Entertainment is already thinking about virtual reality eSports.

Sony has been a bit late to the eSports fray, although the electronics giant has partnered with Activision on the Call of Duty World League and Capcom for the annual Capcom Cup gaming tournament featuring Street Fighter 5, a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

“eSports is even more nascent than VR is, but it’s an interesting area that we could all look at,” says John Koller, vice president of marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Our first steps in eSports has been through the console with Call of Duty and Street Fighter 5. And we’re going to look to how we build from there, and how VR plays a role there.”

Guerrilla Games lead designer Gareth Hughes says RIGS, a three vs. three futuristic combat game featuring players in mechanized suits (a.k.a. “Mechs”), was designed with eSports in mind. The game is set 50 years in the future and puts players in control of Mechs as they compete in the Mechanized Combat League inside arenas filled with screaming fans.

“RIGS could be an opportunity for eSports,” Koller concurs. “I think there could be a few games. It requires a few things to work. RIGS is best played with six players and it’s a real competitive type of situation. Not all games are developed that way, so we’ll just have to see what comes along.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“We’re actually offering something a little different in the competitive shooter arena,” Hughes posits. “There’s a huge amount of teamwork, and the orchestration of a competitive team is awesome to watch, but what we want to leverage from VR is a little less about the precision of controller skills. We can use the VR as an aiming technique, and it puts a much greater emphasis on strategy, tactics, and positioning. It gives us our own kind of identity. When you marry that to the sports theme that we’ve got in the game, and the sports-infused rule sets that we’re creating, it’s a really compelling and quite unique experience.”

The studio is working on a spectator mode for virtual reality viewers to watch the action when they’re not one of the six players competing in the arena. Hughes adds the team is also developing additional game modes beyond the initial Power Slam mode as well as more virtual arenas.

Richard Marks, director of the PlayStation Magic Lab, also sees RIGS as an example of how virtual reality and eSports could collide in the near future.

“VR has a natural fit for eSports over the network,” Marks explains. “You’ll see a lot more of that happening in VR. We’ve showed a tech demo where we were having a battle between two players over a network in a very physical way. RIGS is a great example because there are six players linked together, and it’s a perfect eSports format.”

For more about virtual reality gaming, watch:

Peter Warman, CEO of Newzoo Research, says Sony is building up a nice suite of eSports activities with its Playstation Plus League platform for all its competitive games, the Call of Duty World League, and its impressive line-up of VR-ready titles both with and without an eSports component.

“RIGS and its Mechanical Warrior League was obviously built for VR eSports from the start, aimed at providing maximum entertainment for spectators,” Warman says.

Warman believes the upcoming “PlayStation 4.5,” which will support 4K video and be released before PlayStation VR, will help grow an eSports audience. He sees a bigger opportunity for in-game or real-life spectator VR than pure gaming VR.

Joost van Dreunen, CEO of Superdata Research, believes Sony’s investment in VR eSports is appropriate as exploring every possible angle on maximizing the current momentum behind the PlayStation VR is critical.

“However, its potential is currently limited because competitive gaming thrives and provides a benefit only in those circumstances where there exists a lively community around a particular game,” van Dreunen warns. “Moreover, while eSports is very popular, it is relatively small at $748 million last year compared to $3.7 billion for VR this year, making the latter a clear priority for a platform holder like Sony.”

Sony is working with GameStop to allow customers to try PlayStation VR beginning this summer. RIGS is one of the key launch titles for the company.

About the Author
By John Gaudiosi
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

GTA 6 release date is finally here—but the $80 price tag and missing disc have gamers furious
Arts & EntertainmentGaming
GTA 6 release date is finally here—but the $80 price tag and missing disc have gamers furious
By Whizy Kim and Tech BrewJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
stock
InvestingMarkets
How one chip stock reversed the global tech selloff, exposed AI’s ‘memory tax’ and made the case for an entire valuation regime change
By Nick LichtenbergJune 25, 2026
6 hours ago
Larry Ellison quietly gave $45 million to a pro-Trump group—then Oracle landed a starring role in a $500 billion AI buildout
PoliticsLarry Ellison
Larry Ellison quietly gave $45 million to a pro-Trump group—then Oracle landed a starring role in a $500 billion AI buildout
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 hours ago
Sundar Pichai
SuccessCareers
Google CEO tells graduates to stop obsessing over first jobs because ‘very few moments are make or break’ in life—a lesson he learned in Vegas
By Preston ForeJune 25, 2026
7 hours ago
Softbank CEO dismisses Elon Musk’s extraterrestrial data center idea in favor of maximizing Earth-side construction now: ‘He who strikes first wins’
AITech
Softbank CEO dismisses Elon Musk’s extraterrestrial data center idea in favor of maximizing Earth-side construction now: ‘He who strikes first wins’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 25, 2026
7 hours ago
VivaTech entrance in Paris.
NewslettersEye on AI
Europe’s AI wake-up call: Cybersecurity threats, sovereignty fears, and a growing demand for ROI dominated VivaTech
By Beatrice NolanJune 25, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
15 hours ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
2 days ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
Success
Ikea’s billionaire founder was so frugal that he bought clothes from flea markets and took free salt and pepper from restaurants
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 25, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.