A month before the premiere of Star Trek Beyond and the return to television with a new series in 2017, Star Trek fans couldn't be happier. But the best is yet to come: Ubisoft is preparing Star Trek: Bridge Crew, the first game in the franchise in virtual reality where you are the captain of the starship Aegis.
Set in the film universe of J. J. Abrams, Star Trek: Bridge Crew is the first Star Trek game in virtual reality where up to four players can take on the roles of captain, tactical officer, engineer, or officer of the starship Aegis. Your mission is to explore an uncharted sector of space called The Trench, hoping to find a suitable planet to become the new home of the Vulcan population (see Star Trek 2009). Like a sophisticated version of Spaceteam in virtual reality, here you have to coordinate with the rest of the crew when exploring the galaxy and fighting enemies.
The actors LeVar Burton, Karl Urban and Jeri Ryan, stars of various Star Trek editions, met earlier this month to put on Oculus Rift headsets and play for a promotional video for Star Trek: Bridge Crew that will be shown during Ubisoft's conference at E3 2016. "That's what 'Star Trek' is all about," said Burton. "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations and respect for all forms of life. I think it's great to be able to change roles." The gameplay will have you complete tasks like activating warp speed, scanning external objects in space, and transmitting relevant images to the ship's screen.
David Votypka, creative director of Red Storm Entertainment, detailed that the starship Aegis is approximately 90% similar to the Enterprise. In addition to the main story, there will be randomly generated missions, such as confrontations against the Romulans or Klingons, as well as having to make difficult decisions that can affect the course of the crew. Star Trek: Bridge Crew is being developed by Red Storm Entertainment and will be available on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR. The game does not have a specific release date but is expected to be released at the end of 2016. Ubisoft announced that it will offer more details during its conference today at E3 2016, so we'll have to wait to see what they have in store.
