Facebook ‘signs Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed VR games’

Facebook has reportedly signed deals for exclusive Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed VR games.

Two sources said to be familiar with the matter told The Information the deals were part of a new drive to grow the company’s Oculus VR business.

The report claims the firm could be set to pump $1 billion into the push, which is being led by Naughty Dog co-founder and former THQ president Jason Rubin, now VP of special gaming initiatives at Facebook, with personal involvement from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The company’s latest VR headsets, Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S, launched in May and have reportedly outperformed Facebook’s internal targets.

“The response to Oculus Quest and Rift S gaming has been incredible,” an Oculus spokesperson told The Information. “We cannot comment on specific partnerships, but we will continue to focus on expanding our library and reaching broader gaming audiences for years to come.”

Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed owner Ubisoft declined to comment.

In a Twitch livestream this week, Spider-Man studio Insomniac Games confirmed a holiday 2019 release window for its upcoming Oculus exclusive sci-fi shooter Stormland.

Titanfall and Apex Legends studio Respawn is also developing a realistic first-person combat experience exclusively for Oculus, which was announced in October 2017 for release this year.

There have been few development updates since, perhaps due to the breakout success of Respawn’s battle royale game and its current focus on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, due for release in November. However, Oculus said last month it will share more details about the project at its Oculus Connect event this September.

• Related: Respawn delays Titanfall plans to focus on Apex Legends