Lights off for lightsabers: The popular VR rhythm game Beat Saber must obviously be removed from in VR arcades. What’s going on there?
Beat Saber is well of the Flagship title for virtual reality, because the VR game combines a simple game principle with an exclusively VR-oriented game mechanics. The success is accordingly great: Beat Saber (Test) is actually permanently at the top of the charts and is currently available Half-Life: Alyx (Test) most played by VR players.
Of course the title is also for VR-Arcades (Lists) a visitor magnet. But that is obviously over now. As if the arcade operators weren’t worried enough about the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic (you can hear the background in our MIXEDCAST #188 with Holocafé founder Sebastian Kreutz), Beat Saber’s commercial licensing program has now apparently been ended.
After work for Beat Saber in VR gaming halls
The official licensing page has been removed (archived page for viewing) and apparently VR arcade operator Beat Saber completely removed from the program by July 31, 2020as Upload VR reports.
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SpringboardVR is a large sales platform for VR Arcades that was involved in the licensing program. The company responded yesterday with a blog entry on Beat Saber alternatives. Below are titles like Audio Trip or OhShape, which have neither the popularity nor a really comparable game mechanics.
Are licensing issues responsible for Beat Saber music?
Developer studio Beat Games and Facebook owner have not yet commented on the reasons for Beat Saber’s banishment from VR arcades. Licensing problems for the music used are conceivable, which also arise again and again in the home user version.
Beat Saber: A music game for budding Jedi knights. | Image: Beat Games
The list of official songs for Beat Saber is too limited for many users. That is why many popular songs by modders are provided with so-called beat maps, i.e. with blocks and possibly also different game modes. On relevant websites such as BeastSaber, users can then download the songs into their appropriately modified Beat Saber game for free. However, this is illegal and users can even do so theoretically a blocking of your Oculus account threaten.
It was possible that license agreements for public performances could no longer be extended, which resulted in the ban from VR-Arcades. A single unlicensed song is enough to lock the entire game for public use.
