As you’ve probably noticed by now, Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR hasn’t exactly been met with positive reception. Social media has been flowing with negative press, some of which has come from those who supported it through Kickstarter. As much as Oculus VR thought it was prepared for the worst, it wasn’t ready for this s***storm.
Speaking with GameInformer during an interview, Oculus VR vice president Nate Mitchell shared just how surprised the team was.
We assumed that the reaction would be negative, especially from our core community. Beyond our core community, we expected it would be positive. I don’t think we expected it to be so negative.
He also explained how quickly the process was, saying it “almost happened overnight”. Understandably, money talks.
Oculus VR president Palmer Luckey has gone on record to assure supporters of past and present that the device will still deliver on its promise of a hardcore gaming-centric virtual reality headset. However, mainstream appeal will be part of its new campaign.
A lot of the negative feedback has come from the fact that it was bought by Facebook of all companies. Facebook has been labeled as a big bad wolf by many, an invasive and data-abusing corporation with no regard for the consumer. Whether or not that’s true is up for debate, but Oculus VR has exposed itself to that widespread criticism by tangoing with the company, especially with a number as significant as $2 billion.
I must say, it’s a little concerning that Oculus VR “assumed that the reaction would be negative”. It’s as if it knew it was a bad idea, but was sweet talked so much by the Facebook executives that it couldn’t say no.
