Ubisoft’s Star Trek: Bridge Command is coming to VR this fall [updated]

Ubisoft showed off its Star Trek: Bridge Command game for virtual reality headset today at a press event.

Yves Guillemot, the chief executive of Ubisoft, said at a press event that Ubisoft is “bullish on VR.” The company will ship three VR games this fall. The French game publisher, which made its announcement at an event ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is one of the few major game publishers to enthusiastically embrace VR.

The Star Trek game will ship on the PlayStation VR, the HTC Vive, and the Oculus Rift headsets. Ubisoft showed Bridge Command working on the Rift with the hand controllers, which haven’t shipped yet.

Besides the Star Trek game, Ubisoft is also shipping Eagle Flight and Trackmania Turbo on VR this fall.

David Votypka, creative director of Ubisoft’s Red Storm studio, said the game has one to four players, where each player takes on a key role on a starship. You can be the captain, the engineering chief (who will be on the bridge and not in the engine room), the tactical chief, and the helm operator.

“Bridge Crew is the heart of the dynamics of these people,” said Votypka. “It’s about their relationship together. It is designed explicitly for VR. You can actually be there and be in the bridge and be part of the crew.”

The four co-op players can be on different machines in different living rooms. The ship is a new one dubbed the USS Aegis.

Engineering can control power and repairs. Tactical has weapons and shields. The helm has navigation and sensors. The game is based on the Star Trek universe that got rebooted with the JJ Abrams movies.

Update, 2 p.m. Monday: Onstage, Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Levar Burton said, “You don’t have to imagine in this game. You are existing in a rendered environment. You are in a starship and you are with your friends.”