Devs building with Oculus SDK can sell their games on Steam

Oculus will allow studios that create VR experiences using its SDK to sell their products on other marketplaces.

Timing in with the launch of the consumer Rift headset, and updates to its Rift and Platform SDKs, Oculus announced that it wouldn’t restrict developers to just its store – opening up the way for Oculus and Gear VR titles to be sold through outlets such as Steam, which will also offer titles for Valve’s competing headset, the HTC Vive.

“The Oculus platform and store are designed to provide the best VR experience and content, but we also recognise that people will want to use apps that aren’t available on the Oculus platform or in the store,” the company said in its latest blog.

This includes in-game purchases – devs can opt to use Oculus’ own infrastructure for microtransactions, or go their own way.

“As a developer, you don’t have to be in the Oculus Store – you can sell outside, and when you do that you can you use your own IAP if you prefer, and we don’t take a cut,” the VR firm explained.

“You can also request keys (royalty-free) to sell your Oculus PC app on other stores, while making it available to the community through the Oculus platform.

"If you’d like to ship outside the Oculus platform using the SDK, you can. People can access this content by enabling the “Unknown Sources” setting in the Oculus desktop app."

However, it warned,"there are considerations when building Oculus PC apps on other platforms".

"For example, customers must be able to return Home and see Oculus platform overlays and notifications, including the health and safety notice."

As the Rift hardware opens up to consumers, the Oculus Store has itself been expanded, adding categories for Steam-like Early Access games in the middle of development and Concepts, which will showcase experimental ideas as opposed to full-bodied titles.