Virtual reality (VR) videogames are getting bigger, much bigger. The days of short tech demos are generally a thing of the past, with titles such as OrbusVR: Reborn, Borderlands 2 VR, Rec Room, Fallout 4 VR and many more providing hours of entertainment. Today, Canadian developer Mythical City Games has announced its biggest VR experience to date, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) videogame called Neon Exile.

A persistent, open-world, Neon Exile takes place in a city under attack. “Neon City is under threat of attack from automated VERMin systems reaching the fringes of the city. The city council has approved an emergency order that offers citizenship to all city residents who volunteer to join the Vanguard defence force,” states the story synopsis. “Although VERMin presence has yet to be detected within the city, the danger is real and we need to prepare for the inevitable. If you have the skill and courage to remotely pilot a Vanguard, sign up for training today.”

As a city resident players need to collect Resource Units to build or buy anything in the world, whether that’s construction materials or weapons. They can choose to explore the wasteland outside the city in search of enemy bases, build defences to protect the city, collect resources or build structures to expand their territory. As this is an MMO, anything players build, craft or drop will persist in this shared multiplayer experience.

Currently, Mythical City Games plans on releasing Neon Exile into Steam Early Access at sometime during the summer, supporting HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift S, Windows Mixed Reality and Valve Index headsets. With feedback from the community, the team expects a full launch to occur in 2020.

The studio already has several VR titles under its belt, none quite on the scale of Neon Exile though. These have included Battle Fleet: Ground Assault (2018) a turn-based, tactical strategy experience set during WWII. Or then there’s Skytropolis, where players can build their own sky-high megacity. Or for something a little more light-hearted there’s Snow Fortress.

As further details on Neon Exile are released VRFocus will let you know. Or head to the Neon Exile website and sign up for updates as well as a 2x starting Resource Units bonus at launch.