RYTHM
Draft

A cross-platform PC and VR action adventure game — three multiplayer modes, four playable characters, live on Steam

A comically dark action adventure game built for PC and VR simultaneously — with a 3v3 online battle arena, a cross-platform co-op campaign, and a four-team territory conquest mode. VR and PC players share the same servers, the same matches, and the same world.

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Distinct multiplayer game modes at launch
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Playable characters with unique abilities and playstyles
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Platforms — PC and VR — sharing one cross-platform multiplayer infrastructure
Challenge

Three game modes, two platforms, one multiplayer infrastructure — and VR and PC players in the same match

Cross-platform multiplayer between PC and VR players is one of the harder engineering problems in game development. PC and VR players move differently, see differently, and interact with the world differently — but in this game they needed to compete and cooperate in the same match, in real time, without either side feeling disadvantaged. Building that on top of three distinct game modes, four unique characters, and a world with its own lore and territory system was the scope from day one.
C-01

PC and VR players in the same match

VR players use physical movement and gesture-based input. PC players use keyboard and mouse. Balancing these fundamentally different input models so neither side has an unfair advantage — while keeping the experience feel native on both platforms — was the core design and engineering challenge throughout.

C-02

Three game modes with different network requirements

A 3v3 MOBA, a co-op campaign, and a four-team territory conquest mode each have different session structures, player counts, win conditions, and network demands. Building a multiplayer infrastructure that handled all three reliably without separate backend systems required careful architecture from the start.

C-03

Four characters with distinct ability systems

Each playable character needed a unique set of abilities, animations, and interaction behaviours that worked consistently across both PC and VR — and balanced against each other in competitive play. Character feel and balance required extensive iteration throughout development.

C-04

A living world with territory and faction systems

The Architects Conquest mode required a persistent territory system — clans competing to control zones, with outcomes that carried meaning beyond a single match. Building that layer on top of the core game systems without overcomplicating the player experience required disciplined product thinking throughout.

How it works

From matchmaking to conquest — three ways to play, one world

STAGE — 01 / DETECT
Player joins
Platform detected — PC or VR — session preferences set
Mode selected
Online Battle Arena, Co-op Campaign, or Architects Conquest
Match made
Cross-platform matchmaking pairs PC and VR players in the same session
Character chosen
One of four characters selected, each with unique abilities and playstyle
Match played
Real-time multiplayer across platforms — towers, territories, or campaign objectives
Outcome recorded
Results logged, territory states updated, progression tracked
Technical tension

Keeping PC and VR players in sync — across three different game modes

Unreal Engine 5 gave the team the rendering capability the game needed — Nanite for environment detail, Lumen for dynamic lighting across the island environments — but the cross-platform multiplayer layer required significant custom work on top of the engine's built-in networking. VR and PC clients send fundamentally different input data, move through the world at different speeds, and render from different perspectives. Reconciling those differences server-side without introducing latency or desync that affected competitive fairness was one of the hardest sustained engineering problems on the project.

The three game modes share a multiplayer backend but have completely different session lifecycles. The 3v3 MOBA has a defined end state — destroy the opposing base. The co-op campaign is progression-based with checkpoints. Architects Conquest is persistent territory management across multiple sessions. Building a session and state management system that handled all three correctly — including reconnection, abandonment, and territory persistence — without each mode requiring its own separate infrastructure was the architectural decision that shaped the most development time.

multiplayer-session — cross-platform input sync
01// reconcile VR and PC input server-side
02void AGameSession::ProcessPlayerInput(FPlayerInput Input) {
03 if (Input.Platform == EPlatform::VR) {
04 // convert gesture + physical movement to game actions
05 FGameAction Action = VRInputMapper.Convert(Input);
06 ApplyAction(Action, Input.PlayerId);
07 } else {
08 // standard PC keyboard/mouse input pipeline
09 FGameAction Action = PCInputMapper.Convert(Input);
10 ApplyAction(Action, Input.PlayerId);
11 }
12 // → both platforms write to same game state
13 // → position synced to all clients < 50ms
14}
Kicker-THE GAME LOOP

Every session runs the same cross-platform cycle

From matchmaking to outcome — every session connects PC and VR players through the same infrastructure, the same character systems, and the same world state regardless of which mode they're playing.
Capabilities

Three modes, four characters, one world — built for players who want more than a single way to compete

ONLINE BATTLE ARENA

3v3 MOBA — destroy the opposing base

Two teams of three fight to take down the towers protecting the opposing team's base. Cross-platform — PC and VR players in the same match. Each character brings a different strategic role. Fast, structured, and different every time.

CO-OP CAMPAIGN

Cross-platform co-op — VR and PC together

The campaign was built specifically so VR players and PC players could play together — not in separate sessions. Discover the island's world and lore cooperatively, with each platform's controls feeling native rather than compromised.

ARCHITECTS CONQUEST

Four-team territory conquest

Four teams of three compete to control territories and the powerful creatures within them. A persistent faction and territory system gives outcomes meaning beyond a single session — clan loyalty and conquest history carry forward.

CHARACTER SYSTEM

Four playable characters, each built differently

Magic, mischief, military power, and creature control — four characters with distinct abilities, animations, and interaction systems, each balanced against the others across all three game modes and both platforms.

Results

Live on Steam. PC and VR players in the same matches. Three game modes at launch.

The game launched on Steam with all three multiplayer modes live — Online Battle Arena, Co-op Campaign, and Architects Conquest — with cross-platform PC and VR multiplayer working across all of them. Four playable characters shipped with distinct ability systems balanced across both platforms and all three modes. The cross-platform multiplayer infrastructure handled PC and VR players in the same sessions without the input and movement differences between platforms creating competitive imbalance. The game received a playtest on Steam and has an active community across Telegram, Discord, and social channels. Following the initial release, the team continued development with an Unreal Engine 5.2 upgrade and ongoing hotfixes based on community feedback.
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Multiplayer game modes live at launch
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Playable characters with unique ability systems
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Platforms — PC and VR — in the same matches
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Shared multiplayer infrastructure across all modes and platforms

Building a multiplayer game that needs to work across platforms — and feel right on all of them?

We've shipped cross-platform multiplayer between PC and VR with three distinct game modes from a single infrastructure. If your game has real technical complexity underneath the design, that's exactly the kind of build we take on. Let's talk.

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