EVE: Valkyrie was announced in 2013 as a multiplayer space combat sim for the Oculus Rift, and as we noted in our review from last year, despite some shortcomings "it's proper gasp-out-loud stuff." But requiring a VR headset really puts a squeeze on the size of the audience it can reach, and so today CCP announced an upcoming major expansion called EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone that will make the game "perfectly playable on a TV or monitor."Â
"Once Warzone hits, you won’t need to have a VR headset to play EVE: Valkyrie," CCP said. "We all know just how immersive virtual reality is, but because not everyone has a headset, so many potential friends and foes are missing out on all the frantic space dogfighting fun."  Â
Ditching the VR requirement is obviously the big hook here, but the Warzone expansion will also usher in a new "modular progression system" that will enable greater flexibility in ship upgrades, add two new maps and a new game mode, and a new reward system with a range of personalization options. And yes, Valkyrie will continue to support VR on the PC and PS4 after the release of Warzone, it just won't be mandatory anymore. Â Â
And as a heads-up to anyone thinking of buying EVE: Valkyrie anytime soon, you'll probably want to hold off on that: The release of Warzone will also see the price of the game cut from $40 to $30. CCP said more information will be revealed prior to its release on September 26, but for the moment you can find out more about what's coming at evevalkyrie.com.Â