Oculus VR has been on a high-profile hiring spree for the last few months. It nabbed id Software's John Carmack last year, then Valve's virtual reality experts Michael Abrash and Atman Binstock , and former Electronic Arts executive David De Martini is helping the company partner with developers of all sizes. We just learned of another high-profile Oculus hire, but this one is a little different than the rest.
Oculus' Twitter account announced that it hired Kenneth Scott as its art Director, and that he'll also build the company's first-party content team. Scott previously worked at id Software, and comes to Oculus after leaving Halo 4 developer 343 Industries earlier this year.
We've heard reports that Carmack was working on software meant to showcase Oculus Rift, but we haven't heard much in the way of Oculus' first-party game development team. Unlike the hires mentioned above, which are clearly focused on the technology and business aspects of the company, Scott's announced role is sign that Oculus is serious about developing its own games for the Rift.
It makes sense. First-party games that showcase the best aspects of a device are a crucial part of Sony's and Microsoft's strategies, and if the new cash injection from Facebook means that Oculus can afford to do same, why not?
It will be interesting to see who else Oculus hires for its first-party development team. With the current interest in VR, Facebook's support, and Carmack and Scott already in the mix, we could see a new, major game developer come together.
