Detour Bus Press Kit
factsheet
Developer:
Late Stage Interactive
Based in Los Angeles, California
Release dates:
Steam Demo: May 14th 2021
Quest Demo: May 11th 2022
Full Release: Coming Soon
Platforms:
Steam VR
Meta Quest
Oculus Rift
Website
Regular Price:
USD 14.99
description
Detour Bus is a casual, virtual-reality, construction-comedy adventure, where players build ridiculous winding highways around themselves, to take the Flowers family on a road trip across post-infrastructure America. The game combines a goofy core mechanic with dialogue that reacts to how you're building. Using just one button and capitalizing on feedback systems built into VR hardware, Detour Bus lets players feel the wonder of VR without friction. It explores what accessibility can look like in VR, and what aesthetics support accessibility-first design.
history
Detour Bus began as a project in the USC Games program, where it grew through a number of prototype phases—from an initial mood board with photographs of midwestern freeway interchanges, to a physical cardboard prototype, to a finished demo, which received a grant from the Oculus Launchpad Program, to continue development with a full team.
Detour Bus’s development has also been heavily influenced by a commitment to accessibility from day one. It had always been the intention to create something enjoyable for VR veterans and newcomers alike. Working with organizations such as The AbleGamers Charity, pushed the game’s design towards maximum approachability. Detour Bus aims to set an example for what is possible and break open the conversation about accessibility in virtual reality.
features
build the world's grooviest toy car track using accessible snap-and-place controls
eight iconic landmarks to navigate - from Mt. Busmore to the depths of the active Buscano
explore environments in a unique psychedelic art style - never before seen in VR
voice over from your passengers that responds to how you build
a giant tow truck mech to take down
Accessibility Considerations
default one-button controls
closed captioning
dyslexia friendly fonts
artificial locomotion options including snap turning and smooth moving and turning
standing/sitting height calibration
one-controller mode
no-reach (3DoF) mode
buttons only mode (no controller tracking required)
full button remapping
videos
Announcement Trailer on YouTube
Oculus Developer Spotlight YouTube
SCREENSHOTS & IMAGES
Logo & Icon
Awards and recognition
DreamHack Anaheim 2020 Indie Playground Official Selection
selected press
“[Detour Bus] expands the horizons of what a modern video game can be.” - Nick Nuccio, Viterbi School News
“People have nostalgia for the ‘70s, but [‘70s video games] don’t remind us of the ‘70s… because they were so primitive and simple… [Detour Bus] does a good job of simulating nostalgia for something that never happened.” - Peter Brinson, The Daily Trojan
monetization permission
Late Stage Interactive allows for the contents of Detour Bus to be published through video broadcasting services for any commercial or non-commercial purposes. Monetization of videos created containing assets from Detour Bus is legally & explicitly allowed by Late Stage Interactive. This permission can be found in writing at https://detourbus.com/press.
credits
Ezra J. Robinson Design, Production, Writing
Zach Flores Design, Engineering
Eli Bork Production, Casting
Quiana Dang Art Direction
Remi Wedin Usability, 3D Art
Skylar Kelley Design
Kenny Wei Engineering
Jingtao Huang Engineering
Hanna Adams Sound Design
David Barrett Usability
Milo Smiley Writing
Sully Zack Writing
Olivia Yin Design
Shon Xiao Concept Art
Devon Gadzinski 3D Art
Adena Park 3D Art
Alisa Chen 3D Art
Meisen Hu 3D Art
Joe Jacobs 3D Art and Animation
Mattie Rosen Dialogue Editing
Luca Mendoza Original Music
contact
Business Inquiries