Virtual reality (VR) has taken the gaming industry by storm, but it’s hard to find games that are genuinely immersive and more than just a gimmick. Sinn Studio, founded by Almir Brljak and Alek Sinanoski, put out Swordsman VR, a revolutionary sword-fighting game that has been massively popular among both hardcore and casual gamers. However, even though the game may show signs of being made by a major studio, this is actually a story of the little guy triumphing over the establishment.

The Story of Sinn Studio

Sinn Studio started in 2017, releasing four games on Playstation, Steam, Viveport, and Oculus. Of the four, Swordsman VR has become the most successful, having received great acclaim from audiences and critics alike and building hundreds of thousands of downloads across platforms since its release.

Like almost any new game studio, Sinn Studio struggled to get off the ground at first. From its formation in 2017 to the release of Swordsman VR in 2020, Sinn Studio faced some financial difficulties that culminated in almost having to face bankruptcy. However, their lovingly-called “Frankenstein team” persevered, and they reached profitability with Swordsman VR, which to date has sold 140,000 units and counting.

Sinn Studio is different from other game designers because it is a small shop with only around 13 full-time team members. Despite this, they continue to put out products like Swordsman VR that are comparable in quality to those produced by the video game industry’s larger, major studios.

How Swordsman Differs From Other VR Games

Swordsman VR is a realistic sword fighting  virtual reality game in which the player takes the role of a swordsman aiming to stop the villain — the Jotunn — from taking over the world with his horde of vicious armies. In eight different environments, players will get the opportunity to fight against various opponents like Knights, Vikings, Mongols, Samurai, and Pirates, giving players an exciting, varied combat experience.

Swordsman VR is available on MetaQuest, PSVR, and PCVR, and is available for purchase for $19.99 through the MetaQuest Store, PS Store, Steam, and Viveport. Completing every level of the game and fully upgrading your character takes around 6-8 hours of gameplay. Still, the combat-based nature of the game allows it to have endless hours of play for players, even when the levels are complete.

Even though Swordsman VR was released by Sinn Studio when the company was in its early stages, the title would become an enormously popular VR game in its own right. It is now available on six continents, in more than 90 countries, and in eight different languages. It has since become one of the most popular VR games on the market, ranking in the top 3 monthly, and top 5 annually, in Europe and North America, stacking up against games by Disney and The Walking Dead. 

What makes Swordsman VR so unique is its focus on realistic melee combat. “Many fighting games focus on upgradability and making the player feel powerful,” explains Sinanoski. “While our game still does that, we want players to feel like they are challenged. Our AI creates genuinely intelligent combat that allows players to feel like they are genuinely fighting against an expert swordsman in virtual reality.”

The Future of Swordsman VR and Sinn Studio

Although Swordsman VR started with simple sword-based combat, several updates have already been released. Even more are on the way, expanding the game to offer more advanced sword combat and taking the player into other exciting forms of combat, such as ranged combat. This will allow the game to continue delivering an exciting new experience for the devoted players who have already come to love the game, as well as attract new players to continue to grow the community.

The story of Sinn Studio is a fantastic underdog story within the gaming world. Not only did they manage to create one of the most successful VR games of all time and compete with the big boys despite having a small team and fewer resources at their disposal, but they also revolutionized the nature of VR-based combat games in general. “Gamers looking for the best VR combat games have come to love Swordsman,” explains Brljak. “We hope that, with our future games, we will be able to continue to deliver more exceptional-quality combat games for our consumers.”