San Mateo, CA –May 13, 2025 - In a world where pawns march with purpose and knights clash like titans, Merlin’s Chess re-imagines a centuries-old contest of wits and tactics through the lens of fantasy, drawing inspiration from Harry Potter’s Wizard’s Chess and the legendary Battle Chess. Launching in Early Access on May 22 for $12.99, exclusively on Meta Quest devices, Merlin’s Chess invites players to step inside an animated, fantastical take on competitive strategy, where every move is a performance and every match, a spectacle.
Developed by Teleporter Realities and published by MechaTurtle Interactive, Merlin’s Chess is a richly animated, VR-native experience unlike anything on the board. In addition to its handcrafted environments, expressive piece animations, and voice-powered gameplay, Merlin’s Chess includes full support for Chess.com—letting players link their accounts, earn “Verified” status, and face off against over 200 million users across web, mobile, and even electronic boards. Players can also challenge a wide roster of official Chess.com bots, including personalities based on world champions, online personalities, and pro athletes. It’s a powerful bonus feature layered into a game already purpose-built to become the definitive chess platform for immersive play.
Whether seated by a crackling fireplace with a tabletop board or dwarfed by towering pieces in a coliseum designed for giants, Merlin’s Chess offers distinct environments—each delivering a completely unique way to experience the game. At launch, players can battle in Ranked Mode, experiment freely in Casual Mode, or observe live games in Spectator Mode. Later updates will introduce a Puzzle Mode for quick challenges and a full single-player Campaign Mode that weaves narrative into strategy.
A VR-native chess experience, alive with personality
At its heart, Merlin’s Chess is a game of expression. Each piece is brought to life with unique attack animations, visual effects, and contextual audio—from the clash of rook towers to the magical shimmer of a pawn’s promotion. New piece-sets, environments, and AI opponents will be added regularly as both free and premium DLC.
Voice commands allow players to perform moves, control game functions, and interact with the UI using natural language—no rigid phrasing required. For those who prefer a hands-on approach, Merlin’s Chess also supports full hand tracking and touch controllers, enabling tactile control over every lever, slider, and spellbound square.
AI opponents range from beginner-friendly to near–grandmaster levels, including custom personalities like the MechaGoblin, who brings his own animated flair to every move. More animated AI challengers will arrive throughout Early Access. And for those brand new to the game, the upcoming Merlin’s Chess Academy will offer guided learning paths, AI coaching, and personalized performance analysis.
Key Features at a Glance- Living, Breathing Chessboards – Massive or tabletop-sized pieces come to life with detailed animations, immersive soundscapes, and a stylized fantasy aesthetic inspired by MMORPGs and classic wizard lore, with subtle nods to gaming, geek, and pop culture throughout the UI and character design. More piece-sets are planned as both free and premium DLC.
- Official Chess.com Integration – Link your account, earn “Verified” status, and play against over 200 million users across web, mobile, and electronic boards. Take on official Chess.com bots modeled after world champions, creators, and athletes—including Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, MrBeast, the Botez Sisters, and many more.
- Voice Commands – Command the board like a true wizard. Use natural language to move pieces, control settings, and perform in-game actions—hands-free. Say things like “Queen to D5” or “turn down the music” and watch the magic unfold.
- Social Play with Style – Customize your Orc or Elven avatar, join friends across platforms, use in-game voice chat, and manage your match visibility with safety tools like mute and block.
- Online Matchmaking – Find worthy opponents with a real-time auto-matchmaking system that pairs you based on skill level, supported by a pro-grade chess rating system for competitive play.
- AI Opponents – Challenge adaptive AI across a full range of difficulty—from total beginner to near–grandmaster levels. Face original characters like MechaGoblin, with more animated AI challengers arriving throughout Early Access.
- Hand Tracking & Touch Controller Support – Pick up, move, and interact with pieces and menus using your hands or motion controllers.
- Chess 101 & Merlin’s Chess Academy – (Coming Soon) Learn the game from scratch with interactive onboarding, and prepare for the upcoming Merlin’s Chess Academy—a full training system with AI coaching and personalized learning paths.
Early Access is just the beginning. At launch, players will have access to Ranked, Casual, and Spectator modes, a full suite of AI opponents, hand tracking, voice commands, avatar customization, and official Chess.com integration with cross-platform multiplayer. The development team will prioritize community feedback, refine visual fidelity, and expand features in the lead-up to the full release.
Planned updates include Puzzle Mode, Mixed Reality support, new AI characters, and the structured learning experience of Merlin’s Chess Academy. All core content—environments, piece sets, NPCs, and command stations—is designed for ongoing expansion through free and premium DLC.
A story-driven Campaign Mode and official DLC collaborations with third-party IPs are already in the works, designed to expand the Merlin’s Chess universe in both scope and soul. And with upcoming Discord-hosted tournaments and creator support programs, the game is positioned to become the go-to chess platform for VR users—whether you’re a casual player, a competitive strategist, or someone simply drawn to the magic of the board.
Merlin’s Chess arrives in Early Access on May 22 for $12.99, exclusively on Meta Quest devices. For a limited time, players can pre-order on the Meta Store for just $9.99. To learn more, visit merlinschess.gg or follow along on Discord, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
For inquiries, contact:
Impact Reality
About Teleporter Realities
Teleporter Realities is a San Mateo & Istanbul–based immersive gaming company dedicated to creating immersive experiences that redefine how we play and connect. Founded in 2015, the company is known for World of Gamers—one of the world’s first VR gamer metaverses—and for its imaginative, socially driven approach to XR game development. Drawing inspiration from fantasy franchises like Harry Potter, World of Warcraft, and Dungeons of Dragons, Teleporter builds rich, interactive worlds designed for today’s most advanced headsets.
About MechaTurtle Interactive
MechaTurtle Interactive is a San Mateo–based brand-new XR studio and publishing partner focused on building and supporting next-generation immersive experiences. Founded by VR veteran Aslan Yerdelen and a team of seasoned industry experts each with a decade of hands-on experience, the company aims to provide deep technical expertise, go-to-market support, a strong industry network, and funding opportunities to innovative XR teams.