The problem, though, is that ST:BC is a multiplayer game, and thus was only really playable with other (VR-equipped) players... of which there are none, since VR isn't a thing yet. So it's not surprising that Ubisoft, in a belated and desperate bid to prevent their online multiplayer game from dying on the vine, in spite of its Star Trek IP, have decided to remove ST:BC's VR requirement.
As reported by WCCFTech:
Hey nerds, have you always dreamed of stepping aboard the bridge of a Starfleet cruiser, but don’t want to shell out for a VR headset to play Star Trek: Bridge Crew? Well, you’re in luck, as Ubisoft has released a new patch which removes the game’s VR requirements. Now everybody can blast a few Klingons with friends!
[...]
Star Trek: Bridge Crew isn’t abandoning VR by any means – in fact, the non-VR patch also adds support for Microsoft mixed-reality headsets. Regardless of how you may choose to play, Bridge crew lets everybody join games together.Apart from its rather boosterish tone (rather unlike WCCFTech's normal "Where Consumers Come First" style, frankly), which is obviously just copypasted from a press release, the basic event here is pretty starkly obvious. Brave talk of Microsoft mixed reality (MMR?) headsets aside, VR development is such a money-sucking pit right now that even a developer the size of Ubisoft can't afford to release VR-exclusive games, and keep them exclusive to VR.
Also, the fact that ST:BC is playable without VR speaks quite eloquently to the fact that VR isn't enabling anything by way of new gameplay, here - it's just qualitative enhancement, not quantitative enablement, which is not enough to sell VR to the masses. It still a little early to call this one, but I'm feeling pretty confident about my VR prediction for the upcoming year.