Meta has significantly scaled back its commitment to virtual reality (VR) development, closing three prominent studios as part of a broader effort to reassess investments. The closures include Armature, Sanzaru, and Twisted Pixel, with the latter two having released notable VR titles like Marvel's Deadpool VR and Asgard's Wrath.
The move is particularly striking given Meta's recent efforts to pivot from its original focus on in-house game development and VR content creation towards other areas of growth. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson acknowledged that the company has shifted some investment towards wearables as part of this broader effort, but clarified that this shift does not signal a move away from supporting the gaming industry.
However, with the closure of three key VR studios, it remains to be seen whether Meta's commitment to supporting the VR ecosystem will endure. In recent months, the company has paused plans for new headsets and scaled back its involvement in third-party game development.
Despite this shift, Oculus Studios director Tamara Sciamanna maintains that Meta is committed to video games and sees the closure of these studios as an opportunity to focus on partnering with independent developers and publishers to drive long-term sustainability. Nevertheless, the decision to scale back VR investments raises questions about Meta's overall strategy for supporting the growth of this rapidly evolving industry.
The closure also affects Supernatural, a popular VR fitness app that will no longer receive new content or feature updates starting today. Existing users can continue to use the app, but will not be able to access new features.
The move is particularly striking given Meta's recent efforts to pivot from its original focus on in-house game development and VR content creation towards other areas of growth. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson acknowledged that the company has shifted some investment towards wearables as part of this broader effort, but clarified that this shift does not signal a move away from supporting the gaming industry.
However, with the closure of three key VR studios, it remains to be seen whether Meta's commitment to supporting the VR ecosystem will endure. In recent months, the company has paused plans for new headsets and scaled back its involvement in third-party game development.
Despite this shift, Oculus Studios director Tamara Sciamanna maintains that Meta is committed to video games and sees the closure of these studios as an opportunity to focus on partnering with independent developers and publishers to drive long-term sustainability. Nevertheless, the decision to scale back VR investments raises questions about Meta's overall strategy for supporting the growth of this rapidly evolving industry.
The closure also affects Supernatural, a popular VR fitness app that will no longer receive new content or feature updates starting today. Existing users can continue to use the app, but will not be able to access new features.
This is some big news for the VR community... Meta's been playing it cool on this one, saying they're just reassessing their investments, but it feels like a major pivot 
. They've got these three studios shut down and now Supernatural is getting cut off from new content too 
. It's not all bad, though - Tamara Sciamanna's right that they can focus on other stuff, like partnering with indie devs to keep VR alive 
. But still, it's hard to shake the feeling that Meta's losing interest in VR 
... what do you think?
it's like they're just giving up on this whole thing... armature, sanzaru, and twisted pixel all closed down and supernaturally (lol) no longer getting any updates what's next? no more oculus headsets or third party games? 
this is so disappointing 
but then nothing 
what about us, meta? 
don't you care about the people who love vr gaming so much? 
at least that one's not going away 
I remember playing Asgard's Wrath with my friends and having such a blast... now it's all coming to an end. 
. It feels like Meta's lost focus on what they're good at - creating immersive gaming experiences. Maybe this is just a strategic move to focus on wearables or whatever? But still, it's hard not to feel a bit disappointed 
. Now it feels like they're pulling back on that whole thing 
. What's up with this shift in focus towards wearables? Is gaming still important to them or was it just a phase? I'm kinda worried about what this means for indies, Supernatural is actually one of the good VR fitness apps out there and now it'll be hard for new creators to get noticed