Meta has shut down Twisted Pixel Games (Deadpool VR), Sanzaru Games (Asgard’s Wrath), and Armature Studio (Resident Evil 4 VR).
The New York Times previously reported that Meta was laying off more than 10% of its Reality Labs division, specifically targeting teams working on VR and Horizon Worlds.
UploadVR can now confirm that these layoffs are taking effect today, and have seen documents showing that the entire three VR game studios acquired by Meta (Twisted Pixel Games, Sanzaru Games, and Armature) will be affected.
twisted pixel game
Twisted Pixel Games was founded in 2006, and for the first 10 years of its existence, it primarily produced Xbox games published by Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft owned the studio from 2011 to 2015, after which it became an independent company again.
Wilson’s Heart review: Oculus Rift delivers a stylish new thriller
Warning: This is a review of Wilson’s Heart. We’ve done our best to avoid spoilers, but some very light story elements and some gameplay surprises are revealed. You know that feeling you get when you stand at the end of a long, dark world?
Under the agreement with Facebook, Twisted Pixel released four VR games between 2017 and 2019.
Wilson’s Heart (Rift): 2017 black-and-white psychological horror game voiced by Peter Weller, Alfred Molina, Rosario Dawson, and Michael B. Jordan. B-Team (Go/Quest): A 2018 collection of minigames including an obstacle avoidance running game and a wave shooter. Ported to Quest in 2020. Defector (Rift): An action-packed spy thriller reminiscent of 2019’s Mission: Impossible. Path of the Warrior (Rift/Quest): A 2019 brawler that’s basically a first-person VR version of games like Streets of Rage, Final Fight, and Double Dragon.
Marvel’s Deadpool VR Review: Merc with Meta Quest
Marvel’s Deadpool VR does a good job of capturing the essence of the antihero, but it doesn’t reach its full combat potential.
In 2022, Twisted Pixel Games was acquired by Meta. And just two months ago, we released what we’ve been working on ever since: Deadpool VR, our latest Quest-exclusive VR blockbuster.
Meta closing its studio is already a strong indication that the $50 exclusive didn’t sell as well as the company had hoped, or that it didn’t sufficiently drive sales of the new Quest headset, which is the true purpose of Meta’s big-budget content.
Sanzaru Games
Sanzaru Games was also founded in 2006 and ported the original God of War series to PS Vita, combining its own games with contract titles from companies like Sony.
Asgard’s Wrath Review: The Best and Most Ambitious Game in VR History
Asgard’s Wrath, Sanzaru Games’ massive action-adventure RPG, will finally be released on October 10th. We’ve spent the better part of the last few days immersing ourselves in the tales of Norse mythology in order to bring you a complete and comprehensive review. Let me be very clear very quickly.
Sanzaru Games also received a contract from Facebook to build VR games for the Oculus Rift and its Touch controllers from 2016 to 2019.
Ripcoil (2016): A launch title for the Oculus Touch controllers, it was an active VR version of Pong, where you basically lean over to catch and throw a cybernetic Frisbee. VR Sports Challenge (2016): Another Oculus Touch launch title featuring soccer, basketball, hockey, and baseball that we hoped would be the Wii Sports of early PC VR. Marvel Powers United VR (2018): Facebook’s blockbuster title for the 2018 Rift+Touch, featuring 18 playable Marvel superheroes and online multiplayer co-op. Meta shut down the game in 2020, and a fan project brought back single-player in 2024, but Meta took it down. Asgard’s Wrath (2019): One of the most complete games for VR ever, Facebook’s 2019 Rift exclusive and Oculus Link launch title, an action-adventure RPG with over 30 hours of gameplay.
In 2020, Sanzaru Games was acquired by Facebook and released Asgard’s Wrath 2 in 2023. It takes the core essence of Asgard’s Wrath into Quest 2 and Quest 3 standalone, with a semi-open world and over 60 hours of campaign.
Asgard’s Wrath 2 gets final content update as Sanzaru Games looks to the ‘next big thing’
Asgard’s Wrath 2 has received its final content update, and developer Sanzaru Games is working on the “next big thing.”
Exactly one year ago, Sanzaru released the last major content update for Asgard’s Wrath 2 and said they were currently working on the “next big thing,” but no details were announced about what that would be before the studio shut down.
armor studio
Founded in 2008, Armature Studio was primarily a porting studio that brought PC titles to consoles and console titles to PS Vita.
Like Twisted Pixel and Sanzaru, Armature also contracted with Facebook to build an early consumer VR game.
Fail Factory (2017): A quirky puzzle game for Samsung Gear VR where you complete tasks in a cartoon robot factory. It was later ported to Oculus Go, Rift, and Quest. Sports Scramble (2019): Oculus Quest launch title and yet another hopeful “Wii sports in VR” that included tennis, bowling, and baseball. Resident Evil 4 VR (2021): Armature’s most important VR project to date was porting Resident Evil 4, one of the first major traditional games to come to a standalone headset, to Quest 2.
Resident Evil 4 VR Review: An Incredible Way to Revisit a Classic
While the port has obvious issues that require you to play the original first, Resident Evil 4 is still a powerful experience in VR. Read our review of Resident Evil 4 VR. I’m sure I was worried, just like you. In fact, I’m very worried. Fans will be duly protected
Armature was acquired by Meta in 2022, and many VR gamers have been excited to see what Armature has been working on since then. Whatever it was, Armature is also now closed.
Camouflage and other continuation
These aren’t the first VR game studios Meta has acquired.
In 2024, the company shut down Ready At Dawn, creator of Lone Echo and Echo Arena. And last year, after ceasing development of the VR shooter, it merged Onward developer Downpour Interactive with Batman: Arkham Shadow developer Camouflaj.
Meta Shutters Echo Arena and Lone Echo Creator Ready At Dawn
Meta has shut down the development studio that was developing some of VR’s best games.
Four game studios remain active in Meta, according to documents seen by UploadVR.
Beat Saber and Population: One are live service games, and there’s no indication that either will get a sequel. Speaking of camouflage, four months ago the voice actor for Commissioner Gordon confirmed that a sequel to Batman: Arkham Shadow was about to enter development. It’s unclear if this is still happening, but UploadVR has confirmed that Camouflaj is not on the complete shutdown list.
‘Batman: Arkham Shadow’ sequel enters development, voice actors announced
A sequel to Batman: Arkham Shadow is about to enter development, the voice actor for Commissioner Gordon has confirmed.
The three studio closures are part of Meta’s broader strategic shift, with funds from VR being reallocated to smart glasses and a reaction to the sales momentum the company saw in each type of device last year.
Through at least the first three quarters of this year, Quest headset sales were down compared to 2024. Meanwhile, sales of Ray-Ban Meta glasses skyrocketed, with several variations selling as quickly as they could be manufactured.
Last month, Meta officially acknowledged that it would be “shifting some of its investments from Metaverse into AI glasses and wearables,” and the closures of Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru, and Armature were some of the first casualties of this shift.
Appreciate our reporting? Become an UploadVR member, patron, or leave a tip.
