As VR in gaming continues to dwindle, Meta is reportedly laying off 10 percent of its staff at its 15,000-person Reality Labs Division, which, alongside the job losses,s is also resulting the closure of its VR game studios, including Marvel’s Deadpool VR developer Twisted Pixel Games and Asgard’s Wrath developer Sanzaru Games, according to The New York Times via VGC.
The company behind Facebook and Instagram isn’t lacking in cash as just this past June reportedly offered up $100 million signing bonuses to OpenAI. The move looks like it’s part of Meta’s investment into its other divisions, including AI research and Wearable Tech, as it backs out of VR and maybe even the metaverse. News of the layoffs is still early, but it has hit online as the actual people who worked at these VR-focused studios are confirming the job cuts.
“Welp. As many will hear soon, several Meta game studios were closed today, including Sanzaru. It was an amazing team of powerhouse talent, and I’m really glad I got to know everyone there. But, onward – I am open to work,” Ray West wrote in a LinkedIn post.
If you’re a longtime PlayStation fan, then you might recognize Sanzaru Games for their work on porting PlayStation exclusives, including Secret Agent Clank, God of War Collection and the Sly Collection. That work on the last collection led the studio to develop a fourth entry in the Sly franchise, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and its spinoff, Bentley’s Hackpack. The studio, founded in 2006, went on to release Asgard’s Wrath for the OG Oculus Rift and was later acquired by the former Facebook company in 2019 to develop a sequel for Meta Quest.
Similarly, Twisted Pixel Games was also founded in 2006 and created some familiar titles during the Xbox Live Arcade era, including The Maw, ‘Splosion Man, Ms ‘Splosion Man and Comic Jumper. Just a couple of months ago, the studio released Deadpool VR for Meta Quest 3, and four years after Meta acquired the developer, it is closing up shop.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
