The studios behind Marvel’s Deadpool VR and Asgard’s Wrath have been closed down, as Meta pivots investment into wearable tech.
Studio closures have unfortunately become a regular occurrence over the past few years, with Microsoft being an especially guilty party but almost every Western publisher having let go hundreds over the course of the current generation.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, has become the latest tech giant to slim down its gaming operations. Reports earlier this week claimed Meta was planning to cut around 10% of employees in its Reality Labs division (formerly known as Oculus VR), which is dedicated to virtual reality software and hardware.
The company has now confirmed these layoffs and the closure of three studios; Armature Studio, Sanzaru Games, and Twisted Pixel Games.
In a statement to Gematsu about the closures, a Meta spokesperson said: ‘We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year.’
Several affected employees have posted about the shut downs on social media. Andy Gentile, a designer at Twisted Pixel Games, wrote: ‘I’ve just been laid off. It appears the entire Twisted Pixel Games Studio has been shut down. Sanzaru Games too.’
This was corroborated by Sanzaru senior level designer Ray West. In a post on LinkedIn, he wrote: ‘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 to have gotten to know everyone there.’
Sanzaru Games were acquired by Meta in February 2020, following their 2019 VR title Asgard’s Wrath. After the acquisition, they launched a sequel, the excellent Asgard’s Wrath 2, on Meta Quest 3 in 2023.
Prior to Asgard’s Wrath, Sanzaru predominantly worked on ports and remasters of PlayStation titles, including Secret Agent Clank and The Sly Collection. They also went onto develop 2013’s Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time for the PlayStation 3.
Twisted Pixel Games has an interesting history. They were originally known for Xbox Live Arcade hits like ‘Splosion Man, Ms. ‘Splosion Man, and Comic Jumper, but they pivoted to VR titles following 2017’s Wilson’s Heart. The studio was acquired by Meta in 2021, and released Marvel’s Deadpool VR in November last year.
Armature Studio are behind 2016 Xbox title ReCore and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate and employ a number of ex-Retro Studios staff. Meta acquired them in 2022 but they haven’t released anything since, with their last title being 2021’s celebrated port of Resident Evil 4 for the Meta Quest 2.
Meta still owns several game studios as part of Reality Labs, including Beat Saber developer Beat Games and Batman: Arkham Shadow studio Camourflaj.
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