Meta has laid the axe on three of its virtual reality (VR) studios as part of a broader effort to cut costs and refocus its investment in the metaverse. The move comes as the company shifts its priorities towards wearables, with savings from the closures expected to be reinvested in supporting the growth of this emerging technology.
As a result, employees at Armature, Sanzaru, and Twisted Pixel have been let go, although some are reportedly staying on to work with third-party developers and partners. This shift in focus has led to the closure of Supernatural, a popular VR fitness app that will no longer receive updates with fresh content.
While Meta claims to remain committed to supporting the video game industry, internal communications suggest otherwise. In an internal memo, Oculus Studios director Tamara Sciamanna stated that the company is shifting its investment towards third-party developers and partners to ensure long-term sustainability.
The decision has raised questions about Meta's commitment to supporting a VR ecosystem it has invested heavily in. With no new VR headsets announced since the Quest 3S in 2024, and plans for Horizon OS headsets from Asus and Lenovo put on hold, this latest move may signal a broader scaling back of its metaverse ambitions.
As the tech landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: Meta's priorities are shifting, and it remains to be seen how this will impact the future of virtual reality.
As a result, employees at Armature, Sanzaru, and Twisted Pixel have been let go, although some are reportedly staying on to work with third-party developers and partners. This shift in focus has led to the closure of Supernatural, a popular VR fitness app that will no longer receive updates with fresh content.
While Meta claims to remain committed to supporting the video game industry, internal communications suggest otherwise. In an internal memo, Oculus Studios director Tamara Sciamanna stated that the company is shifting its investment towards third-party developers and partners to ensure long-term sustainability.
The decision has raised questions about Meta's commitment to supporting a VR ecosystem it has invested heavily in. With no new VR headsets announced since the Quest 3S in 2024, and plans for Horizon OS headsets from Asus and Lenovo put on hold, this latest move may signal a broader scaling back of its metaverse ambitions.
As the tech landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: Meta's priorities are shifting, and it remains to be seen how this will impact the future of virtual reality.
, but if Meta's not gonna invest in it, what's the point? It seems like they're cutting ties with some pretty cool studios too, Armature, Sanzaru, and Twisted Pixel are all history now 
. And Supernatural, that VR fitness app was so popular! I hope whoever is staying on to work with third-party devs can keep it alive or something 
. Don't get me wrong, wearables are cool and all, but VR is still kinda new tech, you know? It'd be sad if they were really cutting back on their investments... wouldn't that hurt the whole metaverse thing? 
Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next 
just read that Meta is chopping 3 of its VR studios... like what even happened to them? 
savin' $$ at the expense of all those awesome VR devs... poor guys! 
armature, sanzaru, twisted pixel - all gone 
guess that means supernatural fitness app is toast too? 
meta claims to still be down with gaming but internal memo says otherwise 
not sure what's goin on over there but it don't sit right w/ me 
. Supernatural was a popular app for sure, but I guess that's what happens when you gotta make tough decisions to stay afloat 
. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the long run and whether they can still make the metaverse thing work 
.
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this move does make me wonder if meta's still all in on the metaverse thing... 
they've been quiet about new headsets since 2024 and now plans are put on hold 
Like, isn't VR supposed to be the future or something? 
It feels like they're just kinda... abandoning it now? 
It's all so confusing... are we just gonna have to wait and see what happens next? 
but now they just feel so... basic. remember when we were all talking about how immersive tech was gonna change everything and now it's just another thing that gets cut back because of cost savings? 
. It's like, what's next? Are they gonna kill off Oculus too? 
I know Meta still claims to be all about supporting the video game industry, but it's hard not to wonder if this is just another case of them playing it cool on the outside while scaling back their ambitions 
i hope meta realizes that vr fitness is a thing rn 
. With no new headsets announced since 2024, and plans put on hold, I'm left wondering if this is just a case of 'VR fatigue' 
.
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shifting gears - from focusing on VR to wearables 
is it still 
going or just cruising at low speed?
. Mark my words, this move will backfire and we'll be stuck with a barren metaverse landscape 
. It's like they're pulling back from their own game 
. Don't get me wrong, wearables are cool and all, but it feels like they're abandoning ship on the metaverse 
now i'm curious about what they really want from these third-party devs... are they just gonna help make money or also contribute to the metaverse growth? 
, that was a sick VR fitness app! It's like they're abandoning ship on their own metaverse plans 
. I get that costs gotta be cut, but this feels like a major strategic misstep 
. What if they just scaled back instead of shutting down entire studios? That would've been a more sustainable move 
. It was all about creating a community that'd push you to new heights (literally!) and challenge your limits. Now, it feels like Meta's just phasing it out in favor of wearables... what happened to the thrill of exploring new worlds? 
The Quest 3S came out last year, what's next?! Did we already forget about Horizon OS? 