is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
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Meta is laying off about 10 percent of its Reality Labs metaverse division, and the cuts include closing down some of its VR gaming studios.
Twisted Pixel Games, the developer of Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Sanzaru Games, the developer of the Asgard’s Wrath franchise, and Armature Studio, which worked on the Resident Evil 4 VR port, are all being closed down, according to an internal memo viewed by Bloomberg. The team behind the VR fitness app Supernatural will no longer develop new content or features for it, though the “existing product” will still be supported, Bloomberg says. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed to The Verge that Bloomberg’s reporting is accurate.
Laid off staffers have posted about the closures online.
“I’ve just been laid off. It appears the entire Twisted Pixel Games studio has been shut down along with Sanzaru and Armature too,” former Twisted Pixel level designer Andy Gentile says
“Unfortunately, Twisted Pixel Games has been closed as a result of strategy changes at Meta,” former Twisted Pixel senior artist Dan Greenfield says
“As many will hear soon, several Meta game studios were closed today, including Sanzaru,” former Sanzaru senior level designer Ray West says
“Due to an unexpected closure of Sanzaru Studios, I’m open for work,” former Sanzaru lead environment artist Tyler Fluharty says
Meta acquired Supernatural developer Within in 2023 (after a fight with the FTC), Twisted Pixel and Armature in 2022, and Sanzaru in 2020. The company closed Echo VR developer Ready at Dawn, which it also acquired in 2020, in 2024.
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