Since 2019, Meta has rapidly expanded its virtual reality sports offerings through the strategic acquisition of nine pioneering VR studios. Let’s take a closer look at how those proposals have panned out over the past five years.
Acquisitions by Meta typically raise a few concerns. Typically, studios reap significant benefits by partnering with major platform holders, gaining access to cutting-edge resources and enjoying the reliability that comes with being part of a well-established ecosystem. The potential exists for this move to impose stricter constraints on developers, as they are now obligated to maintain successful game properties that initially garnered the attention of Meta, or forced to create content for a solitary platform.
Overall, Meta has acquired nine studios that have showcased diverse post-acquisition improvements; however, only a few have seemingly overcome the typical challenge of delivering increasingly engaging subsequent content.
Beat Games – Pioneers in VR Rhythm Gaming, Acquired by Facebook in 2019
In 2019, Meta acquired Beat Games, securing its future by allowing the studio to continue innovating with fresh features and content while maintaining a level of autonomy.
Following the release of significant updates and downloadable content featuring renowned musicians, the block-based rhythm game has undergone its most substantial transformation since the acquisition: the integration of multiplayer functionality. Despite assurances, certain promises remain unkept, such as bespoke sabers and an integrated reality mode, both of which have been touted for over a year with no tangible progress to date.
No significant alterations have been made to the fundamental building blocks. Given the company’s history of innovation with the Beat series, one might infer that it was a natural progression for them to focus on their next major project. Five years on, despite initial optimism, there’s still no concrete evidence to suggest that Beat Games is actively working on anything new beyond mere preservation efforts.
Considering that Astro’s Playroom is arguably one of the most valuable aspects of VR gaming, this observation is astute. The initial excitement surrounding Beat Games’ latest release seems to have fizzled out, with little indication that it’s breaking new ground or introducing innovative concepts beyond what we’ve witnessed before. With its founding trio of Jan Ilavsky, Jaroslav Beck, and Vladimir Hrincar having departed the company, the venture now increasingly relies on Meta’s direction.
Sanzaru Games – Renowned for their innovative approach to game development, acquired in 2020.
At the time of its 2020 acquisition by Meta, Sanzaru revealed plans to create large-scale virtual reality (VR) titles, building on the momentum of Asgard’s Golden Realm, a popular Rift-exclusive RPG released just prior to the acquisition.
In 2023, the studio delivered a cinematic feast. The studio successfully delivered a sequel, no less impressively packaging it within the Quest 2 and Quest 3’s constraints, a challenging achievement considering its predecessor’s successful launch on PC, a significantly more powerful platform.
Despite these differences, one drawback emerged: though the sequel takes place in an entirely new location with a distinct narrative, those without VR-capable PCs cannot play the original game on Quest, a significant sticking point.
Notwithstanding this, the sequel is widely regarded as a hallmark of visual consistency on Quest, earning the game a robust 4.2 out of 5 customer evaluation rating. Despite requiring some crucial time. Four years passed between the acquisition and the launch of Where. We acknowledge the significant undertaking of transitioning the studio’s entire workflow to develop games for Quest; however, we eagerly anticipate seeing what the studio achieves next, hoping it won’t take another four-year hiatus.
Prepared at Daybreak – Recognized for & , Acquired 2020
Founded in 2017, Prepared at Daybreak is the studio behind, a pioneering virtual reality game that debuted as one of the genre’s best and most impressive titles in the run-up to the launch of Oculus Quest. The studio’s innovative zero-G locomotion technology proved so versatile that they created a standalone multiplayer game, which they dubbed Echo VR.
Ultimately, growth commenced as planned, with the introduction of strategies aimed at launching in 2019. Despite efforts to streamline the process, a concatenation of setbacks arose. Meta acquired Prepared at Daybreak in 2020, seemingly poised to support the studio in completing the game and capitalizing on its social momentum from the preceding year.
The studio launched the single-player journey for Rift in 2021. As Meta refocused its attention on Quest, it was widely expected that the beloved Beat Saber would be ported to the brand-new headset.
Despite initial expectations, however, issues did not unfold as anticipated. Three years following its acquisition, Prepared at Daybreak surprisingly announced the impending sunset of its platform.
While the decision disappointed enthusiasts, the studio clarified that it was merely a strategic pivot ahead of their next endeavour, which held potential for revitalization. In August 2024, Meta unceremoniously shut down the studio without warning, bringing an abrupt end to its operations.
Downpour Interactive – Recognized for its immersive open-world game development, Acquired in 2021 by THQ.
Since its launch on Steam and Oculus Rift in 2016, Tarkov has remained a stalwart among VR military simulation enthusiasts. Following its 2021 acquisition of Downpour Interactive, Meta seized the opportunity to support a popular game, recognizing the need to “help elevate” it as one of the leading multiplayer VR games.
Twelve months prior to its acquisition, the game experienced a rocky debut on Quest, but has since undergone significant improvements in stability and visual quality, earning it a devoted fan base and an impressive 17,000 user reviews, resulting in a stellar consumer rating of [4.2/5].
Notwithstanding the acquisition, post-acquisition developments have been incremental rather than transformative?
While Meta delivered on its pledge to ensure Meta Quest compatibility, the port received widespread gamer criticism due to the substantial graphical downgrades in the PC version, necessitated to facilitate simultaneous support for both platforms.
Unlike Beat Video Games, where anticipation builds around impending major releases, Like Beat Video Games, the pace of updates may suggest a new significant game is in development, but none have been announced yet? Despite uncertainty surrounding its future, Downpour’s fate remains precarious; just a month prior to Meta’s sweeping layoffs at Downpour and Prepared at Daybreak, studio founder and CEO Dante Buckley departed in March 2023.
