Toast Interactive, VR veteran studio behind Richie’s Plank Expertise (2017) and Max Mustard (2024), introduced it’s closing workplace and shedding a majority of workers.
The Gold Coast, Australia-based studio revealed the information in an X publish (seen beneath), noting that the “majority of our proficient workers have suffered redundancies.”
This follows the studio’s first layoff spherical in November 2024, which affected 10 staff. On the time, the studio maintained that whereas Max Mustard was “one of many highest-rated video games on each PSVR 2 and Meta Quest, it sadly can’t maintain a big indie staff.”
It’s unclear the variety of staff affected on the time of this writing. The studio says it isn’t closing totally nevertheless, noting that remaining workers “will proceed to enhance Richie’s Plank Expertise and Max Mustard with a lean strategy.”
Based in 2016 by spouse and husband staff Toni and Richard Eastes, Toast Interactive noticed early success with the discharge of Richie’s Plank Expertise, which let customers sync a bodily plank to its digital counterpart to tiptoe above death-defying heights.
Initially developed for HTC Vive, Richie’s Plank Expertise went on to assist Rift, Quest and the unique PSVR. Moreover, the studio says it’s nonetheless creating a model for PSVR 2.
Then, in 2024, the studio launched the well-received VR platformer Max Mustard, which felt just like the religious successor to Sony Japan Studio’s Astro Bot Rescue Mission (2018). Initially launched on Quest 2 and above, the plucky platformer finally made its option to SteamVR headsets and PSVR 2.
This comes amid ongoing turbulence within the XR gaming trade, which largely started in early 2024, with vital closures together with Meta’s Prepared at Daybreak (Lone Echo, Echo VR), Sony’s London Studio (PlayStation Worlds, Blood & Reality), and indie developer Archiact (DOOM 3 Quest port).
Extra not too long ago, a number of XR studios have downsized by workers layoffs, together with VRChat, Quick Journey Video games (Motion Hero, Model), Soul Meeting (Drop Useless collection), XR Video games (Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded), and nDreams (Frenzies, Vendetta Eternally).
Right here’s Toast Interactive’s full publish:
To everybody within the VR neighborhood: we’re closing the Toast Interactive workplace. It’s a heartbreaking determination that we by no means wished to make. The vast majority of our proficient staff have suffered redundancies, and we are going to help the place we will with their subsequent journey.
We’re extremely grateful and happy with every little thing the staff has achieved. A lot expertise and fervour went into the creation of Max Mustard and each single accolade speaks volumes. We’ll proceed to enhance Richie’s Plank Expertise and Max Mustard with a lean strategy.
We need to thank and acknowledge everybody who has been a part of our journey at Toast.
Sincerely,
Toni and Richard
